2011 EVENTS ARCHIVE

February 5-6 Cinema Kabuki
February 16, Ukiyo-e talk by Carol Dorman
March 3 Lecture by Dr. Masaru Kohno
March 9 Lecture by Naoko Murakoshi
March 17 Toronto Japanese Short Film Festival Pre-Event Screening and Talk
March 22 The 2011 Earthquake: First-hand Experiences and Insights into Recovery
March 26 Katari Japanese Storytellers
May 24, Karakuri Ningyo Demonstration
June 7, Washi Talk by David Pepper
July 11, Talk by Photographer Haruo Nakano
July 21, Talk by Musicologist Michiko Hirama
August 25, Screening of Kokoyakyu
September 9, 2011, Japanese and Canadian Authors in Conversation
September 20, Screening of Summer Days with Coo
October 4, TsuguKaji-KOTO Concert
October 5, History Lectures
November 9, Struggling Cities Lecture 1: André Sorensen
November 16, Struggling Cities Lecture 2: George Baird
November 22, The Music of Maki Ishii
November 23, Struggling Cities Lecture 3: Christopher Hume
November 30, Struggling Cities Lecture 4: John Campey
Dececember 8, Shindo
December 9, Linda Linda Linda
December 10, The Summit
December 10, Always 2

Saturday, December 10, 6 pm (Tickets available 5:00. Doors open 5:30.)
Always Sunset on 3rd St. 2 (2007)
Dir. Takashi Yamazaki, PG, 146 min
Starring: Shin'ichi Hatori,Maki Horikita and Kazuki Koshimizu

"While many sequels only evoke nostalgia for their predecessors, 'Always: Sunset on Third Street 2' shines brighter on almost all fronts. Second installment of the family-friendly dramedy set in '50s Tokyo has a less episodic structure and eclipses the first outing's already impressive visual effects to create a more vivid embrace of the charming ensemble." -Variety Magazine

Following last year’s successful screening of Always: Sunset on Third St.(2005)in Hamilton, the 2007 sequel, Always: Sunset on Third St. 2, returns to the same Tokyo neighbourhood and its memorable characters. This heart-warming, award-winning drama features stellar performances from some of Japan’s top actors and actresses, and the digitally enhanced set design, says Variety, “creat[es] a feeling of living in a bygone Tokyo rather than just watching a movie set there.”
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Saturday, December 10, 2:45 pm (Tickets available 1:45. Doors open 2:15.)
The Summit: A Chronicle of Stones (2009)
Dir. Daisaku Kimura, PG, 140 min
Starring: Tadanobu Asano, Teruyuki Kagawa, Toru Nakamura, Ryuhei Matsuda, Aoi Miyazaki, Koji Yakusho

"A stirring, visually pleasing yarn about a dedicated team of mountaineers, Japanese period pic 'Mt. Tsurugidake' largely succeeds in combining lofty themes with old-fashioned adventure and gripping drama. " -Variety Magazine

The year is 1907. Shibasaki, renowned for his skills as a surveyor, is suddenly called to General Staff Headquarters, where he receives orders to conquer Mt. Tsurugidake, the last uncharted region of Japan. At the time, the survey unit attached to General Staff Headquarters was in the process of charting Japan and had already created maps after triangulation of numerous mountain peaks. Aside from mountains climbing of which was prohibited for religious reasons, the survey group has climbed almost all the mountains in the country with the exception of Tsurugidake. Moreover, shortly after its inauguration, the Japan Alpine Club was already planning the tackle Tsurugidake and the army survey unit could not be seen to lose out to a civilian organization.

