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.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Abe, the Japanese government is proactively working to solve the major challenges Japan faces. Consul-General Kato discusses these challenges and outlines Japan’s path forward to prosperity.
Consul-General Motohiko Kato arrived to Consulate-General of Japan in Nashville in October 2012 by way of Manila, where he most recently served as Deputy Chief of Mission of the Japanese Embassy in the Philippines. A career diplomat, he entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) in 1982 after passing Japan’s foreign-service examination. Consul-General Kato’s primary mission is to care for Japanese citizens in their families residing in the Southeast, protect the interests of Japanese companies, and promote Japanese culture and business throughout these five states.
Recent UK graduate Kenneth Taylor had been interested in Japanese since high school, so when the College of Arts & Sciences began offering a full degree program for the Japanese Language, Kenneth couldn't turn the opportunity down, nevermind that he was already studying mechanical engineering. In this podcast, Kenneth discusses why he chose Japanese Studies and Mechanical Engineering and what he is doing with his degrees.
