Consulate-General of Japan in Chicago
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Japanese cultural events happening online in the Midwest and around the country
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A list of currently open Grants and Scholarships related to Japan
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This month we review the film, "Earwig and the Witch"
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Important information and updates
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Take a look back at some of the important news from last month
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Photo credit Gardiner C. Funo O'Kain
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Interview with Rachel Kimura, Owner and Head Farmer at Hinata Farms
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Learn about the month of April in Japan
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Consular Office Hours
The Consulate-General of Japan in Chicago currently offers the following operating times for Consular Services:
- Consular Service windows will be open from Monday - Friday 10:00 am to 12:15 pm and 1:15 to 3:00 pm.
- The Consular Section’s phones will be available to call between 9:15 am and 12:15 pm, and again from 1:15 to 5:00 pm.
We do ask that all visitors cooperate with following necessary precautions:
- If you are feeling ill, please wait to come in until you are feeling completely well again.
- Please only come in to the Consulate for essential activities. If it can wait, please consider doing so.
- In accordance with CDC guidelines, a maximum of 10 people will be allowed in the waiting room. Be aware that you may need to wait outside the waiting room should more than 10 people be present.
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| HolidaysThe Consulate-General of Japan will be closed on April 2 for Good Friday.
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Asian Pop-Up Cinema Season 12 features two Japanese films during the month of April.
The Japanese entry for the Oscar, Best International Feature Film, "True Mothers" is based on a 2015 novel by Mizuki Tsujimura, "True Mothers" is a heartbreaking drama from Naomi Kawase in which a young couple adopts a baby only for the birth mother to resurface some years later.
The film is available for streaming in Japanese with English Subtitles April 1-8 via smartcinemausa.com.
The second film, "One Summer Day" is director Shuichi Okita’s new take on Rettou Tajima’s manga emphasizing family and relationships. The story follows main character Minami’s accidental discovery about her biological father being a cult leader. Then we follow Minami’s secret trip by claiming to participate in an out-of-town swimming camp to meet the father
This film streams at the Lincoln Yards Drive-In on April 18
Available for streaming April 1 - 8
Sundy, April 18
6:30 PM (CDT)
Lincoln Yards Drive-In Theatre
1684 N. Throop St
Chicago, IL 60642
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Don’t miss the family film screening of award-winning documentary Microplastic Madness, a unique story following the journey of fifth grade students in Brooklyn as they learn about the effects of plastic waste and become active participants in the fight to save their environment! Through this inspiring film, families with kids of all ages can learn to take on the roles of citizen scientists, community leaders, and advocates for sustainable change.
On April 11, join a special live online Q&A workshop for young audiences with directors and activists, Atsuko Quirk and Debby Lee Cohen, as they discuss the sustainability efforts in the U.S. & Japan, and how the youth from both countries can come together and enact change!
The screening and workshop are free, but registration is required.
Film Screening
Available April 3-11
Live Discussion and Workshop
Sunday, April 11
2:00 PM (EDT)
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Celebrate the beauty and fun of cherry blossom season in Washington, DC with the Sakura Matsuri – Virtual Community Gathering.
Enjoy stage performances and the opportunity to interact live with many of your favorite Sakura Matsuri exhibitors, vendors and participants!
Saturday, April 3
12:00-3:00 PM (EDT)
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Makizushi (巻き寿司), also known as rolled sushi, is sushi rolled in nori seaweed. For this cooking lesson, we'll be making our own California rolls! The most commonly accepted creator of the California roll is Ichiro Mashita, a Los Angeles sushi chef in the 1960s. He noticed that when he served Americans the standard makizushi, they would remove the seaweed on the outside thinking it was inedible. As a result, he inverted the sushi roll so that the rice was on the outside instead.
JSB volunteer Masayo Kawaguchi is excited to show you how to make your own California, cucumber, and canned tuna rolls! It is so easy that anyone can do it! With the arrival of spring and warm weather, you'll be able to pack your sushi rolls in a bento box and take them with you on a picnic. Be sure to bring your appetite for this next installment of our Easy Japanese Home Cooking series!
Saturday, April 3
5:00-6:00 PM (EDT)
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Join the JRCC for the 20th presentation of Japanese researchers in Chicago as they share their work and answer questions virtually.
Title: "Cricket as Novel Circular Protein: From Basic Research to Applied Research and Startup Entrepreneurship"
Presenter: Takahito Watanabe from Tokushima University Bio-Innovation Research Center, Assistant Professor / Gryllus Inc. CEO
This event will be conducted in Japanese.
Saturday, April 3
7:00 PM (CDT)
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Starting in the dead of winter and leading us through to the warmth of spring, kaDON is a concert series by artist Kaoru Watanabe featuring solos, duos and trios with guests from all over the world. April's concert features French-Guyanese tap dancer and painter, Tamangoh.