After receiving his orders, Shibasaki tackled the challenge of reaching the peak of Tsurugidake together with Chojiro, a local guide of good character familiar with the Tsurugidake area. Can they achieve the daunting task of crossing the precipitous mountain range and planting the survey records?
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Friday, December 9, 7 pm (Tickets available 6:00. Doors open 6:30)
Linda Linda Linda (2005)
Dir. Nobuhiro Yamashita, PG,114 min
Starring: Doona Bae, Aki Maeda, Yu Kashii, Shiori Sekine, Takayo Mimura, Masahiro Komoto

-"It's the kind of high-school movie about kids and music that Hollywood would never be able to capture with such intimacy, nuance and restraint." -Seattle Times

"If The Beatles were teen girls starring in a John Hughes picture made with a distinctly Japanese attention to the comedy of everyday life, the movie showcasing it all would go something like this." -Boston Globe

In the days just before the school culture festival, a girls’ rock band is facing a dilemma. They planned on playing an original piece of music but…three days before the festival, the guitarist appears to have broken her finger and an argument has broken out between two members.

While the remaining three girls are pondering these problems, they hear “Linda Linda Linda” by the famous Japanese rock band Blue Hearts and decide they want to play it at the festival. Reshuffling their lineup and recruiting a Korean exchange student as their vocalist, they practice day and night to learn the song.. Despite their exhaustion, a deep friendship develops among the four girls.

Ranked as the 6th best film on the 79th Kinema Junpo best ten list for 2005, Linda Linda Linda uses minimalism and a level-headed approach to convey director Yamashita’s ideas to the audience. Since its release, the film has received rave reviews from critics and gained many fans overseas.
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Thursday, December 8, 7 pm (Tickets available 6:00. Doors open 6:30)
Shindo (Genius) (2007)
Dir: Koji Hagiuda, PG, 120 min
Starring: Riko Narumi, Ken'ichi Matsuyama and Satomi Tezuka

"Classical fans... will have much to listen to (including Wao's pounding) -- Shindo even bills itself as the first true Japanese classical music film.The reason to see it, though, is Narumi's performance, which is forceful, but somehow mysterious, like the fierce-eyed girls painted by Yoshitomo Nara. -The Japan Times

A fierce and conflicted prodigy, 13-year-old Uta plays the piano with effortless talent but has been in a slump since the disappearance of her father, also a classical pianist. She strikes up a friendship with the less-talented but enthusiastic Wao, 19, whose cacophonous piano playing has been driving his neighbours crazy. Wao is faced with two choices- get into music school, or take over his parents' vegetable stand- so Uta helps him prepare for his music school entrance recital by taking him to her abandoned house to use her father's grand piano, which she can no longer afford to keep. Despite Uta's insistence on neglecting her own talents, she is gradually drawn back to the piano as she learns more about the mysterious circumstances of her father's death..

Shindo’s young actors have already established themselves as stars in many films. Ken’ichi Matsuyama will be well-known to Canadian fans of Japanese films for his lead roles in Linda Linda Linda, Detroit Metal City, Nana, Deathnote, Gantz and Norwegian Wood.

Riku Narumi has had starring roles in Takashi Miike’s The Great Yokai War and Ryuichi Inomata’s Shodo Girls, as well as playing Hagumi in the popular TV series Honey and Clover.
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Talk No. 4
November 30, 6:30 p.m.
John Campey, Executive Director, Social Planning Toronto
Toronto: Diversity or Division?

In comparison to Toronto, Tokyo is a much less diverse, and a much more equal city. Toronto is arguably the most culturally and linguistically diverse city on the planet – the city’s motto is “Diversity our Strength.” Yet that diversity is increasingly reflected in a growing inequality – an inequality that is manifesting itself geographically, racially, and demographically. What are the impacts of that growing inequality on Toronto present, and what are the implications for Toronto future? What are key public policy strategies that can build on the “strength” of our diversity? How do we take advantage of our diversity, and avoid it becoming, increasingly, “division?”
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November 23, 6:30 p.m.
Christopher Hume, architecture critic, columnist for The Toronto Star
Toronto: City Under Pressure

According to a recent survey, there are more highrise towers under construction in Toronto – 132 -- than in any other city in North America. Yet as Toronto expands and density increases, so does the backlash against growth. Residents’ obsession with height, played out over and over again, obscures the reality that either we build up, or out. Already suburban sprawl extends over vast swaths of valuable farm land in and around the Greater Toronto Area. The city’s failure to come to terms with its highrise future indicates a city out of touch with itself.

