The New York Observer: Dec 03, 2009 Review

Leur Existence - Tree Project

THE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF NEW YORK GALLERY

December 9, 2009 - February 12, 2010
Hiroshi Sunari
Leur Existence - Tree Project

Opening Reception
Wednesday, December 9th
6pm to 8:30pm

Over 60 years ago, the city of Hiroshima was decimated by one nuclear bomb. Hibaku trees, those that still live from the time of the atomic bombing, have shown an inspiring ability to persevere. Since 2005, Sunari has been collecting seeds from hibaku trees in Hiroshima and has distributed them to nearly 400 Tree Project participants in 23 countries. Leur Existence – Tree Project will feature a selection of these plants, which have been donated by the participants, as well as photographic and written documentation of the process. Plants will be presented in ceramic elephant-foot pots, designed and created by the artist.

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This is really exciting. We featured the artist’s powerful White Elephant—a reaction to his experience being downtown on the morning of September 11, 2001—in our 2007 exhibition, Making a Home: Japanese Contemporary Artists in New York.

Japanese Hot Pots to Warm Your Soul

Hot pots are the quintessential Japanese comfort food: simple, fast, and easy to prepare. Many Americans, though, have almost no point of reference for Japanese food beyond the local sushi bar, so cooking this cuisine can sometimes seem exotic and intimidating. On December 8th, Japan Society is hosting chef Tadashi Ono of Matsuri restaurant and food journalist Harris Salat, the authors of Japanese Hot Pots: Comforting One-Pot Meals, to introduce and demystify this communal eating tradition for American home cooks with belly-warming dishes from all corners of Japan.

Hot pots are a well-balanced and naturally nutritious bounty of roots, greens, mushrooms, onion, tofu, noodles, and chicken, seafood, or meat, all infused with lip-smacking Japanese flavors (tastes we already love in sushi). Heartier than soup but not as dense as stew, these dishes are perfect for a crisp autumn day or an icy winter night.

Tadashi Ono has a blog where you can check out videos on preparing a range of exquisite dishes. Harris Salat also has a blog entitled The Japanese Food Report that is not only extremely mouth-watering, it's full of helpful tips for the kitchen.

Learn How To Create Japanimation

With the explosion of Japanese manga and anime taking America by storm in recent years, we can expect that a lot of kids today are dreaming of becoming future animators and manga-ka. But how do you become one exactly? Well, one way to get started is by getting the appropriate training, which was hard to come by in the US until now…

[ Chopsticks New York ]

Another option could be to check out A*NI*ME, Japan Society’s summer program for students.

2010 Educators’ Study Tour to Japan

2009 Educators' Study Tour to Japan Group. Photo by Kazuko Minamoto.

For Middle and High School Educators & School Administrators
Apply by Thursday, January, 21, 2010
Wednesday, June 30 — Tuesday, July 20

The Educators’ Study Tour to Japan offers educators the opportunity to travel to Japan for three weeks to experience Japan first hand and bring their experiences back to the classroom. The program is open to middle and high school educators, librarians and school administrators, and includes a study tour to Japan in June–July, and orientation during the spring prior to departure for a cost of $1,000.

Eight to 10 full-time classroom teachers and librarians who teach about Japan as an area of instruction as well as school administrators will be selected for the program through a competitive process. Individuals are also encouraged to apply, especially if his/her school currently has classes on Japan. The program is open to all public, private or parochial middle and high school educators in the tri-state area (New Jersey, Connecticut and New York).

Highlights: The study tour will acquaint the participants with Japanese society through a wide range of site visits in Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara and Hiroshima. A homestay with a family and school visits are significant parts of the program. The tour focuses on K–12 school visits to help participants have a better understanding of Japan’s education system by meeting their counterparts in Japanese schools. In addition, educators have the opportunity to meet an A-bomb survivor in Hiroshima, who will talk about his/her personal experiences.

Click Here For More Information on the Program and How To Apply

Photography in Japan

Here are some great blogs that consistently have beautiful photography from the Land of the Rising Sun:

More glimpses of unfamiliar Japan
Off the beaten track in Japan:- Nature, Culture, History, Spirit, Art…

Tokyo Daily Photo
An almost daily photo from Tokyo, Japan…

Fixed in Japan
Fixed Gear and Life From Japan

Photographer in Japan
A finalist in the Photoblog Awards for Best Asian/Oceanian Photoblog 2008

Travel Japan Blog

The Double-Edged Sword: The Chambara Films of Shintaro Katsu and Raizo Ichikawa

With the centennial of director Akira Kurosawa’s birth coming up, 2010 will be the year of sword fighting films (chambara) at Japan Society!
The film series starts next month. Check out which films we’re going to feature!

Japan doomsday fears premature

“Many people in the financial world - not all of them kooks - have managed to convince themselves that Japan is hurtling towards some kind of fiscal doomsday, and that no matter what the Yukio Hatoyama government does or doesn’t do, it’s already too late - Japan, they say, will be defaulting on its pension obligations. Or defaulting on its debt. Or will find itself unable to halt a string of bank failures that will bring the financial system to its knees. Or some combination thereof.” (Asia Times Online)

Lucky for us, Sir Deryck Maughan, the head of KKR’s Global Financial Institutions Group and Chairman of KKR Japan and John Paulson, President and Portfolio Manager, Paulson & Co. Inc. are coming to Japan Society next month to discuss the future of economics in Japan and the United States. So we’ll know for sure whether fire is really going to rain from the sky or not.
P.S.
If you’re looking to come to any of our upcoming Corporate Events, be sure to check out this fun video for tips on how to properly exchange business cards or meishi (名刺) with a Japanese business person!