Uniqlo Brings You Japan Like You've Never Seen

Warning: don't open this unless you have hours to spend gazing. Tilt shift photography has seen quite a resurgence recently. Combined with time lapse, it creates some amazing shots as Uniqlo has treated us to. Check out the weather in Seattle at the same time!

Click here for the Uniqlo Calendar Widget.

Shout out to our friends at Blue C Sushi for posting this on their blog!

Book Review: Oh! A mystery of mono no aware

When one says "Japan" a variety of thoughts come to mind: Sushi, karaoke, Akihabara, video games, anime. However the cherry blossom, or sakura, is the quintessential symbol of Japan to many. Why is the sakura so iconic? Of course, it is a beautiful tree. But why is it beautiful?

Picture the sakura in the Spring: You see the buds open one day; sitting under its full blossoms the next with company, food and drink. And then the blossoms wilt, seemingly in the blink of an eye. When one considers this cyclical act of the sakura, what is felt? Can it really be described? Is the feeling the result of pretty petals, or something else?

In Oh! A Mystery of Mono no Aware, by author Todd Shimoda and published by Chin Music Press, the reader is introduced to character Zack Hara, a third-generation Japanese-American living and working in Los Angeles. A very logical person, Zack can realize that other humans feel emotions, but he himself has a difficult time experiencing them. Leaving his "girlfriend" and his job behind, he sets off to the land of his grandfather, Japan.

Zack is the kind of fellow who looks at the sakura and understands its significance to other people, but it cannot evoke the same feelings in himself. At a hanami, or cherry-blossom viewing party, Zack is acutely more aware of his fellow participants preferring food and drink while under the sakura, to actually admiring the blossoms and their significance.

He does not deal in prose and long-winded sentiment, which is helpful as the book reads from the first person perspective and so this is useful for keeping the chapters short and the story flowing. Ironically, this means that the interjection of poetry, another key element in the novel, is at odds with the main character's straightforward manner.

The key solution to all this is a convenient one, as the Japanese poetry forms such as the haiku, can be as brief as they are deep. Poems are interspersed throughout the chapters as the main character attempts writing them to elicit his own emotional response to the world around him. In effect, this creates for the reader a real sense of becoming Zack, seeing and analyzing events logically while dealing with or writing poems which are at times vague, sometimes quite amateurish.

This concept of the logical versus the emotional meshes well with the third theme of the book, the suicide club. Questioning the motives of the Japanese people who join into groups in order to commit the act in tandem, Zack finds himself inexorably drawn towards them while on his path of self-discovery.

Will he unravel the mystery of the sakura? Or was it ever a mystery at all?

-The reviewer read the book to its completion and wanted to say a lot more, but wanted to avoid spoiling the great story. Oh! A mystery of mono no aware 's website is http://ohthenovel.com/. The hardcover version retails at Chin Music Press' website, here: http://www.chinmusicpress.com/. You can currently enjoy free shipping anywhere in the US or Canada.

Japanese Cinema Continues Big Seattle Draw at SIFF

Japanese film has a market with Seattle. Each year, the Seattle International Film Festival shows off some of the best of what Japan cinema has to offer. It is great to see more Japanese actors visit Seattle for their theatrical releases as well, evidenced by SMAP superstar, Kimura Takuya, visiting for the screening of the samurai movie Love and Honor last year.

This year, Academy award winning moving, Okuribito is seeing an extended release following its splash at the Seattle International Film Festival at Seattle's Landmark Seven Gables Theatre. Plus, the film Manhole Children by Yoshio Harada was awarded Special Jury Prize out of 54 documentaries that were screened at this year's festival. Having seen the movie, it plays like the NHK documentary it was made for. Great camera work. Amazingly set in a backdrop this is so new, that you can't help but soak it all up. The city. The desert. The wind. The cold. That "one guy" doing the same narration for every documentary you have ever seen on NHK (and didn't pay for when the NHK person came to your door, too. Right?) Incredibly powerful, gut wrenching movie.

Sad news that one of Seattle's most visible purveyors of Japanese pop culture, Pink Godzilla Games, is undergoing a brand change - apparently due to a copyright dispute with Japan's Toho Studios. Do you really think that this pink little guy poses a threat? Guess the fact that the Pink Godzilla was a combination of Toho's big money makers - Godzilla and Pokemon that was a little too much to bear?" According to the post from the PI, Pink Godzilla will be announcing their new name and look in September. In the meantime, one of the best quotes ever published:

"If you got yourself a Pink Godzilla T-shirt with the name Pink Godzilla on it, you now own a collectors item and a part of Seattle videogame nerd history. Wear it with pride."

Seattle Hospital Studies Japanese Automaker

Katie Couric and the CBS Evening News featured Seattle's Virginia Mason Hospital where they are embracing the Japanese concept of 改善, kaizen, for continuous improvement on hospital procedures. They are modeling their approach on concepts develop by Japanese automaker, Toyota. The CEO of Virginia Mason, Dr. Gary Kaplan, takes Virginia Mason staff to Toyota's factories annually to adapt practices for solutions to problems on the hospital floor. The results of continuous improvements and efficiencies have been pretty staggering. According to the article, treatment time was cut from an average of 66 days to 12 days.

Pecha-Kucha Nights grow in popularity

Tacoma is seeing its first PK night on June 3 that will feature a who's who of the Tacoma art scene. This form of presenting art and architecture is credited to Japan and has spread to over 200 cities around the world and is growing ever more popular. Pecha Kucha is literally translated as "chit chat" and is fast turning into the networking event for the art community.