Though it is a long way from achieving the densities found in Tokyo, which has a population roughly equal to that of Canada, Toronto has morphed from a horizontal community into a vertical city. Official Toronto struggles to keep up with the pace of change in the city, but our political masters would rather play for time than prepare for change.

Admission: Free
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The Esprit Orchestra and The Japan Foundation present
Maki Ishii: a compelling look at the music and influence of
the Japanese composer

Tuesday, November 22, 6:30 pm at
The Japan Foundation, Toronto

Join us for a lively event featuring performance, demonstration and discussion with composer Alexina Louie, percussionist Ryan Scott and Esprit Orchestra conductor Alex Pauk.

Date: Tuesday, November 22, 6:30 pm
Location: The Japan Foundation, Toronto, 131 Bloor St. W., 2nd Floor of the Colonnade Building
Admission: Free

On Wednesday, November 30, South–Fire–Summer, one of Ishii’s concertos, will be performed in an Esprit Orchestra concert at Koerner Hall.

As a guide to the appreciation of this masterpiece, a conductor’s perspective will be provided by Alex Pauk , joined by collaborating soloist Ryan Scott.

Alexina Louie will lead a discussion on the music and Mr. Scott will perform, demonstrate and discuss music on the disc as Ishii was both a composer and conductor who divided his time between Berlin and Tokyo. His legacy is profound and exemplary in its bridge-building between cultures.
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November 16, 6:30 p.m.
George Baird, architect, former Dean of Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design, University of Toronto
Questions about Tokyo

In his talk at the Japan Foundation in Toronto on November 16, George Baird will pose a number of questions about Tokyo, based on his limited knowledge of, but keen interest in, the urban form of that city. In particular, he will attempt to encourage a discussion with the members of the audience for his talk, in regard to the particularities of that urban form. Some issues to be discussed are as follows:

Is Tokyo really a hyper-dense city?

How does Tokyo work for its inhabitants on a daily basis?

What is the current pattern of urban development and redevelopment in Tokyo?

To what extent can we see Tokyo as a precedent for the growth of other rapidly growing urban conurbations in the world?

Through a presentation of a series of images relating to present-day Tokyo, and a tour of the audience for his talk through part of the Struggling Cities exhibition, Baird will attempt to launch a discussion of the actual present and future of this still-largest city in the world.

Admission: Free
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In Conjunction with
"Struggling Cities: from Japanese Urban Projects in the 1960s"

November 9, 6:30 p.m.
André Sorensen, Associate Professor of Urban Geography, University of Toronto
Tokyo: City Under Pressure

In the context of widespread advocacy of policies for‘compact cities" and ‘urban renaissance’, Tokyo is a special and very interesting case. Over the last 10 years there has been a very significant recentralization of population in the central core of the Tokyo region with an increase of 48,150 households in the downtown 3 wards between 2000 and 2005, representing a 37% increase over 5 years. By any measure, this is a very dramatic increase.

This talk uses census data and GIS mapping to show the extraordinary growth of population in central Tokyo, explains why this recentralization of population is occurring, and examines the major impacts of recentralization. From being a relatively low-rise city, Tokyo is being transformed into an increasingly high-rise city, in a dramatic transformation that has profound implications for quality of life and urban policy.
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Talks and Presentations by Experts from The National Museum of JapaneseHistory

Wednesday, October 5, 5:00 and 7:00 PM @ JFT

5 PM: Prof. Kazuto Sawada
Women's Kimonos of the Edo Era: Social Class Reflected in the Patterns

7 PM: Prof. Reiji Iwabuchi
Mutant Morning Glories: Horticulture of the Edo Era

Date: Wednesday, October 5
Location: The Japan Foundation, Toronto
Address: 131 Bloor St. W., 2nd Floor of the Colonnade
Admission: Free
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TsuguKaji-KOTO + Akihito Obama + Makoto Yamamoto A Concert with Japanese Traditional Instruments
Koto + Shakuhachi + Taiko

October 4, 2011 (Tuesday) 8:00 PM
Jane Mallett Theatre in St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 27 Front St. E. Toronto

Koto players Ai KAJIGANO and Tsugumi YAMAMOTO enjoy international concert careers, both as the duo TsuguKaji-KOTO and as solo performers. The repertoire of TsuguKaji-KOTO was built on a solid foundation based in the traditional classics of their 13-stringed instruments and has developed to include enriched contemporary compositions.

