Japanese Speech Contest

Just a reminder that the 2008 Japanese Speech Contest is on this Sunday, August 31 at ECU Mt Lawley.

Times of events are:

10:15 Primary schools performance
11:00 High School division speeches
2:00 Open Beginner division speeches
2:30 Open division speeches

Come on down and support the speakers and performers!

Japanese Anime - Wed 27 August 2008

From 10:05 pm this Wednesday, 27 August 2008, SBS is screening Miyazaki Hayao’s anime Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.

A thousand years have passed since the violent collapse of industrial civilisation. Small pockets of humanity survive on the fringes of a vast polluted forest, the Toxic Jungle, inhabited by giant mutated insects, of which the Ohmu, are the greatest threat. The plant life and the spores from the jungle are poisonous to humans. Anyone who ventures into the jungle must wear breathing masks to protect their lungs.

The Valley of the Wind is a small community of humans protected by sea breezes from the toxic spores. Their young princess, Nausicaä, tries to understand, rather than destroy the Toxic Jungle.

Dubbed in English.

The Zen Gardens

From Saturday 23 August to Wednesday 27 August 2008 at the Central Tafe Gallery, Tomomi Inoue will be exhibiting her silkscreen printings and digital printed textiles.

Entry to her exhibition, The Zen Gardens is free, and opening hours are –

23/8, 25/8, 26/8: 10-5
27/8: 10-1
24/8: Closed

Regular Japanese-English conversation event: kaiWA

Next 会WA: Thu 21 August 08

The fortnightly Japanese-English conversation exchange 会WA (kaiWA) has been hugely popular of late, with over 40 people showing up some weeks!

The event is hosted and organised by the JET Program Alumni Association of WA, and is a great chance to practise your English or Japanese, or to learn more about going to teach English in Japan on the JET program.

For those who need a refresher, see our article on the inaugural event.

JETAAWA asks for a gold coin donation for participation (and, as JETAAWA is non-profit, that money all goes back into your body in food form during the evening).

会WA is held at Bar on Barracks on the corner of Hay and Barrack Sts in Perth city every second Thursday – the next edition is 21 August 2008, and thereafter it will be 4 Sep, 18 Sep, 2 Oct… and so on.

It starts from 5:30 pm and will run until everyone gets sick of each other (usually about 8:30), so don’t worry if you can’t be there spot on the start time.

Drum Tao

Anyone who has heard it will appreciate the primal power of the Japanese taiko drum. Modern taiko performances now combine traditional rhythms with breathtaking showmanship, and in August 2008 we are lucky enough to have the taiko group Drum Tao appearing over several dates in several cities across WA.

Tao’s performances upturn the traditional image that the word ‘wadaiko’ typically invokes in the minds of most people in Japan and abroad. Rather than attempting to simply build upon the traditional Japanese arts, Tao is determined to produce modern entertainment that has the power to truly transcend national boundaries. Ever since the group’s formation over ten years ago, Tao has consistently worked towards creating a new, previously unheard of world of wadaiko performance.

After years of hard work, Tao has now demonstrably reached the above goal and engaged the world in a continuing dialogue with wadaiko as the medium. The group has attracted massive praise from audiences, the media and promoters all around following its shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and elsewhere as well as the release of its debut album in Japan and abroad. This year, it is time for Tao to take on yet new regions and let the beat of wadaiko echo proudly in many great countries around the world.

Choosing to name itself Tao – written with a single Chinese character meaning ‘way’ or ‘road’ – the group has so far courageously treaded uncharted paths, paving its way where there had previously been none. As a reward of all its efforts, the road to the world as well as to the future of wadaiko now lies wide open before Tao.

The tour schedule includes the following dates:

5 August 2008 (Tue): Queens Park Theatre, Geraldton
7 August 2008 (Thu): Bunbury Entertainment Centre
8-9 August 2008 (Fri-Sat): Mandurah Performing Arts Centre
14-16 August 2008 (Thu-Sat): Perth Concert Hall (tickets)
19-20 August 2008 (Tue-Wed): Goldfields Arts Centre, Kalgoorlie

We’re very lucky to have a world-class group visiting so many regional centres, so make sure you get on down to check them out. Tickets are from $59 (less for concession) – you’ll need to get in touch with the various venues outside Perth. Here’s a promo video from earlier this month.

