The e-Japan Journal is the electronic webletter of the Consulate General of Japan at Chicago (CGOJ) and the Japan Information Center (JIC). We hope it proves useful, interesting, and exciting as a window into Japanese culture in the Midwest. As always, your feedback, comments, and suggestions are encouraged and can be sent to our editor, Chip Meyer, at jicoutreach@....

Uzuki, the old Japanese name for the month of April, means "hare month." One theory is that April is the 4th month and the 4th year in the 12-year Chinese zodiac cycle is the Year of the Hare.

The only national holiday in Uzuki is Greenery Day, on April 29. This was the birthday of the late Emperor Showa and continues to be observed based on his great love and appreciation for nature. This holiday is the start of "Golden Week," which includes a cluster of important holidays (May 3 is Constitution Day, May 5 is Childrens' Day) and is the busiest vacation time in Japan. However, from next year, Greenery Day will move to May 4, and April 29 will be renamed Showa-no-hi, or Showa Day.

Uzuki is also the month when the sakura begin to bloom throughout most of Japan. This blooming is considered an auspicious time to start new things, including school, which begins on April 1.

UW-Madison Student Takes Top Prize for Speech on Japan-Korea Relations
Kenton Knop, a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, took home the Grand Prize from the 20th Annual Japanese Language Speech Contest held at the Japan Information Center on Saturday, March 25. Knop's Speech, "An Outside View of Japan-Korea Relations," stemmed from his recent personal study of Korean and his optimistic observations of the close cultural ties between the two countries. The Grand Prize consists of a round-trip ticket to Japan donated by Japan Airlines and a poster calendar donated by the Japan Foundation.

A complete list of the winners can be found on the JIC website.

The JIC hosts an exhibition of 27 watercolors on silk painted by Keichu Yamada (1868-1934). The exhibition is co-sponsored by the Hegeler-Carus Foundation, which owns the paintings.

The paintings are based on the book The Gospel of Buddha published by Dr. Paul Carus in 1894. Having been lost to memory, the paintings were rediscovered in the attic of the Hegeler-Carus Mansion by a caretaker who had begun cleaning in preparation for renovation. Originally submitted to Carus as possible illustrations for his book, they were not selected because they were deemed "too Japanese" for the time. However, the paintings were exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1899. A recently published 8th edition of The Gospel of Buddha does include the paintings.

The mission of the Asian Heritage Festival is to increase public awareness of Iowa Asian Americans and their cultural and economic contributions to the state. This year' festival features such Japanese activities as ikebana, kamishibai (storytelling), kimono dressing, and martial arts demonstrations.

Author of Secret Teachings in the Art of Japanese Gardens, Dr. Davis Slawson apprenticed under Kinsaku Nakane in Kyoto. In this presentation, he explains key principles that Japanese garden designers evolved to evoke landscape scenes in ways that touch our innermost hearts. Japanese landscape garden art is very much alive, and its universality provides tools to transmute the wonder of regional scenery into gardens that bring serenity, inspiration, and delight to our everyday lives.

Part of the Embroidered Cinema: Textiles & Textures in Asian Films series, the film Memoirs of a Geisha will be shown in conjunction with the exhibition Flowers, Dragons, & Pine Trees: Asian Textiles in the Spencer Museum of Art.

Beef Trade Update
On January 20, Japan suspended U.S. beef import procedures following the discovery of special risk material. The U.S. government then submitted a 470-page report on the cause of the incident and on measures to prevent a similar recurrence. After analyzing it, Japan presented questions to Washington, and the U.S. reply was discussed by the two countries on March 28 and 29 in Tokyo. Following the two days of talks, a senior Japanese government official said they achieved “one step forward” toward the resumption of Japanese importation of U.S. beef.

Monetary Policy Change
Beginning in March 2001, the Bank of Japan supplied extremely ample liquidity with the current account balance at the Bank in order to prevent a sustained decline in prices and to prepare for sustainable growth. As Japan 's economy now continues to recover steadily, the Bank of Japan announced on March 9, 2006 that the operating target of money market operations will change from the outstanding balance of current accounts to the uncollateralized overnight call rate, which will remain at effectively zero percent. Looking ahead, the Bank expects that if inflationary pressures are restrained as the economy follows a balanced and sustainable growth path, an accommodative monetary environment ensuing from very low interest rates will probably be maintained for some time.

Technically speaking, no, it is not possible for a foreigner to be a police officer. Police must be citizens of Japan. However, it is possible for a foreigner to naturalize as a Japanese citizen, and then become a police officer. I don't know of any examples of this, but there are similar stories of naturalized citizens being elected to public office.

Anthony Bianchi, a native Brooklynite, was elected to the city council of Inuyama in Aichi Prefecture. (See his Japanese website here: www.bianchi-inuyama.com). Another such story is that of Finnish-born Tsurunen Marutei (a Japanese version of Turunen Martti). Marutei-san is the first openly foreign-born member of the Japanese Diet (a Korean had served, but presented himself as Japanese).

Here are three questions regarding news stories about Japan from last month. The first person to send us the most correct answers wins a little Japanese prize. Don't forget to send us your mailing address with your answers.

1. Trying to meet Kyoto Protocal obligations, Japan's Environment Ministry dictated that lights in the Ministry must be out by what time?
2. Japan defeated Cuba 10-6in the championship game of the World Baseball Classic. Which Japanese player was named MVP of the tournament?
3. A recent report by an internet security company ranked countries in terms of spam as a percent of email received. Where did Japan rank on this list?

Deadline for submissions is April 20.
To submit your answers by email, click here: Last Month in Japan Quiz.

1. A Tokyo court convicted Fusako Shigenobu, a founder of the Japanese Red Army, for her role in a 1974 attack on the French Embassy in The Hague.
2. The nickname of the satellite launched into orbit from the Uchinoura Space Centre in southern Japan in February was Akari.
3. 4-year-old Japanese princess Aiko is particularly fond of sumo.

A word of explanation. Several people submitted "Suzaku" as the answer for question #2. We neglected to include the phrase "most recently" in our question. However, the quiz is intended for news about Japan from the previous month. While Akari was launched on February 22, 2006, Suzaku was launched on July 10, 2005.

JAXA - Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
www.jaxa.jp/index_e.html

This is the English-language website for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). It has information about recent and upcoming launches, digital photo archives, and various projects being carried out by JAXA.

Official website for Consulate General of Japan at Chicago
www.chicago.us.emb-japan.go.jp