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.
The UK Japan studies program, with the help of the Consulate-General of Japan in Nashville, will screen two documentaries addressing recovery efforts in Japan after the 3.11 earthquake (see below). Please join us and encourage your students to come.
●“Fukushima Hula Girls” (100 min, 2011) *In Japanese with English subtitles
This documentary tells the story of the famous hula dancers from the popular resort, Spa Resort Hawaiians, located in the area affected by the March 11, 2011 disasters. The resort was forced to close but the dancers embark on a nation-wide tour to build support for the Fukushima tourist destination as everyone works to rebuild the facility for their grand reopening. The documentary is narrated by the 2006 film Hula Girls actress Aoi Yu and follows the lives of the dancers, many of whom are from the affected areas.
http://ganbappe.j-cqn.co.jp/
http://jfdb.jp/en/title/2926
●"Reborn from the Debris, Fishing Town, Ofunato-City, Iwate Prefecture" (30 min, 2011) **English narration with English subtitles
Bright news was brought to one disaster stricken area, Ofunato-City, Iwate Prefecture, one month after the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake. More than 150 kg of fish caught by local fishermen were sold out instantly through the Internet. This was the earliest signs of reconstruction in Iwate Prefecture whose fishing industry suffered extensive damage. The documentary focuses on activities of local fishermen who began to move quickly toward the revival of the fisheries industries.
http://www.nhk-g.co.jp/