Joined by powerful supporting musicians Akihito OBAMA (bamboo flute) and Makoto YAMAMOTO (traditional percussion), the special collaboration for this Canadian concert tour displays a wide range of musical heritage, a fine example of the amalgamation of creative innovation and history.

ARTIST WEBSITES
Tsugukaji Koto
http://www.jpf.go.jp/j/culture/new/0912/12-03.html
http://www.myspace.com/video/aaa/tsugukaji-koto/101506325

Akihito Obama
http://www2s.biglobe.ne.jp/~obama/akihito/akiprof.html

Makoto Yamamoto
http://taikosoryu.exblog.jp/i3/

Concert Program

Part I: Classics

1. Taiko "Makuaki-Sunakiri [Opening]" 太鼓『幕開～砂切』 （4 min.） Makoto YAMAMOTO
2. Koto "Rokudan no Shirabe [Melody in Six Sections] " 箏 『六段の調』（5 min.） Tsugumi YAMAMOTO
3. Shamisen "Kurokami [Black Hair]" 三絃『黒髪』(3 min.) Ai KAJIGANO
4. Shakuhachi "Tamuke [Offering]" 尺八『手向』 (3 min.) Akihito OBAMA
5. Sankyoku Ensemble [Shamisen, Koto, Shakuhachi] "Yachiyojishi [Yachiyo Lion]" (7 min.) Tsugumi YAMAMOTO, Ai KAJIGANO, Akihito OBAMA

Intermission (15 minutes)

Part II: Contemporary

1. Taiko "Ashura" 太鼓『阿修羅』（16 min.） Makoto YAMAMOTO
2. Koto "Yukionna [Snow Woman]" composed by Kumiko TAKAHASHI 筝『雪をんな』高橋久美子作曲 （9 min.） Tsugukaji-KOTO
3. Koto "Itsumo Mieru Kawa [A River, Always in My View]" composed by Kumiko TAKAHASHI 筝『いつも見える河』高橋久美子作曲 （4 min.） Tsugukaji-KOTO
4. Koto "Drout" from "Hoshini Natta Otoko [A Man who Became a Star]" composed by Keizo MIZOIRI 筝『星になった男より～日照り～』溝入敬三作曲 （5 min.） Tsugukaji-KOTO
5. Koto "PATTERN" composed by Tsugumi YAMAMOTO（3 min.）
6. "Anökumene" composed by YAMAMOTO Tsugumi （7 min.）performed by All
7. "Namiori [Weaving Waves]" 『波織り』 composed by OBAMA Akihito （7 min.）performed by All
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Anime Talk with
Award-Winning Anime Director Keiichi Hara
and screening of "Summer Days with Coo"

Date: Tuesday, September 20, 6:30 pm
Location: The Japan Foundation, Toronto
Address: 131 Bloor St. W., 2nd Floor of the Colonnade
Admission: Free

Acclaimed Anime Director Keiichi Harawill be on hand to introduce his 2007 animated film Summer Days with Coo and answer questions from the audience after the film.

Hara's latest film, Colourful, won the Special Distinction and Audience Awards at the prestigious Annecy International Animated Film Festival

Summer Days with Coo
Koichi Uehara is a fourth grade student living in the suburb of Tokyo. One day, he picks up a large stone which turns out to be a fossil of a baby Kappa (a Japanese mythical water creature) that has been sleeping underground for the past 300 years.

Koichi and the Kappa, whom he names "Coo," become good friends, and Coo starts living with Koichi's family. However, Coo has difficulty adjusting to life in Tokyo and starts to miss his family. On a hot summer day, Koichi and Coo decide to go on an adventurous road trip to find his peers.

