Japan Exchange & Teaching Program Alumni Association

A request for help from Todd Van Horne, a JET alum. Please contact Todd directly at tvanhorne@gmail.com if there are ways you could help. Please contact the JETAANC Executive Committee at info@jetaanc.org if we can support you in some way in connection with Todd's request.

Dear JETAANC alumni and friends,

I am a JET alum of 2004-2008, and a former VP of the Portland JETAA chapter. I've been back in Japan for about a year now–a very eventful year–and I'm currently translating for an NPO which provides English guiding services in the Kumano Kodo Ancient Road UNESCO World Cultural Heritage area in Wakayama, south of Osaka.

Due to the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in March, and the floods and landslides in Wakayama during the September typhoon, tourist numbers have fallen drastically. As part of our efforts to restore tourism to the Kumano area, our two directors are planning to visit America from March 11th to 19th to meet with travel agencies and potential customers, to directly convey the magnificence and safety of the Kumano area as a tour destination.

I'd like to know if any of you would be able to assist us with the preparations for our visit. Following is a short list of some of the things we would appreciate any help with:

1. Introductions to or suggestions of possible venues for a Japan travel-related slideshow
2. Introductions to or suggestions of groups or organizations that would be potential attendees of the slideshow
3. Suggestions of any San Francisco-based travel companies closely linked to Japan
4. Introductions to anyone who might be interested in hosting our directors (two adult females) or providing driving services. We have a budget for compensating drivers.

To clarify a little, here are some details on our proposed trip:

Our goals
1. To form partnerships with travel companies
2. To present a slideshow and/or Kumano mandala narration to interested groups of 10 or more
3. To inform interested parties about Japan, specifically Kumano
4. To put up advertising posters in strategic locations
5. To distribute and place advertising brochures in strategic locations

Target audience
1. Baby boomers, especially Japanese-American
2. Travel companies
3. Wakayama Kenjinkai (Wakayama Prefecture organizations), Japanese national or cultural organizations
4. Hiking and outdoor interest groups
5. Colleges and universities
6. Martial arts practice and interest groups, especially Qigong, as we currently offer an English Qigong walking tour.
7. Spiritual practice and interest groups
8. Natural health practice and interest groups, including Japanese massage, hot spring cleansing, etc.

Notes
1. The deadline for our proposal is February 15th; we need to have five confirmed presentations scheduled by this time in order to proceed with our plan.
2. We are making the same request of other JETAA chapters on the west coast.

Again, thank you for your time and thoughts on our trip.  We deeply appreciate any assistance or advice you can offer us in our preparation.

Sincerely,
Todd Van Horne

on behalf of
Harumi Kusumoto
Managing Director
Mi Kumano NPO
http://en.mi-kumano.com/

World-famous Kabuki actor Tamasaburo will be making a rare U.S. appearance in San Diego on March 20-22, 2012. This may be the first time he’s visited the U.S. since the 1980s. He will be at the center of a symposium celebrating his award of the prestigious Kyoto Prize. There will be a Gala in his honor on March 20 and then he will be giving a free presentation on March 22.Please share this info with anyone in your network who may be interested. I’m also passing this along in case one of you wants to organize a “Northern California” tour group to go down together. There are many fun things to do in San Diego and so it would make an interesting group trip!Website: http://www.kyotoprize-us.org/
Registration: http://www.kyotoprize-us.org/events/registration.cfmTamasaburo is a truly versatile onnagatafemale role specialist, but he is especially celebrated for his dance pieces, two of the most famous of which include:

Wisteria Maiden:

Heron Maiden:

 

For more info on local events related to Japanese performing arts, check out the JETAANC Kabuki Club website: http://www.jetaanc.org/kabuki

Tamasaburo Bando
For more than four decades, Tamasaburo has delivered acclaimed performances in onnagata (Kabuki female roles), establishing himself with unsurpassed artistry as a tate oyama, or leading actor of female roles, in the contemporary Kabuki scene.Although he was not born into a distinguished family of Kabuki performers, Tamasaburo has devoted his life to the craft from childhood, making his stage debut at the age of seven. At 19 he was selected to play the role of Princess Shiranui in the Kabuki drama, Chinsetsu Yumiharizuki (The Moon Like a Drawn Bow); the following year he played Omiwa in Imoseyama Onna Teikin Goten (At the Palace on Mount Mikasa, from The Teachings for Women). His career has been characterized by a pioneering spirit that led him to collaborate with the shimpa (new school) in Kyoka Izumi’s Keiko Ogi in 1975, and to play the role of Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare’s Macbeth the following year. In 2007, under his own artistic direction, he staged marathon performances of Kyoka Izumi’s works for an entire month, an unprecedented event at Tokyo’s famed Kabuki-za Theater.

Tamasaburo’s achievements in dance, drama and film have been recognized beyond the world of Kabuki theater. In 1984 he was invited to represent Japan in the Metropolitan Opera’s Centennial Gala, where he was featured along with such renowned performers as chanson singer Yves Montand, ballet dancers Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn, and opera singer Plácido Domingo; his performance of Sagi Musume (The Heron Maiden) attracted worldwide attention. He has also collaborated with ballet luminaries such as Maurice Béjart and Mikhail Baryshnikov, and performed with the Japanese taiko drum ensemble Kodo. His films include Gekashitsu (The Operating Room), which he co-wrote and directed, and Andrzej Wajda’s Nastasja, in which he played the double roles of Prince Myshkin and Nastasja. In 2008, Tamasaburo participated in China’s Suzhou Kunqu Opera Theater, playing the lead role in The Peony Pavilion in Beijing.

Tamasaburo makes a multifaceted world come alive in numerous different performing arts, and continues to hold countless audiences spellbound with unsurpassed artistry.

Just a quick note to let you know we won't be having an East Bay networking nomikai happy hour this month, focusing instead on getting together at the JETAANC Shinnenkai New Year's Party on January 28. If you haven't RSVP'd already, do it now! It's always a lot of fun–but you must RSVP by today to come! If you can't make the Shinnenkai, why not join us at the "nijikai" after party? All of the details are here:

http://www.jetaanc.org/activities/shinnenkai/