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@....

Minazuki, the old Japanese name for the month of June, means "water month." Considering the 6.5 inches of rain that typically fall on Tokyo this month, Minazuki certainly seems appropriate.

There are no official holidays in June, but June 4th is Cavity Prevention Day (Mushiba no hi) and kicks off Dental Hygiene Week. During this time, dentists visit schools to talk about proper care of the teeth. Also, the 3rd Sunday of June is celebrated as Father's Day, though it's not as widely observed as Mother's Day.

Shoji Tabuchi Awarded Foreign Minister's Commendation
On Friday, May 26, Consul General Yutaka Yoshizawa presented the Foreign Minister's Commendation on behalf of Foreign Minister Taro Aso to Mr. Shoji Tabuchi, a world-famous showman and virtuoso violinist living and performing with his family in Branson, Missouri. The Ministry awarded the Commendation to Mr. Tabuchi for the significant contribution he has made to Americans' understanding of Japanese culture and to the friendship between Japan and the United States.

Japan Foundation Increases Amount of Small Grant Awards
The Japan Foundation New York Office has announced that as of June 1, 2006, the maximum amount of their Small Grant program for Arts and Culture and for Japanese Studies will increase to $5000 per award. The previous cap on the award was $1000 for Arts and Culture, and $2000 for Japanese Studies. Please note that this increase only applies to 26 states in southern and midwestern United States, but all 10 of the states in our jurisdiction are included.

For more information about these Japan Foundations granting programs, visit the following webpages:
Arts and Culture: www.jfny.org/jfny_jfnygrant_arts.html
Japanese Studies: www.jfny.org/jfny_jfnygrant_japanese.html
Japan Foundation New York Homepage: www.jfny.org

2006 Marks the 25th year of the Japan Festival organized by the Mid-America Japanese Club /Japanese American Association of Chicago (MAJC/JAAC). The Festival includes Japanese arts and crafts, food vendors, live entertainment, raffle prizes, and more.

Ground will be broken in Skokie on June 22 for a new Holocaust Museum and Education Center. The new museum will honor, among others, Chiune Sugihara. Mr. Sugihara was a Japanese consul in Kaunas, Lithuania who saved some 6,000 Jewish lives during World War II by issuing Japanese transit visas. The museum is expected to open in 2008 and will be the only major Holocaust museum in the Midwest.

The International Horse Archery Festival will feature Japanese practitioners of yabusame (Japanese horse archery) Shibata-sensei, an Imperial Bowmaker, and Misa Tsuyoshi.

The Concordia Language Villages in Moorehead, Minnesota offer summer camps for students seeking immersion in foreign languages. The Japanese village is called Mori no ike and includes exposure to Japanese food, arts and crafts, pop culture, and more.

The International Research Center for Japanese Studies in Kyoto, Japan has announced openings for foreign scholars to reside at the center during the 2007-2008 year and participate in a team research project into one of two areas:

1. Owning and Spreading Culture
2. Tradition and Creation of Yokai - Culture in Japan

Japan's GDP Rises for Fifth Consecutive Quarter
On May 19th, the Japanese government released its quarterly estimate (QE) of GDP for the first quarter of 2006.  According to the estimate, GDP from January to March increased by 0.5%, or 1.9% annually.  As a result, the real GDP growth rate for the fiscal year of 2005 was 3.0%, which exceeds its 1.7% growth in the previous year. Please note, the fiscal year in Japan starts in April and ends in March.
http://www.esri.cao.go.jp/en/sna/qe061/gdemenuea.html

Beef Trade Update
Japan and the U.S. held an expert-level meeting from May 17 to May 19 in Tokyo. The U.S. explained its audit of the American plants that plan to export beef to Japan, while Japan described its risk communication meetings that were held in mid-April. All key issues were discussed, and a common understanding was reached on most of them. Japan will now hold new risk communication meetings with the Japanese public from June 1 to June 14. The purpose is to discuss how it will coordinate with the U.S. government the measures necessary to resume import procedures. Further, Japan may conduct audits of the approved American plants before the beef trade resumes. As background, on January 20, Japan suspended U.S. beef import procedures following the discovery of a veal shipment that included vertebral columns.