Haiku Contest 2008

Old leaves have fallen
The summer green has faded
The cold wind remains

The City of Perth Library is holding an English haiku contest this year, with money prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd places. Entries are strictly only accepted between Monday 21 July – 6pm Thursday 7 August 2008, and will have to be better than our effort above to get the cash.

Submit entries marked “Haiku 2008” either:

• in person to the Library, 573 Hay St Perth
• by mail, GPO Box C120 Perth 6839
• by email, library.perth@cityofperth.wa.gov.au

They won’t be returned unless you include a SASE. Winners will be listed on the Library’s website and featured on the Library’s Poetry Wall from Monday 1 September.

We assume you need to stick to the 5-7-5 syllable format.
Other conditions are:

• haiku or senryu OK
• entries must be previously unpublished and unentered in previous Library comps
• max 5 entries per entrant, all to be on 1 A4 page
• entrant’s name must be at the bottom of the page
• a separate sheet must have name & contact details, as well as the first line of each poem
• font size to be at least 22; any font is OK
• entries judged purely on the text
• any pictures / decorations must fit on the page with the haiku.

Get writing!

Ikebana Semester 2 2008

The Australia-Japan Society of WA runs ikebana (flower arranging) classes in association with the Consulate-General of Japan over two semesters each year. Second semester for 2008 starts Wednesday 30 July and lasts for 15 lessons over 15 weeks, until 5 November. Details below:

Why not learn ikebana?

This is an art that has been practised for centuries and has spread widely across the globe. You too can acquire the skills of ikebana through a series of simple steps in the course of lessons conducted by a qualified Japanese teacher.

Learn how to use flowers and foliage (even fruit and vegetables!) to create wonderful floral sensations for all to enjoy.

There will also be a demonstration class at the Consulate-General on Wednesday 16 July from 10:30am – for details, email info@jpnwa.com

Ikebana Classes Semester 2 2008

Where: Consulate-General of Japan, 21st Floor, Forrest Centre, 221 St Georges Tce
Map: View map
When: Every Wednesday for 15 weeks from 30 July – 5 Nov
Times: Beginners 10:30-12:00; Intermediate/Advanced 12:30-14:00
Cost: $210 – that’s $14 per class, including tuition, flowers, and tools
Transport: 10 min walk from Perth station, or catch the blue CAT and get off at stop 1.
Enquiries: Emmanuel on 9384 8048

Japanese Speech Contest 2008

ECU and JLTAWA have organised a Japanese Show & Speech extravaganza to be held in Lecture Theatre 3 [Bdg 17.157] at ECU Mt Lawley on Sunday 31 August.

The opening event, from 9:30-12:00 noon, is a Japanese Show where primary schools from across WA show off their “Japanese performance”, such as singing, dancing, or recitation.

The main event is the Japanese speech contest, from 12:30-4:30pm. There are 3 divisions:

• High School Senior (Years 11-12)
• Open Beginner (<300 hrs Japanese study)
• Open

If you win the WA round, you will be invited to Sydney to take part in the National Finals, with more prizes to come.

For further eligibility, check the entry guidelines here – for example, you are ineligible if you have spent 3 years in Japan.

Entries need to be in by Friday 15 August. Here are the entry forms for:

• Primary School Japanese show
• Speech contest – and some handy hints

For all enquiries, please contact Dr Junko Iwasaki at ECU:

• phone: 9370 6424
• fax: 9370 6593
• email: j.iwasaki@ecu.edu.au

REEL ANIME 2008

From Thu 3 July – Wed 16 July, Perth is lucky enough to have four exciting, all-new anime showing at Luna Leederville (map) as part of the REEL ANIME 2008 showcase. There is also an opening party featuring music, pizza and Kirin beer, on Thursday July 3 from 6:45pm, before the initial screening of Appleseed. Tickets are at normal movie prices ($15/$10.50/$9.50).

The films and times are:

APPLESEED EX MACHINA

Produced by the action master of bullet ballet, John Woo, and based on the popular science fiction manga from renowned creator Shirow Masamune (Ghost in the Shell), APPLESEED: EX MACHINA advances the art of anime to a new level.

As members of ESWAT, the elite forces serving Olympus, partners Deunan and Briareos are deployed wherever trouble strikes. The two fighters find their partnership tested in a new way by the arrival of Tereus who uncannily resembles Briareos before the wartime injuries that led to his becoming a cyborg. At the same time, Olympus finds itself under a stealth attack. Cyborg terrorism, deadly nanotech zealots, and rioting citizens are just some of the threats that Deunan must contend with as she fights to save Olympus and her relationship.