Watch the trailer

A labor of love that touches on important contemporary issues such as environmental destruction, bullying, and media overload, this film took director Hara Keiichi five years to make.  Hara is known for his work on Crayon Shinchan and Doraemon.

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Japanese and Canadian Writers in Conversation: The Canadian launch of
Monkey Business: New Writing from Japan
International Edition (English language) Friday, 9 September 2011   6:30 p.m.
at The Japan Foundation, Toronto Two wide-ranging dialogues celebrating the launch of the English edition of the Japanese literary magazine, Monkey Business International. Featured will be novelists Hiromi Kawakami and Eric McCormack and poets Minoru Ozawa and Rob Winger. The event will be conducted in English and Japanese (with English Interpretation)

Location: The Japan Foundation, Toronto
Address: 131 Bloor Street West, 2nd floor of the Colonnade
416.966.1600
Admission: Free

Hiromi Kawakami

Hiromi Kawakami has written nine novels and several short story collections. She won the prestigious Akutagawa Prize in 1996 for Hebi wo Fumu (Tread on a Snake); in 2000 she won the Ito Sei Literature Prize and the Woman Writer’s Prize for Oboreru (Drowning); and in 2001 she won the Tanizaki Prize for Sensei no Kaban (The Briefcase), which is being translated by Allison Powell and will be published by Counterpoint Press in 2012. Michael Emmerich’s translation of her novel Manazuru was published by Counterpoint in 2010. She writes the serial People from My Neighborhood, a collection of vignettes, for Monkey Business, a part of which appeared in the first English issue of Monkey Business.

Eric McCormack

Eric McCormack came from Scotland to Canada in 1966 and taught literature at St. Jerome’s University, Waterloo till his retirement in 2004. His books have been published in a number of languages, most recently Russian and Chinese. His first novel, The Paradise Motel (1989) won the Scottish Council Book Prize. Other works have been short listed for various awards: a story collection, Inspecting the Vaults (Commonwealth Writers Prize, 1987); the novels, First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women (Governor General’s Award, 1997) and The Dutch Wife (City of Toronto Book Award, 2002). His stories have been included in such anthologies as The Oxford Book of Canadian Ghost Stories and The Oxford Book of Scottish Short Stories.

Minoru Ozawa

Minoru Ozawa is a leading haiku poet, and edits the highly regarded haiku journal Sawa. He won the Haiku Poet Association New Poet Award with his second collection Ryuuzou (Statue) in 1998; his 2005 collection Shunkan (The Moment) was awarded the Yomiuri Prize for Literature; and Haiku no Hajimaru Basho (Where the Haiku Begins), a book-length essay on the art of haiku, won the Haiku Poet Association Criticism Award. He teaches at Atomi Gakuen Women’s University and Waseda University . His haiku on monkeys appeared in the first English issue of Monkey Business.

Photo by Masahiro Tanaka

Rob Winger

Rob Winger grew up country in small-town Ontario. His first book, Muybridge’s Horse, was named a Globe and Mail Best Book for 2007, and was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award, Ottawa Book Award and Trillium Book Award for Poetry. An active editor and teacher, Rob completed his PhD in literature and cultural studies while writing his second collection, The Chimney Stone (2010), a book of ghazals. Rob and his family live in the hills northeast of Toronto.
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Documentary Screening and Discussion

Kokoyakyu (High School Baseball)

(2006) Directed by Kenneth Eng
53 minutes

Thursday, August 25, 7:00 pm
The Japan Foundation, Toronto
131 Bloor St. W., 2nd Floor of the Colonnade Building
Admission: Free

Twice a year, baseball teams from all over Japan compete in a national tournament, Koshien. Every March and August, Koshien is watched by millions and covered extensively by the national media, and with good reason: high school baseball players, as well as the brass bands and cheerleaders who cheer them on, approach the game with intensity and dedication unparalleled in other international high school sports. Kokoyakyu follows two teams and two coaches with very different philosophies as they make their way through local games to the “sacred ground” of Hanshin Koshien Stadium.

