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@....

Fumizuki is the old Japanese name for the month of July. The kanji characters used mean literally "book month." However, there are a couple of theories about the origins of this name. One is that fumizuki is a shortened form of hofumizuki, which refers to the time when rice becomes ready for harvest. Another possible explanation is that it's short for fumihirakizuki, which means to hope for improvement in calligraphy. Tanabata - the major holiday in fumizuki - is a time to pray for improvement in calligraphy.

The only official holiday in Fumizuki is Marine Day, celebrated on the third Monday of the month. It is Japan's newest national holiday (first observed in 1996), but commemorates the return of Emperor Meiji to Yokohama port from a boat trip to Hokkaido in 1876. A more traditional celebration is Tanabata, observed on July 7th. According to legend, on the 7th day of the 7th month, a cattleherd named Hikiboshi and a weaver named Orihime are allowed to meet just once a year. They are represented by the stars Altair and Vega, which come together from across the Milky Way. One popular custom for Tanabata is to write wishes on a piece of paper and hang it on a bamboo tree.

Click here for a PDF flier of the film.

In the fall of 2004, Puffy AmiYumi debuted their own cartoon show in the US called Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi. The show was a hit and the duo quickly became icons of Japanese music, lifestyle, and fashion for young fans in the US. At home, Puffy AmiYumi have become such emblems of international crossover success that government officials have selected them to be tourism exchange ambassadors for the nation's 2006 Visit Japan Campaign.  

This Summer, Puffy AmiYumi will go on long-awaited US tour, followed by the release of their latest album “Splurge,” including a concert in Chicago. For more information on Puffy AmiYumi, log on to www.puffyamiyumi.com.

This benefit performance features Noh Big Hand Drummer (Otsuzimi) Shonosuke Okura, the 16th descendant in the lineage of Japanese traditional hand drummers for Noh theater. Mr. Okura has been designated a "Holder of Intangible Cultural Properties." Okura will be joined by Roosevelt University Alumnus Masaou Yamamoto - all the way from Tokyo.

Since it began in 1990, the World League has been considered volleyball's most prestigious annual event.  For the first time since 2001, World League is returning to the United States! World League features 16 of the top men's national volleyball teams competing to rack up valuable international ranking points and cash in on over $20 million in prize money.  Sixteen teams are assigned into four pools of four teams each, and play six consecutive weekends of pool-play – three weekends at home and three abroad – in an effort to advance into the championship round.  The Teams from Japan and the United States will meet each other on Saturday & Sunday July 29 and 30 in Minneapolis.

Shiko Munakata has long been recognized as a master of the woodcut in modern Japan. His vigorous style of expression liberated the woodblock print from its traditional style and format. The Saint Louis Art Museum has been the recipient of a number of works by Munakata, who visited and worked in St. Louis in 1965 and 1974. The new exhibition Shiko Munakata includes a selection of his woodblock prints and ink drawings from the 1950s to the 1970s that reveal many of his thematic interests, including women, flowers, and self-portraiture.

Shiko Munakata, Japanese, "Self-Portrait with Sunflowers", 1965; color woodcut; 16 1/6 x 12 7/16 inches; Saint Louis Art Museum, Gift of Leslie J. Laskey in memory of Elsie J. Kott 44:2004

Learn about two popular Japanese dishes, sushi and okonomiyaki (Japanese vegetable pancakes) while discovering some Japanese history, language and culture. Week one includes how to make, taste and eat several kinds of sushi. Week two includes Japanese table manners and how to make okonomiyaki.

US to Resume Beef Exports to Japan
During a video conference on June 20 and 21, Japan and the U.S. reached an agreement that U.S. beef exports to Japan will resume after onsite audits of approved American plants by Japan. Between June 24 and July 23, Japan will inspect 35 U.S. beef plants, and then expeditiously resume beef import procedures for the plants that comply with the EV program as determined by the inspections. On January 20, 2006 Japan suspended U.S. beef import procedures following the discovery of a veal shipment that included vertebral columns.

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels's Visit to Japan is a Great Success
Governor Mitch Daniels returned to Indiana on June 28 after a 10-day tour of Japan and South Korea. According to an Indiana state government press release, nearly $150 million in new Japanese investment in Indiana, which will create 300 new jobs, was announced as a result of the Governor's meetings with senior executives from leading Japanese companies. A recent study conducted by the Consulate General of Japan at Chicago reveals that 225 Japanese business facilities, which create 42,630 jobs, now call Indiana home.

Japan – U.S. Summit Meeting held on June 29, 2006
On June 29, 2006, President George W. Bush hosted Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan for an Official Visit to the White House that celebrated their close personal friendship and the deep and increasing ties between the American and Japanese people. The two leaders agreed that the U.S.-Japan partnership stands as one of the most accomplished bilateral relationships in history. They reviewed with great satisfaction the broadened and enhanced cooperation achieved in the alliance under their joint stewardship, and together heralded a new U.S.-Japan Alliance of Global Cooperation for the 21st Century.

For a summary of “The Japan-U.S. Alliance of the New Century” :
http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/n-america/us/summit0606.html

For a text of remarks made at Graceland by the Prime Minister and the President:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/visit/japan/

For photos of the visit:
http://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/koizumiphoto/2006/06/28usa_e.html

Yokai is a very broad word that refers to any kind of supernatural being. The constituent kanji are YO, which means "attractive, bewitching," and KAI, which means "mystery, apparition." Yokai can refer to both horrifying things, such as ghosts and demons, as well as more playful and innocuous creatures, such as the animate dust bunnies in My Neighbor Totoro. Often translated as "ghost" or "apparition," yokai are probably more accurately described by the broader phrase "supernatural phenomena." For a wonderful sampling of yokai, you can check out Takashi Miike's film The Great Yokai War.

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. Which celebrity's home did Prime Minister Koizumi and President Bush visit during the former's recent visit to the United States?
2. Japanese experts in the latest “toilet technology” will travel to which country to train professional toilet cleaners in an effort to boost their wages?
3. Which Japanese watch company partnered with Microsoft to develop a wristwatch capable of displaying news and stock quotes sent via FM radio waves?

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

1. Japanese 7-11 stores introduced canned oxygen to their product line-up. Initially, the gas will come in strong mint and grapefruit scents.
2. Japanese restaurants are searching for replacements after China stated it would eventually eliminate exports of waribashi (disposable wooden chopsticks).
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 1.8 deaths per thousand.

Japan Kendama Association
www.kendamakyokai.com/index_english.html

The kendama is a traditional wooden toy consisting of a ball attached by a string to a shaft that has 3 cups (of different sizes) and a spike. The object is to swing the ball in the air and catch it in the cups or on the spike. This official website of the Japan Kendama Association features information on the parts of a kendama, history of the toy, and several tricksto try - including animated examples.