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e-Newsletter from Consular Office of Japan in Portland!!
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2022 Autumn Conferment of Prestigious Decoration
On November 3, 2022 the Government of Japan conferred the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays, on Diane Marie Durston, Curator Emerita at the Portland Japanese Garden. The Order of the Rising Sun is one of Japan’s highest distinctions and is awarded in recognition of Ms. Durston's extensive contributions, especially in introducing Japanese culture to the United States. For more information, please see the link here.
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High School Students from Okinawa visit our office, Kakehashi Project
On Thursday, October 20, students from Gushigawa High School and Nago High School in Okinawa Prefecture visited our office as participating members of the Kakehashi Project, an educational exchange program implemented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Japan International Cooperation Center (JICE). While they were here, Kakehashi members participated in activities such as school exchanges, home visits, and various cultural experiences.
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Origami Workshop at KUMORICON, Nov 11-13
We hosted an "Origami Workshop" at Kumoricon 2022 - the 20th anniversary of the major anime, manga, and game festival in Portland. About ten thousand "Otaku" people, including many in full-blown cosplay, attended the event, and we were all very impressed by how this one-time Japanese subculture has grown in influence and popularity. Thanks to everyone who came to our workshop, including some advanced origami enthusiasts who helped teach us new designs!
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Japan Night at Lewis and Clark College
On November 18, the annual "Japan Night" was held at Lewis and Clark College and Consul Shigehisa from our office was in attendance. Students studying Japan and Japanese culture performed lively folk dances such as Yosakoi and Koi-Chun (Fortune Cookie in Love). The program also featured a glamorous kimono fashion show and a Japanese quiz session, all of which showed the students' passion for Japan.
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Webinar: Seasonality, Superfoods and Other Secrets of Japanese Cuisine (Living Traditions Series), December 7, 4 PM (PST)
Traditional Japanese cuisine is often associated with nutrition, longevity, and wellness, in addition to a rich array of delicious flavors. What is it about Japanese cooking that makes it so good for us? This webinar explores that question, looking at the role of nutrient-packed superfoods in Japanese cooking, as well as the importance placed on the concept of seasonality. For more information, please see the link here.
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Portland Shishimai Kai, Japanese Traditional Performing ArtsShishimai (Lion Dance) is a traditional Japanese lion dance performed to bring good luck to the community and to drive away evil spirits. The Portland Shishimai Kai is a group dedicated to performing and teaching the traditional celebratory lion dance of Tokyo, the Edo Kotobuki Jishi. For more information, please see the link here.
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Events you can join in Oregon/ Idaho
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Portland Taiko BONENKAI
When: Saturday, December 10 l 7 p.m. (PST)
Portland Taiko’s year-end party on Zoom. This free, online event will showcase new performances from Portland Taiko and their taiko students.
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Garden of Resonance: The Art of Jun Kaneko
When: Saturday, October 1 – Monday, February 20, 2023
Where: Tanabe Gallery, Portland Japanese Garden, Portland OR
Jun Kaneko, recently honored with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Sculpture Center, has made major contributions to the field of sculptural art on a global scale, exploring the relationships between art, nature, and people with the boldness and placement of his works. "Garden of Resonance" will showcase works spanning this celebrated artist’s career ranging from large, outdoor installations to his earlier paintings and other works on paper.
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Kenji Ide: A Poem of Perception
When: Sunday, October 2 – Sunday, February 19, 2023
Where: Portland Japanese Garden, Portland OR
Kenki Ide has created a constellation of found objects and small-scale sculptures that encourage viewers to heighten their sensitivity to their own experience of time, place, and imagination. His work mirrors a Japanese garden’s elemental foundation of natural materials shaped by human hands and reflects its aesthetic ideals, expressed through the careful arrangement of objects and empty space.
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When: Sunday, October 2 – Thursday, December 23
Where: Japanese American Museum of Oregon, Portland OR
Resilience — A Sansei Sense of Legacy is an exhibition of eight artists whose work reflects on the effect of Executive Order 9066 as it resonated from generation to generation. Each in their own way, the artists in this exhibition express moments of deeply-felt pain and reluctant acceptance–emotions which were often withheld by their elders.
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