Director's Message
 Professor Takaaki Kajita (centre), Ambassador Hiroshi Ishikawa (right) and JCC Director Akiko Kawabe (left) at the first event of the JCC 15th Anniversary Talk Series on 10 January. |
Dear Friends of JCC,
Konnichiwa! 2024 started on a bright note with our very first JCC 15th Anniversary Talk Series featuring Professor Takaaki Kajita, who was awarded Nobel Prize in Physics in 2015 and is known for neutrino experiments at the Kamioka Observatory – Kamiokande, and its successor, Super-Kamiokande. It was heartening to see the lively participation from members of the audience during the Q&A session, with many questions being about scientific probe and discovering the truth of the universe. The second edition of the Talk Series featured the President of NHK Symphony Orchestra, Mr Keiichi Imamura, who presented the missions of his Orchestra, and its effort to reach out to young population as well as people in different cities across Japan, showing some videos of the Orchestra’s performances. Last year, I had the pleasure of attending one of the NHK Symphony Orchestra’s concerts at the Suntory Hall in Tokyo. I remember being amazed by the ensemble’s beautiful harmony and the resounding applause that followed their performance. In the JCC event, Mr Imamura shared that the NHK Symphony Orchestra performances can be seen free on YouTube, so you may wish to check it out. Although the topics of the first two Talk Series instalments of were completely different spectrums, I truly enjoyed them all. Please do look forward to more enlightening talks! Good things continued to come in pairs, with the awarding ceremony of the Japanese Foreign Minister’s Commendation for HIBIKIYA, as well as the Conferment Ceremony of The Order of the Rising Sun Gold and Silver Rays for Mr Tan Soon Hoe, former president of SSEAYP International Singapore. Considering their outstanding achievements and great contributions to the friendship and mutual understanding between Japan and Singapore, the commendations have been rightly earned. They are both good friends of JCC, and I extend my heartfelt congratulations to them! Besides that, the ‘Unique Flavours of Japanese Rice’ event was also held successfully. Keeping in mind that Singapore is one of the largest importers of Japanese rice, I witnessed just how much everyone loved Japanese rice during those two days. While other participants were able to appreciate and even learn to compare the different Japanese rice varieties from five-star Japanese rice meister Mr Shinichi Katayama, families with young children enjoyed making their own onigiri. It was certainly a fun session for everyone. To keep up-to-date with our upcoming JCC15 activities, please follow us on our Facebook and Instagram! You may also follow the Embassy of Japan in Singapore on their Facebook page for the latest news and updates from Japan. Akiko Kawabe Director, Japan Creative Centre (JCC) 5th February 2024 |
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Japan Creative Centre 4 Nassim Road, Singapore 258372 +65 6737 0434 / jcc@sn.mofa.go.jp https://www.sg.emb-japan.go.jp/JCC/ Nearest parking at Orchard Hotel & Delphi Orchard |
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