Whether painting, practicing martial arts, chatting about the 8th century Moorish invasion of Spain, playing the flute or tap dancing (which is what he is most known for), Tamangoh is simply Tamangoh: an uninterrupted flow of rhythm and creativity. Tamangoh and Kaoru Watanabe have been improvising together for fifteen years now, with the piece in this concert being the latest incarnation.
Saturday, April 3
3:00 PM (PDT)
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Raised in Brooklyn, NY, and trained at the Kodokan Judo Institute in Japan, Rena “Rusty” Kanokogi (née Glickman) is known as the “Mother of Women’s Judo.” Rusty dedicated her life to martial arts, and due in great part to her efforts, women’s judo became an official Olympic sport in 1992. Rusty’s daughter, Jean Kanokogi, Ph.D., a 5th degree black belt in judo, and author of Get Up & Fight: The Memoir of Rena "Rusty" Kanokogi, The Mother of Women's Judo, is keeping her mother’s legacy alive. At this program, Dr. Kanokogi discusses her mother’s fascinating life, and tells the story of how women’s judo became an Olympic sport. Followed by an audience Q&A.
Wednesday. April 7
6:30 PM (PDT)
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JASM is very excited to have the America-Japan Society of Akita(秋田日米協会), JASM's Sister organization, show class participants how to make Kiritanpo, the specialty of Akita prefecture on Thursday, April 8th LIVE from Akita!
Kiritanpo is made from cooked, half-smashed rice that is placed on a skewer. You may know that Akita prefecture which is located in northern Japan, is famous for its rice. Class participants can see how this meal is prepared at home thanks to the people of Akita.
Thursday, April 8
7:00 - 8:00 PM (CDT)
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As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, workplaces have the daunting task of responding and adapting to the situation as best they can while following federal and state guidelines. In this interactive webinar, Suzanne Finucane, MS, CCRC, PTA of the Regenstein Foundation Center for Bionic Medicine (CBM) at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab will provide an inside look into the evolving world of robotics research at a leading rehabilitation hospital. She will discuss how her group has adapted their research methods in the wake of COVID-19 and also touch on some international research collaborations with Japan led by some of her colleagues. Suzanne’s presentation will be followed by an opportunity for audience Q&A.
Thursday, April 15
6:00 - 7:00PM (CDT)
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Join the OIST Foundation and Japan-America Society of Dallas/Fort Worth for a virtual program that will examine aging through the lenses of biology, philosophy, and policy with a goal of shedding light on ways to live longer, healthier lives. This event will touch upon scientific aspects of aging including dementia, offer a bold philosophical reimagining of what life at an advanced age can be, and provide insights into lessons from the blue zones, including Okinawa, Japan, which is home to some of the oldest people on the planet. The U.S. and Japan have much to offer each other in terms of lessons about aging and this event's dialogue intends to deepen bilateral dialogue on this topic with potential global implications.
Thursday, April 15
6:00 - 7:00 PM (CDT)
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On the 25th anniversary of his death, the Milwaukee Symphony pays homage to Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu (1930-1996). Three of his compositions from the 1980s surround music by Gounod and Ravel to make an appropriate contrast: Takemitsu’s earliest works were influenced by French composers.
This event is supported through the JFNY Grant for Arts and Culture.
Saturday, April 17
8:30 PM (EDT)
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The new book club is a joint effort between JETAA Chicago and the Young Professionals Committee of the Japan-America Society of Chicago. It will focus on highlighting voices and stories with a strong connection to Japan. The choice for this new club's first meeting is Sweet Bean Paste. Written by Durian Sukegawa, it is a moving novel about the burden of the past and the redemptive power of friendship.
Be sure to pick up a copy of the book and then join an evening of casual discussion in a virtual space via Zoom! Organizers are limiting registrations to 20 for the first meeting, so grab a spot soon!
Tuesday, April 20
6:00 - 7:00 PM (CDT)
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It’s cherry blossom season, and what better way to celebrate Japan’s most iconic blossom than with some sakura-themed sake cocktails? At this virtual workshop, Sake Samurai Chris Johnson along with good friend and cocktail wizard Warren Hode, guide participants through mixing original sake cocktail creations inspired by the spring blooms. Each participant will receive recipes for a Cherry Blossom Fizz, Sakura Highball and Ichigo Cocktail to enjoy during the workshop. Participants will also receive suggested food pairings inspired by ohanami (flower-viewing picnics).
All participants will receive a recipe and ingredient list, including links to suggested equipment, and may follow along during the workshop or simply observe.
