JCC E-Magazine April 2020

Director's Message

While the heat continues on in Singapore, Japan is currently welcoming the season of spring with warm breezes and of course, the blooming of cherry blossoms. Pink blooms are unfurling their petals all over Japan, and although we are discouraged from gathering in large groups, technological advancements have allowed admirers to view cherry blossoms from the comfort of their own homes through live-streams!

Although we are unable to live-stream any of our events at JCC, our staff has been working hard to share interesting information on our Facebook page for our Friends of JCC! This includes Japanese-related content and ideas for activities that we can easily do at home. For example, we have shared some Japanese-language learning resources and short write-ups, as well as some alternative ways to play shogi (Japanese chess) for beginners!

We hope that the articles that our staff members wrote from last month’s issue were enjoyable and educational! Many of you participated in our quiz as well; it was encouraging to see such active participation from our supporters despite not being able to be physically at JCC! This month, we have two more articles about Japanese culture: one is about traditional Japanese toys, and the other is about different types of bento. It is our hope that you will be able to learn more about Japanese culture through these articles and perhaps try your hand at playing some of the games, or making your own bento while at home!

If you do have to go out, do take this tip in mind! Remember to avoid the “Three Cs!” The three Cs refer to closed spaces with poor ventilation, crowded places with many people, and close-contact settings such as close-range conversations. This was adapted from the Japanese version, which tells people to stay away from the “3 MITSU”: 密閉 ‘mippei’, which refers to closed spaces; 密集 ‘misshu’, which refers to crowds; and 密接 ‘missetsu’, which means being in close-contact settings. These three words can be shortened to the onomatopoeias munmun, gyugyu, and gayagaya! So if you are learning Japanese, remember to say no to munmun, gyugyu, and gayagaya!

To remain up to date with the latest notices from the Embassy of Japan in Singapore and JCC regarding the COVID-19 situation, please do bookmark the Embassy’s homepage here: https://www.sg.emb-japan.go.jp/itprtop_en/index.html or refer to this page directly for more information: https://www.sg.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/covid19.html. Updates will also be posted on the Embassy’s Facebook page so we encourage you to like and follow the page to be updated as soon as news gets posted.

In the meantime, we encourage everyone to adopt good hygiene habits and exercise social responsibility to protect your community. Practice safe distancing and stay healthy, and we look forward to welcoming all of you back to JCC for more events once the situation takes a turn for the better.

Akiko Sugita
Director, Japan Creative Centre (JCC)
Embassy of Japan in Singapore
6th April 2020

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