The evening will begin with a brief introduction of Koshien and the film will be followed by a Q&A and discussion with a former Japanese high school baseball player who participated in Koshien.

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Two Audio/Visual Lectures by Michiko Hirama

Lecturer and musicologist,
Toho Gakuen School of Music, Tokyo The Four Major Genres of
Japanese Classical Perfoming Arts

1) Gagaku and Noh: July 21, 2011 (Thursday) 6:30-8:30 P.M.
2) Bunraku and Kabuki: July 22, 2011 (Friday) 6:30-8:30 P.M.

Address: 131 Bloor St. W., 2nd Floor of the Colonnade Building
Admission: Free
In English

One of the characteristics of Japanese performing arts is the co-existence of various forms which were born even centuries apart. Older forms did not necessarily drift away. Rather, they survived, evolving in sophistication, even influencing the most contemporary avant-garde. Structural changes of Japanese society have often been reflected in art forms, particularly the performing arts. Those ascending in the hierarchy sought to create their own new forms of expression, creating their own theatre, dance, and music.

We will sample four of the major genres and examine the tensions and conflicts between the layers.

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Talk by David Pepper: Give Me That Old-Time Washi

as part of Living with Washi: Japanese Paper Inspiring Daily Life,
a series of events organized by The Japanese Paper Place in June 2011

Date: Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Time: 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm (doors open at 6 pm)
Location: The Japan Foundation, Toronto
Address: 131 Bloor St. West, 2nd Floor of the Colonnade Building
Admission: Free
Reservation required: www.jftor.org/whatson/rsvp.php or (416) 966-1600 x104

David Pepper has been collecting and studying traditional Japanese artifacts since he bought an old samurai sword in 1958. An artist himself, his great interest is in artists, craftsmen, and the materials they use. Washi, the native handmade paper, has been for many centuries an extremely versatile material, and turns up in surprising places as the main or supporting medium for everything from the obvious books and paintings to swords and armour. David will give a slide presentation on the historical use of washi, and promises to bring a number of actual artifacts for display and discussion.

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Talk by Haruo Nakano, Official Photographer of the Grand Shrine of Ise

Shikinen Sengu:
The Ceremonial Rebuilding of the Shrine
Every 20 Years since 690 AD

Monday, July 11, 6:30 - 8:30 pm
The Japan Foundation, Toronto

Address: 131 Bloor St. W., 2nd Floor of the Colonnade Building
Admission: Free

In Japanese with English interpretation

Haruo Nakano was born in the city of Ise to a family of fish shop owners who delivered ingredients for the sacred, ceremonial meals of the goddesses. Starting at the age of nine, he made deliveries on his bicycle to the Grand Shrine every morning before he went to school. Later, his curiosity took him on a long journey, first around Japan, then abroad, which made him determined not to follow the family business, but to become a photographer. As an official photographer, Nakano captures the spirits of the sacred forest and shrines beyond the level of any other cameramen. The mixture of Nakano's deep roots in the local community and his active imagination to transcend the limits of geography contribute an extra touch to his photography. Images which are not included in the exhibition will be projected during this talk.

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Demonstration by Tamaya Shobei, Karakuri Ningyo Master
Tuesday, May 24, 2:30 pm Additional demonstration, Please RSVP
Tuesday, May 24, 6:30 pm Fully booked, No more RSVP accepted
The Japan Foundation, Toronto

Admission: Free

The Japan Foundation, Toronto is very pleased to welcome Master Craftsman Tamaya Shobei IX for a special demonstration of Karakuri Ningyo, elaborate mechanical dolls that first became popular in Japan in the 17th century. Mr. Shobei represents the ninth generation of a line of esteemed artisans sharing his name who specialize in Karakuri Ningyo. Technologically advanced and aesthetically beautiful, Karakuri Ningyo are considered the forebears of modern-era Japanese robotics.

