| Japanese (日本語)

What's On



 Free event at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival
SIT-DOWN "RAKUGO" COMEDY FROM OSAKA
Japan does things a little different...trains run on time, karaoke is serious stuff, and "stand-up" comedy is actually "sit-down" comedy.

Rakugo has a history of over 300 years, with a solo-narrator that tells stories involving peculiar characters and situations. A different comedy experience rarely seen outside Japan, Asakichi Katsura will make you laugh till you can't sit-down-stand it no more!

When: 17.30 - 18.30 on Thursday 25th & Friday 26th March 2010
Where: City of Melbourne Lower Town Hall, Swanston Street, Melbourne
Entry: Free of charge. To request tickets please email katsuratickets@comedyfestival.com.au

Please click here for a media release with further information.


Port Phillip - Obu Sister Cities Cultural Day
Free Community Workshops
As part of its sister city relationship with Obu, Japan, the City of Port Phillip is offering a series of cultural workshops to the community.

This event will feature ikebana (flower arrangement), nihon ryori (cooking), shodo (calligraphy) and manga workshops, as well as a Japanese anime film night. Attend a workshop, experience Japanese culture and have fun!

When: Wednesday March 3, 2010
Where: various venues in the St kilda, South Melbourne and Port Melbourne areas
(specific details listed on timetable below)

Please click here for a timetable of workshops. Bookings are essential as places are limited (maximum of 2 workshops per person).

To make a booking, phone ASSIST on 9209 6777 or email rsvp@portphillip.vic.gov.au.


Presentation by Professor Toshiro Tanaka
Elites and Citizens in European Integration
Produced by the Monash European and EU Centre
Professor Toshiro Tanaka, Jean Monnet Chair ad personam, Faculty of Law, Keio University, Japan, will analyze the roles of the elites and the relations between elites and citizens in European integration in historical perspectives from the early days of the Schuman Plan to the most recent referendum on the Lisbon Treaty in Ireland.

When: Monday, March 8, 2010, 12:30pm - 1:45pm
Where: Monash University (Caulfield Campus), 900 Dandenong Rd, Caulfield East, Rm A212, Bld A, Level 2
Cost: Free of charge

Please RSVP by Wednesday March 3 to patricia.arnold@general.monash.edu.au or 03 9903 4638.


“Multicultural questions without multiculturalism:”
The Japanese discourse of “multicultural co-living”
at the University of Melbourne
Jointly presented by the Asia Institute and the School of Culture and Communication, this lecture will explore the politics of multiculturalism in the Japanese context.

Koichi Iwabuchi is Professor of Media and Cultural Studies at the School of International Liberal Studies of Waseda University, Tokyo. He is currently the Faculty of Arts International Scholar.

When: Wednesday March 17, 2010; from 6.30pm
Where: Elisabeth Murdoch Building, Theatre A, The University of Melbourne, Parkville
Cost: Free of charge, however seating is limited

Please click here for an event flyer. For further information or to register, please visit the Asia Institute website.


    YOSHIKI HISHINUMA
    Tokyo est. 1992
    Yoshiki Hishinuma designer
    Japan born 1958
The Endless Garment Exhibition
RMIT Gallery, Melbourne
The Endless Garment celebrates the virtuosity and future directions of the new craft of machine knitting which is changing the way fashion is designed and made.

The exhibition will showcase the work of 10 Australian and international designers, including Issey Miyake and Yoshiki Hishinuma.

Dai Fujiwara, Creative Director of ISSEY MIYAKE Creative Room, will give a special public lecture at Storey Hall on Wednesday March 17, from 6 - 8pm.

When: February 12 - March 21, 2010
Where: RMIT Gallery, 344 Swanston Street, Melbourne

Further details available at the RMIT Gallery website.


JENESYS In-Japan Teacher Training Program
As part of the Japan East Asia Network of Exchange Students and Youths (JENESYS) program, The Japan Foundation is inviting teachers of Japanese from East Asian countries to participate in a 2 month training program at the Urawa Institute, Japan.

The program will commence on May 27, 2010 and finish on July 21, 2010. All costs, including airfares, will be covered by the Japan Foundation.

Applications due Wednesday March 17, 2010

Further information and application forms are available at The Japan Foundation website.

If you have any queries regarding this program and the application process please feel free to contact the Program Coordinator, Angela O'Connell, on (02) 8239 0083 or email angela_oconnell@jpf.org.au.


The New Acquisition Exhibition
at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
including a netsuke collection
This exhibition encompasses a large number of countries, such as Japan, China, Thailand and Vietnam as well as Australia, including contemporary Tasmanian art and design.

One of the components of the exhibition will be a netsuke and sagemono collection, which was donated to the Tasmanian Museum and Art Galley by Mrs Janet Gale in 2007.