Screening: Thu-Mon from 7pm; also Thu, Fri, Mon from 3pm

BATMAN GOTHAM KNIGHT

BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHT is a fresh and exciting new entry into the Batman mythos, with production divided among three renowned studios – Studio 4ºC, Production I.G and Madhouse. A cross section of distinguished creators, award-winning producers, and acclaimed writers weave six interlocking stories that reveal Bruce Wayne’s journey to Dark Knight, each with stylish art from some of the world’s most revered animation visionaries.

With the truly inimitable visions of directors Shojiro Nishimi, Futoshi Higashide, Hiroshi Morioka, Yasuhiro Aoki and Toshiyuki Kubooka and with stories written by several of the most talented writers of film, comic books, and animation, including Academy Award®-nominated screenwriter Josh Olson (A History of Violence), David S. Goyer (Batman Begins) and award-winning comics writers Greg Rucka and Brian Azzarello, BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHT presents thrilling new adventures of Batman that spotlight several of Gotham City’s most dangerous villains, including the fearsome Scarecrow, the freakish Killer Croc and the unnerving marksman known as Deadshot.

Screening: Thu-Mon 9pm; also Thu, Fri, Mon 5pm

VEXILLE

From the producers of Appleseed comes another CG extravaganza. The year is 2077 and due to a sophisticated ultra magnetic shield, no one can enter nor leave Japan, and it is also impossible to observe the country using satellite surveillance methods. The USA has created a special force unit, SWORD, to enter Japan and to investigate the country’s development in robotic technology, which is banned by the UN. Lead by a female commander VEXILLE, and her colleague LEON, the members of SWORD head to accomplish this dangerous mission, and uncover a shocking secret.

Screening: Sat/Sun 2:45pm

THE GIRL WHO LEAPT THROUGH TIME

When 17-year-old Makoto gains the ability to leap backwards through time, she sets about preventing personal mishaps. Yet she soon realises that changing the past isn’t so simple! Can she use her new powers to shape the future of herself and her friends? From production company Madhouse (Death Note), THE GIRL WHO LEAPT THROUGH TIME is an absorbing, beautifully crafted anime. Featuring character design from Neon Genesis Evangelion’s Yoshiyuki Sadamoto and key staff from such classics as Princess Mononoke and The Grave of the Fireflies, this new film is destined for modern classic status.

Screening: Sat/Sun 5pm

Japanese Movies: June 23 & 25 2008

SBS is being kind to us lately (except for that horrible Casshern), with two flicks on this week. One is a WWI anime from Hayao Miyazaki, Porco Rosso, the other an Oscar-nominated samurai film with a gentler side, The Twilight Samurai.

Porco Rosso

SBS, Monday 23 June 2008 from 10:55pm, in English

Porco Rosso is set in Italy in the early 1930s where air pirates, bounty hunters and high flyers of all sorts rule the skies. The most cunning and skilled of these pilots is Porco Rosso, a man cursed with the head of a pig after watching the spirits of the pilots rise to the heavens after they were killed in the last air battle he fought in. He now makes a living taking jobs, such as rescuing those kidnapped by air pirates.

Donald Curtis, Porco’s rival in the air and in catching the affections of women, provides a constant challenge to the hero, culminating in a hilarious, action packed finale.

The Twilight Samurai (Tasogare Seibei)

SBS, Thursday 26 June (late Wed night) from 12:20am, subtitled

The Twilight Samurai is a 2002 Japanese film directed by Yoji Yamada. Set in mid-19th century Japan, a few years before the Meiji Restoration, it follows the life of Seibei Iguchi, a low-ranking samurai employed as a bureaucrat. Poor, but not destitute, he still manages to lead a content and happy life with his daughters and senile mother. Sadly, through an unfortunate turn of events, the turbulent times conspire against him.

The film is different from many other samurai-themed films in that it concentrates on showing the main character’s everyday struggles, instead of focusing on action-oriented battles. Thus, the film carries only two fight scenes.

The Twilight Samurai was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 76th Academy Awards, losing to the Canadian film Les Invasions Barbares. Twilight Samurai also won an unprecedented 12 Japanese Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay.