Hiroba Newsletter

CONSULATE-GENERAL OF JAPAN 
PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA

　

　*Hiroba is Japanese for an open space or public square 

June 2012 Edition

Website of the Consulate-General of Japan in Perth : http://www.perth.au.emb-japan.go.jp/

Hyakumangoku Matsuri

Hyakumangoku Matsuri is a festival held in Kanazawa every June and features a number of attractions that have made it the biggest festival in the region. Kanazawa is the capital of Ishikawa Prefecture and is located just south of the Noto Peninsula on the Sea of Japan coast. It is a beautiful castle town that boasts one of the “three great gardens of Japan” and a couple of famous geisha districts.

Hyakumangoku Matsuri (hyakuman means one million; goku or koku was the unit of income for samurai and also a measure of the amount of rice needed to feed one person for a year; and matsuri means festival) started in 1952 to commemorate the entry of Lord Toshiie Maeda into Kanazawa Castle in June of 1583. Thousands of people watch or take part in the three-day event which is becoming well-known as a show of Kanazawa culture.

Festivities begin in the evening of the first Friday of June, when about 1,500 lanterns lit with candles are floated down the Asano River. This is known as toro-nagashi and the lanterns are adorned with beautiful Kaga Yuzen patterns. Some 9,000 elementary and junior high school students also march through the streets, carrying red chochin lanterns and playing taiko drums.

The main events of the festival take place on Saturday - in the afternoon there is a four-hour parade which re-enacts the entrance of Lord Maeda and his entourage into Kanazawa. Participants are dressed in 16th century costume and proceed from Kanazawa Station into the main street, and then into the grounds of Kanazawa Castle. In the evening more than 10,000 people take to the main street and dance, wearing yukata and other colourful costume, while Noh performances take place in the castle grounds on a stage with lanterns and bonfire.

On Saturday and Sunday tea ceremonies take place in Kenrokuen. Originally the outer garden of Kanazawa Castle, Kenrokuen was opened to the public in the late 19th century and is considered one of three most beautiful gardens in Japan.

© Kanazawa City, 2008

© Kanazawa City, 2008

A famous stone lantern in Kenrokuen

Upcoming Events

Kijimuna to perform at Kulcha

The members of Kijimuna play a mix of Okinawan folk and pop using the sanshin (precursor to the shamisen), and sing in the regional dialects of the Ryukyu Islands in Japan’s south. Kijimuna will perform at Kulcha, the peak body for multicultural arts in Western Australia, in Fremantle on Saturday, June 9. For more information please click here.

TOHOKU – Through the Eyes of Japanese Photographers

The Consulate-General of Japan in Perth is proud to be part of the City of Perth Winter Arts Season and to announce an upcoming exhibition titled “TOHOKU – Through the Eyes of Japanese Photographers”.

This travelling exhibition, presented by the Japan Foundation, consists of works by nine photographers and one group of photographers which together portray the past, present and future of the people and culture of the Tohoku Region in northern Japan. Works ranging from photographs taken in the 1940s to those taken in recent years will be on display, and the exhibition aims to give people throughout the world a feel for the enduring fascination of Tohoku.

Japanese culture traces its roots to the Jomon period of the tenth to third centuries BC, and the essence of Jomon culture remains vibrant in Tohoku today. This exhibition is not a report on the extent of the disaster or on the progress of reconstruction following the Great East Japan Earthquake which struck the region in March 2011, but an effort to introduce to the world the land of the Tohoku region, its people and lifestyles.

Venue: Council House, 27 St Georges Terrace, Perth

Dates: Monday, July 9 to Friday, July 27, 2012

Times: Weekdays 9am – 5pm, Saturdays 11am – 3pm, closed on Sundays

Admission: Free of charge

Around Inagaki, Tsugaru-shi Ichiro Kojima 1960 560 x 457, Gelatin Silver Print Courtesy of Hiroko Kojima	Statue of Osawabutsu, Ourani Sanpou Koujin, Dewa Sanzan Masatoshi Naito 1981-82 1046 x 740 Lambda print Courtesy of Artist

Ikebana Classes

Sponsored by the Australia-Japan Society of WA, ikebana classes will be held at the Hyogo Prefectural Government Cultural Centre on Wednesday mornings from July 11 to September 12. Please click here for an application form and more information.

kaiWA

会 WA (kaiWA) is a casual get-together of Japanese and Australians held every second Thursday. Hosted and organised by the JET Program Alumni Association of WA (JETAA WA), kaiWA is a great chance to practise your Japanese, make Japanese friends and learn more about teaching English in Japan on the JET Programme.

kaiWA is held at 43 Below on the corner of Hay Street and Barrack Street in Perth, and will be held on June 14 and 28. It starts at 5:30pm and runs until about 8:30-9pm, so there is no need to worry if you can’t be there at the starting time.

For more information on the JET Program Alumni Association of WA, please check their website above and for information on the JET Programme please check the following site.

Chatterbox

Chatterbox is another casual get-together of Australians and Japanese, held on Saturday afternoons at the Hyogo Prefectural Government Cultural Centre from 2 to 4pm. For more details please call the Centre on 9385 9002 or visit their website.

Meetings of the Bonsai Society of WA and Bonsai Workshop Inc.

Meetings of the Bonsai Society of WA are held on the last Monday of each month and include demonstrations, lectures, films, advice and a display of members' trees. The Bonsai Society also holds regular workshops and other events; for more information please click on the above link.

Meetings of the Bonsai Workshop Inc. are held on the last Saturday of each month. Members can bring their trees to work on, receive advice and watch others at work. For more information please click on the above link.

The Consulate-General of Japan in Perth is not affiliated with events unless stated - for further details please contact the event organisers directly. The Consulate-General is not responsible for the content of linked websites.

If you know of any upcoming Japan-related events and would like to have them publicised in Hiroba, please e-mail details to info@pt.mofa.go.jp The decision to publicise will be at the discretion of the Consulate-General.

Notices

Kizuna 2012 Short Program to Japan

The Kizuna Project is a new program launched by the Japanese government which aims to promote understanding of Japan’s reconstruction efforts after the Great East Japan Earthquake. More than 200 Australian students (between 15 and 18 years old) and educators will participate in the two week short program to Japan in 2012, departing in December.

Participants will visit areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and learn about the reconstruction efforts, as well as take part in a homestay. Applications close Wednesday, July 25. For more information please check here.

43rd Annual Japanese Language Speech Contest 2012

Applications are now being accepted for participation in the Western Australia State Final of the 43rd Annual Japanese Language Speech Contest. Teachers of Year 11 and 12 students who meet the eligibility criteria are to apply on their behalf by Wednesday, August 1. The State Final will be held on Sunday, August 26, and first place winners will receive a return airfare ticket to Sydney to take part in the National Contest in October. For more information please click here.

The Sixth International Manga Award

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan launched the International Manga Award in 2007 to further international exchange and mutual understanding through manga, and to.recognise artists who have contributed to the promotion of manga overseas. Applications for the Sixth International Manga Award are now being accepted, and are to be submitted by June 15. Gold and Silver Award Winners will be invited to Japan for the award ceremony in January 2013. Please see this link for application guidelines, entry forms and another link which contains past winning entries.

2012 International Essay Contest for Young People

This annual contest, organised by the Goi Peace Foundation based in Tokyo and UNESCO, is designed to harness the energy, imagination and initiative of youth from around the world to promote a culture of peace and sustainable development. People up to 25 years old are to write a short essay themed “Creating the Future We Want,” and share their story of inspiration that has affected their life and led them to make a change in the world.  Entries must be received by June 30, 2012, and first prize winners will be invited to the award ceremony in Tokyo in November.  For more details please check the following link.

Video Matsuri Contest 2012 and Art Speaks Japanese Comes Alive! Contest 2012

The Japan Foundation presents its Video Matsuri Contest 2012 and Art Speaks Japanese Comes Alive! Contest 2012. In the video contest, students are to produce a short film of up to three minutes. There are no restrictions on theme or style but all videos must include some Japanese language. In the art contest, students become familiar with a resource kit called Art Speaks Japanese, and create their own artwork based on that, again including some Japanese language. Entries for both contests close on September 28. More information on the video contest can be found here and information on the art contest (including past winners and photo galleries) here.

Consulate-General News

Fragments of a Yesterday I Loved

An exhibition titled “Fragments of a Yesterday I Loved” by Ayako Goto was held at Kulcha in Fremantle from May 6 to May 31. Ms Ayako Goto un-weaved her grandmother’s kimono and reworked them into art works such as that pictured below, which shows her connection to the Australian landscape through her experiences living and teaching in the Kimberley region. Ms Goto said: “My textile artworks are made from infusing my grandmother’s falling apart Japanese silk kimono pieces with other recycled materials from my surroundings. Through the rewarding process of mending something precious to me into and giving it a new life, a fresh incarnation, my artworks capture and seal what I saw and how I felt in the environment I was in at the time.”

Information Session at Curtin University on City Planning

Deputy of Mission Masahiro Takagi visited Curtin University on May 15 to talk to students majoring in urban and regional planning about the particular characteristics of city planning in Tokyo and former capital Kyoto. Mr Takagi spoke about the history of development in the capitals, touching on historical perspectives, ideologies, examples of design, disaster prevention, conservation of the environment, projects to increase the amount of greenery, and so on.

Students asked many questions and were surprised to learn that Tokyo Sky Tree, which opened on May 22, employs earthquake-resistance design that originated in wooden pagodas built in the 7th and 8th centuries. The students then spent two weeks in Japan in mid-to-late May and interacted with local university students.

Watch Japan Now

Shedding light on interesting people, figures and trends, “Watch Japan Now” brings you compact and accessible updates.

Tokyo Sky Tree opens (May 16, 2012)

All Nuke Reactors Shut Down; Can Operation Be Resumed By Summer? (May 8, 2012)

New Aspects of Running Boom: Fashion, Travel, and Community-Building (May 1, 2012)

Web Japan

Web Japan provides Japanophiles with a world of engrossing information on Japan in all fields, from traditional culture to the latest fashions. http://web-japan.org/

Office Information 

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