Get ready to be mesmerised this September by the profound mastery of Japan’s best architecture. The Japan Foundation, Sydney is pleased to host Kumamoto Artpolis, featuring 73 pictures and sketches of outstanding architecture, on tour in Sydney for a limited time only at the Japan Foundation Gallery and the Tusculum, home of the Australian Institute of Architects.

Kumamoto Artpolis is an ongoing project in architectural culture begun in 1988 in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. Through the construction of high-quality architecture the project aims to create and revitalise an enduring cultural heritage firmly rooted in the region which can be passed on to future generations. The results were astounding: almost 100 constructions were developed with a sensitive awareness towards functional and environmental design, including key projects by internationally significant architects - figures such as Tadao Ando, Toyo Ito and Kazuyo Sejima.

Along with introducing representative works by architects who have participated in the project, this exhibition examines the effects the project has had on regional development and revitalisation.

Kumamoto Artpolis: Architecture through Communication

The annual Japanese Language Speech Contests are back!  This year’s contest will be held on Saturday, 13 September. The contest is held every year to encourage people studying Japanese as a LOTE, and who do not speak Japanese as their first language, to challenge themselves by using their Japanese skills to perform in front of a group.

Applications for this year’s contest close 5.00 pm, Friday 15 August.

As an audience, you will be invited to experience the chaji (the complete service of tea) with the guest in the video, where you will be explored with the practical aspects of the hospitality of the tea ceremony. The video reviewed the beautiful and soothing environment of the host’s garden and teahouse; the utensils used for the different types of teas; and the etiquette procedures for both host and guest during chaji.

More interestingly, the video highlighted the “ichigo ichie” concept, which has the meaning of every single encounter to such privilege experience never repeats again in a lifetime. Rikyu’s idea of the way of tea is expressed by bring peace, respect, purity and tranquillity harmoniously between human and nature through a bowl of tea.

This video looked at the way of tea from the young guest Sayaka’s point of view, which is easy to understand and delightful for audiences at all age and background.

The Library’s opening days for August - September are as follows:

Opening hours:
Mon-Fri (except Wed): 11.00 am - 5.30 pm
Wed: 11.00 am - 6.00 pm
Sat (every third week): 11.00 am - 4.00 pm

There is a book returns chute at the library entrance.  It is available during the Chifley Plaza building operation hours:
Mon-Fri: 6.30 am - 10.00 pm
Sat : 8.30 am - 10.00 pm
Sun/Public Holidays: Closed

The Japan Foundation in Tokyo has recently published the English language version of their informative guidebook to the arts, THEATER IN JAPAN: An Overview of Performing Arts and Artists.  The 110-page guide consists of two parts in the one soft-cover volume:  Part 1 presents commentary on the latest developments in Japan’s contemporary performing arts scene, while Part 2 focuses primarily on the representative small-theatre drama of Japan’s contemporary theatre scene, as well as introductions of companies in genres such as puppet theatre and performance.

Copies of the guide are available for loan from The Japan Foundation, Sydney Library.

Performing arts-related bodies may also apply for their own copies - please contact the Arts and Culture Department on (02) 8239 0055.

This intensely personal documentary performance tells the story of Chika Honda, a Japanese tourist who spent over a decade in an Australian jail for allegedly importing heroin—a crime she has always insisted she did not commit.

Japanese-Australian artist, Mayu Kanamori, who regularly visited and documented Chika during her incarceration, recounts this tragic and remarkable story of human endeavour in the face of great adversity.

Incorporating live music, dance, narration, documentary images, archival footage and recorded interviews, Chika is multi-dimensional, contemporary storytelling at its powerful best.

The National Library of Australia (NLA) is inviting applications for the 2008-09 Japan Study Grants program. These grants are open to postgraduates, honours students, academic staff or independent researchers in Australia who wish to use the Japanese or Japan-related collections of the National Library for their research. They are intended to make the NLA’s Japanese collections better known outside Canberra and be a source of practical support for researchers requiring access to a large and accessible library collection on Japan.
Grants are offered for periods of up to four weeks and support travel to Canberra and living costs. At least four grants are awarded each year. The closing date for applications is 30 September 2008.

For full details about the grant, http://www.nla.gov.au/grants/jsg/
For more details on the NLA’s Japanese collections, http://www.nla.gov.au/asian/lang/jap.html