Mr. Shobei will be demonstrating two types of Karakuri Ningyo. Perhaps the best known form of these dolls, the Cha-Hakobi-Ningyo (tea-carrying doll) holds a tray, delivers a cup of tea to a guest, and then returns to its original position. The Yumi-Hiki Douji (arrow-shooting child), considered the pinnacle of Karakuri Ningyo craftsmanship for its detailed movements and facial expression, can remove an arrow from a quiver and shoot it at a target.

Admission to this event is free, but please reserve early to guarantee seating.

Tamaya Shobei IX is visiting Canada as part of the Museum of Civilization's new exhibition, Japan: Tradition. Innovation.

Visit the following sites for more information about Karakuri Ningyo:

/www.toyota-ct.ac.jp/~jimu/syomu/suematsu/karafro.html

www.karakuri.info/
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The 33rd Annual Toronto Storytelling Festival
Presents

Katari Japanese Storytelling
The Seven Generations:
Past, Present, Future
Featuring traditional and contemporary Japanese stories performed in English

Saturday, March 26, 3:00 - 5:00 pm
[Doors open at 2:30 pm]

Location:The Japan Foundation, Toronto
Audience: General (Suitable for all ages- children should be able to enjoy 45 minutes of storytelling without a break)
Admission: Free

Stories are performed in English, with some Japanese words.

• “The Magic Hood” by Jack Howard
• “Ainu Story” by Yusuke Tanaka
• “Tai” or “Red Snapper” by Momo Kano Podolsky

• Choir “Miagete goran yoru no hoshi wo (Look up the stars in the night sky) ”; “Sou-Shun-Fu (Early Spring Song)”by Yoshiko Nakao, Taiko Feltkamp, Sachiko Hata-Pereklita, Makiko Ishihara.  Keyboard by Yo Deyi.
• “Mischief and the Moon” by Nathalie Vachon
•  “A poem “Bring Forth New Life“ by Sharon Isac
• “Sadako and the 1000 Paper Cranes” by Noriko Yamamoto

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Panel discussion:
The 2011 Earthquake in Japan: First-hand Experiences and Insights into Recovery
Presented by The Japan Foundation, Toronto

Tuesday, March 22, 7 pm (doors open at 6:30 pm)
at The Japan Foundation, Toronto
Admission: free

This event was originally planned as a symposium about Japan’s international relations, based on a discussion by the editors of the upcoming volume Japan as a ‘Normal Country’? A Nation in Search of Its Place in the World.

In light of the devastating earthquake that occurred in Japan on March 11, 2011, the program has been changed.

Dr. Yoshihide Soeya, Dr. Masayuki Tadokoro, and Dr. Masato Kimura were in Japan on the day of the earthquake.  These distinguished scholars of international relations and political science will share their experiences, as well as their insights into how the people of Japan can overcome the challenges they are now facing. The discussion will be moderated by Canadian international relations and political science expert, Dr. David Welch.

Panel members:
Dr. Yoshihide Soeya
Professor of Political Science & International Relations in the Faculty of Law at Keio University (Tokyo)

Dr. Masayuki Tadokoro
Professor of International Relations at Keio

Dr. Masato Kimura
Director of the Research Department at the Shibusawa Eiichi Memorial Foundation in Tokyo, Japan and Adjunct Professor of International Studies at Kanda University
 
Dr. David Welch
CIGI Chair of Global Security, Interim Director of the Balsillie School of International Affairs and Professor of Political Science at University of Waterloo

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Introduction to Japanese Contemporary Dance and Dancers A talk and video presentation
by dancer/choreographer Naoko Murakoshi
In association with Green Tea dance collective Japanese dance troupes Nibroll (left) and Condors (right)

Wednesday, March 9, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm (doors open at 6 pm)

Naoko Murakoshi, a former member of the Toronto Dance Theatre, is now pursuing a dance career in Japan and teaching dance at Kobe College (Kobe Jogauin Daigaku). On the occasion of her return to Toronto for the Dai Don Den performance with the Green Tea dance collective, Ms. Murakoshi will visit the Japan Foundation, Toronto to speak about trends and give an update on the various dance scenes in Japan. In her talk and video presentation, she will address such diverse areas of dance as Active Abroad, Theatre, Butoh, Modern, Contemporary, Outcasts, and Ballet/Entertainment.
In Japanese with English interpretation