Prime Minister Koizumi Delivered his Policy Statement on Africa on May 1, 2006
The Prime Minister's statement, “Africa – The Home of Self-Endeavor,” was delivered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia at the African Union Headquarters.

For a text of the statement, "Africa – The Home of Self-Endeavor:"
http://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/koizumispeech/2006/05/01statement_e.html

For a summary of the statement "Japan 's New Actions for Peace and Development in Africa:"
http://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/koizumispeech/2006/05/01action_e.html

Foreign Minister Taro Aso Addressed the CSIS in Washington D.C. on May 3, 2006
The Foreign Minister addressed the Center for Strategic and International Studies highlighting Japan 's commitment to a peaceful and prosperous future for East Asia.

For a text of the address, “Working Together for a Stable and Prosperous East Asia – Lessons of the Past, a Vision for the Freedom to Dream:"
http://www.mofa.go.jp/announce/fm/aso/address0605.html

Foreign Minister Taro Aso Visited Lithuania 's Sugihara House on May 5, 2006
The Foreign Minister met with Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus, Prime Minister Algirdas Brazauskas and other governmental officials. He also visited the Sugihara House, a memorial museum in Kaunas dedicated to the late Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese Foreign Ministry diplomat who is known as " Japan 's Schindler," for helping about 6,000 Jews escape Nazi persecution during World War II.

For more information on Chiune Sugihara:
http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/middle_e/israel/sugihara.html

To visit the Sugihara House website:
http://www.geocities.jp/lithuaniasugiharahouse/

Foreign Minister Taro Aso welcomed New Government in Iraq on May 21, 2006
The list of the cabinet members was presented to the Council of Representatives of Iraq, and approved on Saturday, May 20, 2006. This entails the inauguration of the new government of Iraq. Japan highly welcomes this, and congratulates the new government and the people of Iraq on this very significant accomplishment.

For a text of the Statement given by Foreign Minister Taro Aso:
http://www.mofa.go.jp/announce/announce/2006/5/0521.html

Raw fish is not unique to Japan, but appears in most all cuisines where supremely fresh fish is available. The practice of eating raw fish in Japan probably predates history. However, there are a couple of ways that eating raw fish resonates with other Japanese cultural values.

The idea of purity is prevalent in Japanese society and religion. Fish, in order to be eaten raw, must be pristinely clean and fresh, thus conforming to the notion of purity. Aesthetically, Japanese cuisine (and even art) places great importance on simplicity and revelation of true essences. Eating fish raw, then, allows one to experience the most natural tastes and textures of the food.

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. Japanese 7-11 stores introduced canned oxygen to their product line-up. Initially, the gas will come in what two scents?
2. Japanese restaurants are searching for replacements after China stated it would eventually eliminate exports of what ubiquitous item in Japanese restaurants?
3. According to a Save the Children report released in May, Japan ranks as the country with the lowest infant mortality in the world with a rate of just how many deaths per thousand?

Deadline for submissions is June 15.
To submit your answers by email, click here: Last Month in Japan Quiz.

1. As part of Dove's "Campaign for Real Beauty," the company covered the Pacifico Yokohama Exhibition Hall with huge photo panels of Japanese models.
2. Massive furniture retailer Ikea opened its first store in Japan after pulling out of the country 20 years ago.
3. Former Japanese soldier Ishinosuke Uwano was reunited with his family after living more than 60 years in Zhitomyr, Ukraine.

Fashion in Japan
www.fashioninjapan.com

This website about current Japanese fashion trends is loaded with images of clothes, shoes, accessories, and materials currently in vogue. There are also a Tokyo Shopping Guide and Fashion Tour, and a Fashion Consulting segment for prospective designers tageting the Japanese market.