When: Thursday March 11 - Sunday July 4, 2010
Where: Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, 40 Macquarie St. Hobart

Please go to www.tmag.tas.gov.au for further information.


Monash Japanese Studies Centre &
Japanese Studies Program Synopsium
Japanese Communities in Transition: Australia 2010
Intensive transnational networks and activities are creating new types of ethnic communities in Australia. This symposium will explore aspects of Japanese settlement issues in Australia, as a variant of emerging settlement patterns of Australia’s new migrants.

When: Saturday, March 13, 9.30am - 5.00pm
Where: Japanese Studies Centre, Bldg. 54 Monash University, Clayton Campus
Cost: Free (registration required)

Please send your registration, including your name, affiliation, contact email, special dietary requirements and additional remarks to japanese.studies.centre@arts.monash.edu.au.


Japanese events at the
Melbourne Food and Wine Festival
The Melbourne Food and Wine Festival is an annual celebration of our local culinary excellence, variety and appreciation.

Melbourne's passion for Japanese food will be well catered for, with a number of special Japan-related events linked with the festival.

When: March 12 - 23, 2010
Where: various locations (see festival website for details)

For details about specific events please go to www.melbournefoodandwine.com.au.


Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club
National Rally in Healesville
The Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club (VJMC) National Rally 2010 will be held at the Healesville Racecourse, about one hour from the Melbourne CBD, and features a Public Open Day on Saturday 27 March 2010.

The rally will feature examples of some truly classic Japanese motorcycles - bikes that aren't just static displays, but are used by their owners, many of whom will cover thousands of kilometers to and from the event.

When: March 27 - 28, 2010
Where: Healesville Racecourse

Please click here for a media release, or go to the VJCM website for further information.


Asia Institute Essay Writing Competition
Victorian Year 11 and 12 students
The University of Melbourne's Asia Institute is inviting Year 11 and 12 Victorian secondary school students to share their experiences of learning an Asian language in its Essay Writing Competition.

Students are asked to enter a 1500 word essay in one of the following divisions:
Division 1: Arabic
Division 2: Chinese
Division 3: Indonesian
Division 4: Japanese

Four winners will be selected, one from each of the above divisions, and each will receive a $300 prize. Winning entries will also be published on the Asia Institute’s webpage.

Please note that the competition closes Friday April 2, 2010, at 5pm.

Further information, including competition guidelines, can be found at the Asia Institute website.


The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
at ACMI, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image
Film Event for Students of Japanese
After a brush with death Makoto gains the power to travel through time. The fun-loving high school student puts her time-leaping powers to work travelling back in time to cheekily un-do, extend and re-live the past. But what happens to the people around her?

ACMI has organised this fantastic film screening opportunity for secondary school students. It will be followed by an entertaining talk that focuses on the cultural context of the film and its depiction of everyday Japanese life.

When: Thursday, April 29, 10am
Where: Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Federation Square, Melbourne
Cost: $12 per student

To book please contact Screen Education Bookings on 03 8663 2441 (direct phone); 03 8663 2511 (fax); or screeneducation@acmi.net.au.
nomikai flyer The Australia Japan Society of Victoria
Konshin-kai - Young Professional's Network
Have you returned to Australia having spent time living in Japan and want to meet others who share a similar experience?

Do you have a general interest in Japan and/or would like to meet others who do?

Are you a Japanese person living or working in Melbourne who wants to meet locals with an interest in Japan and vice versa?

If you answered YES to any of these, then Konshin-kai is for you!

For details regarding the time and venue, please go to the AJS Victoria website.
The Australia Japan Society of Victoria
Shaberoo-kai - Conversation Night
Shaberoo-kai aims to foster friendships between people in a relaxed, informal environment, and to facilitate cultural exchange. Conversation nights cater to speakers of both English and Japanese of all levels, offering the opportunity to socialise informally in a mixed language environment while expanding Japanese/English skills.

Date: Usually 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month *Please refer to AJSV website for specific dates and times.
Venue: Ross House, 247 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
Cost: Free for AJSV members, $3.00 for others

For more information please go to the AJS Victoria website.

2010 JICC Exhibition Schedule

Where: JICC, 45th Floor, Melbourne Central Tower, Elizabeth St Melbourne
When: 9am-1pm, 2pm -5pm weekdays only

JANUARY/ FEBRUARY ARTIST PROFILE

"Cherry Blossoms and Demons" expresses the duality of the human character -
the "internal" that we try to keep to ourselves, and the "external" that we project to the world.

In order to express both the gap and the syncronicity between these aspects,
two methods were used to make the images: painting and etching.

For more information please contact Fuhito at shott244@hotmail.com or go to http://sun-fuhito.blogspot.com.
If you are a Japanese artist or your art encompasses some form of Japanese influence,
you may be able to exhibit on a short term basis at the JICC.
Please contact us for more details - (03) 9639 3277