This event is sponsored by the Confucius Institute, Department of Geography, International Studies and Japan Study Program, and China Program in the College of Arts and Sciences.

True Songs is a record of a series of performances by a group of Japanese artists during the years since the triple disasters of March 11, 2011. Taking inspiration from the classic work by Miyazawa Kenji Night on the Milky Way Train, the event combines song, oral narrative, and spoken word performance. The group has taken the show throughout Japan, from Fukushima to a railroad car in Kyoto. One of the artists, Suga Keijiro, will be in attendance.

The event is a screening of a documentary 『ほんとうの歌」( "One True Song.") It will be screened at the Kentucky Theater (in hopes of getting a bigger than campus audience). We will also have participants of the film in Lexington to lead discussions in the community.

The film follows a dramatic reading of Miyazawa Kenji's Milky Way Railroad. But this is all centered on the triple disasters of 3.11, and the tour largely goes through the areas affected by the events of 3.11. It is timely, powerful, and should have wide appeal. It is not politically charged, it is not intended to raise funds. It is a compelling artistic interaction with the disasters.

One of the principal actor/readers/artists, SUGA Keijirō, will be in Lexington, will participate in the screening, and present to the film audience. Suga is an award-winning writer, poet, translator, and intellectual force. This will give us a forum to discuss with the audience, and perhaps some wider campus/community audiences, the issues of fiction and film in Japan in the wake of 3.11.

For more information visits Japanese language websites http://milkyway-railway.com/movie/ or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/gngmov