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Don’t Think Twice aboutJapanese Politics, It’s All Right A lecture by Dr. Masaru Kohno, Waseda University
presented by The Japan Foundation, Toronto

Date: Thursday, March 3, 2011
Time: 7:00 pm (doors open at 6:30 pm)
Locaton: The Japan Foundation, Toronto
Address: 131 Bloor St. W., 2nd Floor of the Colonnade Building
Admission: FREE

Japanese politics in recent years have often been described with such adjectives as volatile, confused, and unpredictable. Certainly, Prime Ministers resign frequently. True, public opinion seems to shift radically from one election to another, and yes, the tendency persists towards “a divided Diet” in which the composition of the majority differs between the two houses of the bicameral parliament. Despite these appearances, however, it would be wrong to regard today’s Japan as an unstable democracy or a country that faces some crisis in governance. Dr. Kohno will argue, in his presentation, that none of the above patterns deviates from standard democratic practices nor challenges the legitimacy and integrity of the governing institutions, and that if anything those symptoms point to the maturity, not the precariousness, of Japan’s democratic polity.

Dr. Masaru Kohno
Professor of Political Science
Director of the Research Institute of Contemporary Japanese Systems
Waseda University (Tokyo)
Author of Japan’s Postwar Party Politics

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Ukiyo-e talk by Carol Dorman of Stuart Jackson Gallery Paper Wishes:
Symbolic Hopes and Desires in Japanese Woodblock Prints

Wednesday, February 16, 6:30 PM
The Japan Foundation , Toronto
Today Japanese woodblock print art, known as ukiyo-e, is much admired for the quality of its delightful graphic images, and for the technical excellence achieved by the printers of the 18th and 19th centuries. The best known subjects are the inhabitants of the floating world—flamboyant Kabuki actors, beautiful courtesans and elegant geisha—joined in the 19th century by the wonderful landscapes of Hokusai and Hiroshige.

This talk will expand on some of the themes from the exhibit, including Jo & Uba, The Seven Gods of Good Fortune, and, of course, turtles and cranes. It will also introduce other images that would have had symbolic meaning for Edo period print collectors, such as Shoki the Destroyer of Demons, the zodiac and other birds and animals linked to special meanings.

Guest lecturer Carol Dorman, M.A., is a specialist in ukiyo-e with The Stuart Jackson Gallery. Ms Dorman has had a long and prosperous relationship with The Stuart Jackson Gallery. She has curated or helped to curate a number of exhibitions on Japanese prints, both with the gallery and independently. She has appeared on television and lectured throughout Canada .

Date: Wednesday, February 16
Time: 6:30 – 7:30 PM (doors open at 6:00. Gallery will be open for viewing after the lecture until 8:00.)
Admission: Free

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Cinema Kabuki in high definition on the big screen Direct from Japan - Subtitled in English

Kabuki Theatre in high definition on the big screen

Since its birth in the 1600s, Kabuki Theatre has remained at the cutting edge in the 21st century. Cinema Kabuki brings the colours, textures and sounds of live Kabuki to an international audience, with live productions featuring the greatest Kabuki actors recorded by multiple HD cameras. Intended for screening in movie theatres on high-quality digital projectors with 6-channel sound, Cinema Kabuki brilliantly recreates the vivid experience of an art form that is rarely seen outside of Japan.

Trailers on YouTube:
Heron Maiden
Triple Lion Dance
Calendar of Screenings

TORONTO: Scotiabank Theatre Toronto, 259 Richmond Street West

February 5 (Saturday), 2011
1:00 pm Heron Maiden
2:30 pm Rakuda: Party with a Dead Man

February 6 (Sunday), 2011
1:00 pm Triple Lion Dance
3:00 pm Heron Maiden

VANCOUVER: Cineplex Odeon International Village Cinemas, 88 West Pender Street

February 9 (Wednesday), 2011
6:00 pm Triple Lion Dance
7:30 pm Heron Maiden

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