PICK UP FY2018

Culture

Introducing Japanese Arts and Culture in the United States
Japan 2019

Japan 2019, a program introducing Japanese arts and culture in the United States, began in March 2019. The program opened with The Tale of Genji: A Japanese Classic Illuminated, which was held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York City. This exhibition introduced the impact of The Tale of Genji on Japanese arts and society through the magnificent world of art. Meanwhile, the National Cherry Blossom Festival, held to celebrate the friendship between Japan and the United States, presented the 2.5-Dimensional Musical "Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon" The Super Live, a concert featuring Ikuko Kawai Ensemble and traditional Japanese instruments, as well as a performance by Yusaku Mochizuki (Mochi), a juggling artist.

Language

Start of Japanese-Language Teacher Training in India, Viet Nam and Myanmar
Special Program to Strengthen Japanese-Language Teacher Training

In FY2018, the Japan Foundation commenced the Special Program to Strengthen Japanese-Language Teacher Training in India, Viet Nam and Myanmar. In collaboration with Japanese embassies, public institutions and universities in these countries, this program provides training with the aims of not only raising the skill levels of existing teachers but also nurturing new teachers to alleviate a teacher shortage in response to dramatic growth in Japanese-language learning needs. This becomes the first full-fledged Japanese-language teacher training course, and the opening ceremonies marking the start of the training courses for new teachers were attended by government dignitaries and rectors of universities. The establishment of these courses attracted attention, including coverage by various domestic and overseas media.

Dialogue

Supporting Seminars and Symposia Convened Worldwide
Commemorating "Meiji 150th"

The year 2018 marked the 150th anniversary of the Meiji period, and a number of seminars and symposia related to the topic were organized in the milieu of Japanese studies overseas. To respond to the rising interest in Japan on the occasion of this anniversary, the Japan Foundation provided assistance to a total of 10 such events organized by universities or Japanese studies associations in Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Middle East, supporting among others the cost of inviting experts from Japan. In addition, the Japan Foundation co-organized with the Japanese-German Center Berlin a symposium entitled "The Legacy of the Meiji Restoration: Paths Towards Liberal Democracy 1868–2018" and dispatched three researchers as panelists, including Professor Kaoru Iokibe from The University of Tokyo.

The Japan Foundation Asia Center

Holding an Exchange Program Based on the Theme "Sanriku×Asia"
Sanriku International Arts Festival 2019

Asia Center invited two traditional performing arts groups from Yogyakarta, Indonesia, for the Sanriku International Arts Festival 2019, based on the theme "Sanriku×Asia," and held public performances and workshops in Miyako city and Ofunato city in Iwate Prefecture, and in Hachinohe city in Aomori Prefecture. A variety of other programs were held, including creative disaster education events; a designer-in-residence project in the Sanriku region with designers from Asia; a community building project through art; and an exchange program with people from Aceh, Indonesia, who suffered from the tsunami triggered by the Indian Ocean Earthquake in 2004.