Konnichiwa everybody,
I hope you are having a great beginning of the year! I have been busy traveling to Europe for the fashion fairs, since I work as an interpreter and adviser for a Japanese import company. Unfortunately, as I am preparing for my trip next week, I am not able to write a full newsletter. However, I wanted to send out a shorter version with some excellent upcoming events my Bay Area clients can enjoy.
★ Scroll down for my Bay Area events calendar!
Also I wanted to quickly share few hot topics that everybody in Japan has been talking lately. Few days ago, another boy band announced that they would go on an indefinite hiatus at the end of 2020. Arashi (嵐 – storm) has been on the front line of Japanese pop entertainment industry since almost 20 years — they are my mum’s favorite boy band! After the split of SMAP in 2016 (that I had featured in my newsletter), and the recent split of duo Takki and Tsubasa (タッキー&翼), and now Arashi, the Japanese boy band world is shaken!
You might have heard about Osaka Naomi (大阪なおみ) who won the Australian Open this month. Osaka gained attention with her victory over tennis legend Serena Williams last year. Her latest win has marked her as the first Asian player to be seated number one in the world and the Japanese media could not be more thrilled!
Another Japanese artist has recently attracted the international spotlight. The manga sensei Takahashi Rumiko (高橋留美子) has won the Grand Prix, at the prestigious comic books “Festival International de la bande dessinée Angoulême,” which is held in France each year. Her most famous works are “Urusei Yatsura”, “Maison Ikkoku”, “Ranma ½”. From my childhood in Switzerland, I remember “Maison Ikkoku” airing on the French TV under the title “Juliette je t’aime” (translation that I personally never liked).
Takahashi is the second Japanese mangaka to win the prize, after Otomo Katsuhiro (author of “Akira”) in 2015. The reason Takahashi was given the award is my personal favorite component of this news . Here’s a rough translation of the French text on the official website: “In a society where differences are not well accepted, Takahashi has always devoted herself to depict outsiders and eccentric characters, emphasizing their right for a second chance. Full of faults but also deeply human, her heroes have affected more than a generation of readers, within a work that, under the cover of comedy, often reveals to be extremely progressive.” I love this! Omedetou gozaimasu! You can check Takahashi’s award on the festival’s website (in French):
https://www.bdangouleme.com/prix-palmares/grand-prix/grand-prix-2019-rumiko-takahashi
That’s all for today—thank you for reading. Looking forward to seeing you soon at our next lesson!
最後まで読んでいただき、どうもありがとうございます。皆さまにまたお会いできるのを楽しみにしています。よろしくお願いいたします！
★MY PREVIOUS NEWSLETTER CAN BE SEEN HERE
★SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA CALENDAR
■ Jan 30 & Jan 31 / Screening of “Shoplifters” in Oakland
■ Feb 6 / Lecture “Internment and its Aftermath” in SF
■ Feb 7 / Screening of the anime “Your Name” in Oakland
■ Feb 8 ~ May 5 / Art Show “Kimono Refashioned” in SF
■ Feb 10 / Wooden Fish Ensemble’s concert in SF
■ ~ Feb 23 / Art Show “Shapeshifters” in SF
■ ~ Feb 24 / Art Show “Wa Japanese Style” in Los Altos
■ Feb 24 & 26 / Screening of the anime “Modest Heroes” in SF
■ ~ Apr 14 / Art Show “Ink, Paper, Silk” in Berkeley
■ ~ Apr 28 / Masako Miki’s Art show in Berkeley
■ Apr 28 / Screening of the anime “Akira” in SF
■ ~ May 31 / Yoshitomo Nara’s Your Dog sculpture in SF