Thursday, April 22
6:30 PM (EDT)
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The COVID-19 Pandemic is rapidly accelerating digital delivery of Healthcare services. The US-Japan Healthcare Connection will offer a ground breaking Program – "The Coming Revolution in Healthcare" – that presents the latest developments underlying this transformation, with particular focus on “Hospitals at Home” and remote "Patient Monitoring." The US-Japan Healthcare Connection is a strategic alliance between the Japan Society of Northern California and US-Japan Medtech Frontiers.
Day One: April 22, 2021
Day Two: May 19, 2021
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The Japanese art of flower arrangement has its origins in the formal offering arrangements used in the altars of Buddhist temples, but became more prominent in daily life with the development of the architectural feature tokonoma, or alcove. Join the Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania for a presentation on the relationship of ikebana to the practice of tea as well as to daily life from the 1600s to today. Participants will look at how ikebana was part of an expansion of artisan products and landscape design in the last four centuries, and how that has carried through to today’s use of flower arrangements in Japan. Some attention will also be given to the balance between control and lack of control in ikebana, for much like the art of landscape design, there is a interaction between the designer and the natural features of the plants and environment in these types of arts.
Following the lecture, organizers will be showing the short film "Ikebana," a multifaceted perspective as both a documentary cataloging Ikebana and as an experimental art piece that images Ikebana’s abstract art concepts as cinema. Directed by master practitioner (and son of the founder of the Sogetsu school of Ikebana) Hiroshi Teshigahara, the film maps the role of Ikebana in modern, post-war Japan. The film uses different cinematic traditions, including animation and abstraction, to play with tradition and modernism, concepts which drove Japanese art in the latter half of the twentieth century.
Thursday, April 29
6:00 - 8:00 PM (EDT)
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Consul-General Okada Watches the Grammys
Consul-General Okada enjoyed watching the Grammys at home this year. Did you know he's been listening to American music since he was in middle school? Some of his favorite bands include Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band, Dan Foglberg, Styx, Prince, Cheap Trick, John Cougar Mellencamp, and Kansas.
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Consul-General Okada Visits Springfield
Consul-General Okada was thrilled to spend some time celebrating American history at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum as well as the Lincoln Home National Historic Site in Springfield. He is excited to experience more of American history in the future!
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35th Annual Japanese Language Speech Contest
Consul-General Okada was delighted to join the 35th Annual Japanese Language Speech Contest and present the Grand Prize virtually to the winner. A big "thank you" to our co-organizers and sponsors! Congratulations to all participants and their instructors for your hard work! We hope this contest motivates everyone to continue with their Japanese studies.
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Japanese American Service Committee Scholarships
As a part of its efforts to preserve and promote our Japanese heritage and to advance the commitment to community service, the JASC administers an annual scholarship program to support members of the Japanese American community to pursue education beyond high school. These JASC scholarships are intended to provide financial assistance to promising students who have demonstrated both academic excellence and service to the Japanese American community.
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Grants to teachers, institutions, and students engaged in Japanese language, as well as arts and cultural programs.
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This month we interview Rachel Kimura, the owner and head farmer at Hinata Farms in Chicago's southside Back of the Yards neighborhood. Hear about Rachel's story of how urban growing changed from a hobby to full-time passion of hers. Rachel tells us all about how her farm is working to introduce more Japanese vegetables to Chicago, and change the way citizens think about their food.
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This month we are reviewing the latest animated film from Studio Ghibli, "Earwig and the Witch." This film tells the story of a young girl growing up in an orphanage until one day she discovers a surprising truth about who she really is! Read the review to find out more.
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Uzuki, the traditional name for April based on the lunar calendar, means "hare month." The name uzuki may correspond to the year of the rabbit in the Chinese zodiac.
April 29 is Showa Day in Japan. Golden Week starts at the very end of April and continues through the first week of May in Japan. It is common for businesses to give their employees the whole week off, making it a busy time for travel among the Japanese.
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Dear Subscribers,
We've made it to Spring! We hope you are experiencing warmer temperatures and enjoying more time outdoors. Spring in Japan is an absolutely beautiful time of year, with cherry blossoms blooming across the country. Perhaps you can join some of the virtual springtime events we've shared to celebrate springtime from a safe distance this year.
We have a special treat for Ghibli fans, as this month's JIC Review introduces the latest film from the studio, "Earwig and the Witch." And don't miss our interview with Rachel Kimura of Hinata Farms in Chicago to learn about her journey with urban growing. Maybe her story will inspire you to start planting some vegetables of your own this year!
As you probably noticed, we've switched to a new mailing system, so the e-Japan Journal will be looking a little different from now on! We hope you'll enjoy the new look and feel of our newsletter.
As always, please stay healthy and safe this month!
Itsumo arigatou gozaimasu,
Japan Information Center
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