Why JYPG? Let's face it, we are proud of what we do and tend to talk alot about it. The Japanese Pecha-Kucha format allows artists and architects to present 20 images, 20 seconds per image, giving 6 minutes and 40 second for each presentation with no go back or pauses and definitely no do-overs to a large audience at one time. From a business/commerce perspective, this guarantees an efficiency not normally seen in the industry, and gives potential buyers a larger variety of works they can be exposed to in a short period of time. All in a relaxed atmosphere that is out of the gallery and with beverages to boot! The official global Pecha Kucha Night website even has examples where schools are adapting the Pecha Kucha format for student presentations.

Check one out soon!

Joint US/Japan/Korea Venture in Longview, WA

A joint venture to build a $200 million grain terminal capable of handling 8 million metric tons of grain at the Port of Longview between U.S., Japanese and Korean companies was announced Monday. Tokyo-based Itochu will help build the first grain export facility on U.S. soil since the early 1980's. Construction is slated for this month.

Japan Young Professionals Group Business Event: Finding Passion in Work and Life

Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Speaker: Takumi Ono, Founder/President, Junglecity Network, Inc.

We are excited to announce our second business event of the year!

Takumi Ono will speak about her personal experience founding her own company and how being passionate and dedicated to her work brought her many opportunities to meet professional and creative people. She will also talk about how her story and experiences relate to young professionals and how Junglecity can best serve as an example for other entrepreneurs looking to find passion in work and life.

Junglecity.com is the award-winning Japanese language portal dedicated to providing the most extensive and up-to-date information on the Northwest. Since 1988, Junglecity has consistently provided thousands of Japanese with high-quality content updated daily, revolutionizing the way Japanese get information about our area.

Did you know that Junglecity was just launched in Portland? Join us for this interesting and informative event to learn more!

Please note: Due to limited seating, no registrations will be accepted at the door. All registrations must be made in advance and prepaid by credit card. We thank you for your understanding.

Date: Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Time: 6:30 p.m. Registration
7:00 p.m. Dinner
7:15 p.m. Presentation, Q&A
8:00 p.m. Networking
8:30 p.m. Event concludes

Location: O'Asian Kitchen & Lounge, 800 5th Avenue, Suite Plaza 1, Seattle, WA 98104

Cost: $25/person for JAS Members and $30/person for non-members
Price includes sit-down plated dinner. Cash bar.

Parking: Convenient parking is located in the garage downstairs. Validation is available. The entrance to the parking garage is located on Columbia Street between 5th Avenue and 6th Avenue. Please click here for more parking information.

Registration: https://www.pspinc.com/jassw/register-6-24-09.htmRegistration Deadline: Monday, June 22 or until this event sells out.

Sponsorship opportunities are available. Please contact Rebecca Retzler in the JAS office at 206-374-0180 or rretzler@us-japan.org


スピーカー : 大野　拓未（ジャングルシティ・ネットワーク株式会社　創設者・社長）

Japan Young Professionals Group (JYPG) では、今年第2回目のビジネスイベントを開催致します！

今回は、大野拓未氏をスピーカーに迎え、会社創立までのご自身の経緯や仕事への情熱と献身を通じ出会った、多くの専門家やクリエイティビティ溢れる人々とのご経験について語って頂きます。
また、彼女自身と若手専門家達との出会いや経験だけでなく、ジャングルシティがいかにして、仕事と人生に情熱を求めている企業家達の例として役に立ち続けるかということについてもお話頂きます。

ジャングルシティは、米国北西部において最も充実し、最新の情報を届ける日本語 サイトとして賞を受賞されました。1998年より、ジャングルシティは画期的なサイトとして、これまでに何千人という日本人にこのエリアにおける質の高い、また、毎日更新される最新の情報を届けてきました。

ジャングルシティがそもそもはポートランドで始まったことをご存知ですか？さらに深いお話をお聞きになりたい方は、是非本イベントにお越しください。ご参加をお待ちしております！

**注意: 席数には限りがございますので、当日のご予約は承れません。ご参加をご希望のお客様は、必ず事前に予約をし、クレジットカードでのお支払いを済ませて下さい。

時間: 午後6時半 　 受付
午後7時 　　　夕食
午後7時15分 講演, 質疑応答
午後8時 ネットワーキング
午後8時半 閉会

場所:　　　 O'Asian Kitchen & Lounge, 800 5th Avenue, Suite Plaza 1, Seattle, WA 98104 <地図>

費用: 日米協会会員様－お一人様当たり25ドル　　日米協会非会員様－お一人様当たり30ドル
費用にはテーブルでのお夕食が含まれます。 ~お酒はバーでのお支払いになります~

駐車場: 階下の駐車場をご利用頂けます。チケットをお持ち頂ければ無料です。 駐車場への入り口は、5th Avenue と6th Avenueの間の Columbia Street沿いです。さらに詳細をお知りになりたい方は、hereをクリックして下さい。

ご予約: https://www.pspinc.com/jassw/register-6-24-09.htm
ご予約受付締切: 6月22日（月） または、席数分まで。

スポンサーシップはいつでも受け付けております。日米協会のRebecca Retzlerまで、お電話206-374-0180 または、E-mail rretzler@us-japan.org までお問い合わせください。