JCC E-Magazine April 2019

Director's Message

Konnichiwa!

The cherry blossom season has arrived in Japan. JCC was pleased to have collaborated with the Gardens by the Bay as Programme Partner of Sakura Matsuri again this year. The event gave Singaporeans and international travellers the rare opportunity to experience a magnificent springtime atmosphere under the canopy of cherry blossom trees. JCC participated in the festivities with a booth to showcase charms and disseminate information of Japan in cooperation with other Japan related organisations. We also presented an exciting cultural performance by Hibikiya, featuring Mr Nobuto Yamanaka, a Master of Tsugaru Shamisen. JCC also got into a flowery springtime mood at our premises, where we presented an exhibition with the Ohara School of Ikebana, Singapore Chapter to celebrate their 35th Anniversary.

Following on the heels of the Japanese Film Festival in January, JCC has continued to promote Japanese films through the platform of JCC Cinema. This month, we showed ‘Mary and the Witch’s Flower’ at Woodlands Regional Library and were also involved in the Happiness Film Festival. We look forward to presenting more outstanding Japanese films that can be enjoyed across all ages.

This March, we also presented two talks. We invited Mr Takuya Takei, the Asia Regional Director of renowned digital art collective teamLab, to give a highly-anticipated talk at JCC. Many Singaporeans may be familiar with teamLab’s work, especially at the ArtScience Museum, but this talk gave guests a rare opportunity to learn more about how the collective’s captivating works were conceived. We also organised an outreach talk about Japanese culture at St. Anthony’s Canossian Secondary School. It was heartening to see young students have their interest in Japan culture of Japan, and I hope that they continue to stay curious about other aspects of Japan, including its art, food, and technology.

Just as springtime in Japan signifies new beginnings, so will JCC be presenting events that encapsulate these ideas. To begin with, we will be presenting ‘Tsukiji with Love’, a photography exhibition on Tsukiji Market before its function and legacy was handed over to a new location, Toyosu. I am also pleased to have a talk by a renowned cosmetic company KOSÉ on the benefits of kojic acid in skincare. To find out more about our programmes and to keep up with our latest events, do like our Facebook page and join our mailing list to become a Friend of JCC. We look forward to seeing you at our events soon!

Akiko Sugita
Director, Japan Creative Centre (JCC)
Embassy of Japan in Singapore
5th April 2019

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