Dear Friends of JCC,

Konnichiwa!

June was a delight for the eyes and ears, as we celebrated a diverse variety of Japanese cinema and dramas with our very first Japanese Film Festival Online 2024 in Singapore. Additionally, we held a JCC Cinema screening of the animation film “Napping Princess” for the family crowd, as well as a masterclass by Professor Deborah Shamoon for the curious audience who...(Click here to read more)

JCC Cinema 92: Napping Princess

Our JCC Cinema 92 screening of Napping Princess was held at Our Tampines Hub’s Festive Arts Theatre on Thu, 6 Jun! Nearly 300 people including of children who turned up during the school holidays to watch the anime film that is set in Okayama Prefecture and Shikoku Island of Japan. There was also a brief introduction about these regions before the show, which allowed the audiences to learn about the landmarks that are featured...(Click here to read more)

Japanese Film Festival Online 2024: Masterclass with Prof Deborah Shamoon ~ Exploring the relationship between literature and film adaptation ~

In light of Japanese Film Festival SG (JFF) Online 2024, masterclass by Associate Professor Deborah Shamoon from Department of Japanese Studies, National University of Singapore was held on Saturday, 8 June at JCC. Through the lens of two films which are featured in this year’s festival...(Click here to read more)

A Splash of Jazz with Sawako Hyodo ~ An evening of delightful jazz piano music ~

JCC had a jazz-filled evening with a delightful piano recital by Ms Sawako Hyodo on Friday, 21 June 2024, with an amazing turnout. A Japanese pianist who is highly regarded for her original compositions and has released 8 albums as a lead artist, Ms Hyodo showcased her musical repertoire with a diverse range of pieces, including her own jazz arrangements of two...(Click here to read more)

Reception commemorating the 55th year of establishment of the Ikebana International Singapore Chapter 135

A reception commemorating the 55th year of establishment of the Ikebana International Singapore Chapter 135 was hosted by H.E. Ambassador Hiroshi Ishikawa with nearly 60 guests including Her Excellency Mrs Mary Tan, wife of Former President Dr Tony Ta. Ikebana International is a worldwide organisation committed to increasing international...(Click here to read more)

Visit by Mr Yasumine Satake, managing director of Japan Shogi Association

We are delighted to receive a visit by Mr Yasumine Satake, managing director of Japan Shogi Association (日本将棋連盟 tab)! Shogi is a traditional Japanese board game. Mr Satake, who dropped by JCC on 19 June during his stay in Singapore, brought us two commemorative fans as gifts. One was to commemorate the acquisition of all the 8 shogi titles...(Click here to read more)

A Dip of Soy Sauce

In Japan, Chiba Prefecture is the top producer of soy sauce. With soy sauce being a ubiquitous seasoning of Japanese cuisine since ancient times, it also means that Chiba has thrived as the centre of Japan’s soy sauce production for centuries. There are over 1,200 soy sauce manufacturers in Japan. Among them, many of the soy sauce production facilities can be found in Chiba, including the well-known Kikkoman Corporation...(Click here to read more)

Flipping Through the Pages of Japanese Literature

On the topic of Japanese writings, we can trace back the oldest existing literary works to Kojiki (Record of Ancient Matters), and Nihon Shoki (The Chronicles of Japan), which were officially commissioned as government projects and completed in 712 and 720 respectively. The former is a compilation of myths, folklore, and legends among others, while the latter is a more detailed historical record of ancient Japan. Another significant work...(Click here to read more)

Marine Day

The third Monday in July (originally July 20) is Marine Day. It was celebrated for the first time in 1996, after being declared a national holiday a year earlier. Japan now has 16 national holidays. July 20 was actually designated Marine Commemoration Day way back in June 1941 to mark the return of Emperor Meiji to the port of Yokohama in 1876 from a trip to northern Japan. But it was not a national holiday, and so a number of ocean-related...(Click here to read more)