JCC E-Magazine March 2020

Photo courtesy of Ningyo-Kyokai Association

Overview

Due to the novel coronavirus outbreak situation, we had to unfortunately cancel our JCC events, as well as postpone our annual Japanese Film Festival. While we wish for everyone to prioritise your health first and foremost, JCC would like to continue sharing information about Japan and Japanese culture as much as possible.

For this month, please enjoy our cultural articles about plum blossoms and Hina Matsuri! We have also prepared a short spring-themed quiz for you, and a few lucky people can earn attractive prizes for correct answers. We look forward to hearing from you!

Director's Message

This February, in light of the COVID-19 situation in Singapore, we have had to postpone many of the events that we had been planning in order to prioritise the health of our Friends of JCC. We certainly miss the bustle and excitement that each event brings, but in the meantime, we have prepared some interesting articles that you can enjoy while at home!

This issue of our e-magazine features two articles written by our staff at JCC on topics related to spring! In a...(Click here to read more)

Cultural Articles

The Harbinger of Spring: Plum Blossoms

Cherry blossoms may be the flower many first think of when it comes to springtime in Japan, but did you know that there is another diminutive blossom that is associated with this season? Plum blossoms (or ‘ume’ in Japanese) begin to unfurl their petals at the beginning of spring, leading it to be considered harbingers of the season and a beautiful signal to the end of winter. It is easy to mistake plum blossoms for cherry blossoms...(Click here to read more)

All Dolled Up for Hina Matsuri

Hina Matsuri, also known as Doll Festival or Girls’ Festival, is a yearly holiday on March 3 during which families pray for the happiness and health of their daughters. Without a doubt, the main attraction during this festival is the elaborate displays of porcelain dolls called hina-ningyo or hina dolls. While the history of the festival itself can be traced back to the Heian period, the displaying of dolls is said to have begun in the early 1600s, possibly influenced...(Click here to read more)

Enjoyed our Cultural Articles? How about trying our spring-themed quiz next? Kindly fill up the Quiz Form here by 8 March 2020 (Sunday) and stance a chance to win attractive prizes! We will contact the few lucky winners shortly after on how to collect the prizes.

Visits

		Visit by Japanese students from JENESYS 2019 programme On 5th February 2020, 16 Japanese students from Tokai University, Soka University and Meiji Gakuin University under the JENESYS 2019 programme visited Japan Creative Centre and Embassy of Japan in Singapore. They were welcomed by Director Ms Akiko Sugita. The students presented Director Ms Akiko Sugita with a token of appreciation and were later briefed by Ms Haruna Mori, Third Secretary from the Embassy of Japan...(Click here to read more)

		Visit by Former Japan Cultural Envoy manga artist Mr Seiji Iwami Former Japan Cultural Envoy manga artist Mr Seiji Iwami visited JCC on 14 February 2020. As Cultural Envoy, he led a manga workshop in 2010 that was enjoyed by many. Now that he is back in Japan, he is currently working on illustrating a tourism pamphlet for Wakayama. We look forward to seeing his completed work in the future! (Click here to read more)

Japanese Cultural Fact for March

Spring High-School Baseball Tournament

The National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament is held each year for around 10 days starting in late March at Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture. Baseball is one of Japan's most popular spectator sports, along with soccer and sumo. Total attendance at the games of Japan's two professional baseball leagues (Central and Pacific Leagues) in 2016 topped 25 million. The most popular amateur competition, meanwhile, is the high school tournament, played in the spring and summer among several dozen of the country's best teams...(Click here to read more)

Related Events

14.03.2020	MOB13: Friendship - A concert featuring Toshikazu Yoshida and the Kinjo Gakuin University Handbell Choir @ Victoria Concert Hall
06.03.2020 - 29.03.2020	Sakura Matsuri @ Gardens By The Bay
06.03.2020	Caring Enough to Remember: Yamagata Documentary Dojo Programme, part of Stories That Matter 2020: Screenings, presented by Objectifs
21.02.2020 - 22.03.2020	ROOTS OF METALCRAFT: Tsubame-Sanjo, Niigata, Japan

Notice

■ Calling for Application: Japanese Speech Contest 2020

■ Calling for Application: The 18th Hiroshima International Animation Festival

■ Calling for Application: Cosplay de UMIGOMI Zero AWARD (Application Deadline: 31 March 2020)

■ Information on Invitation for Application: The Japan World Exposition 1970 Commemorative Fund

■ Calling for entries: The 16th World Children’s Haiku Contest 2019-2020

■ Japanese Speech Contest 2018 Homestay Report

■ The Japan Foundation grant program for FY2019 (Japanese / English)

■ Enjoy Free Japanese Lessons here on NHK World!

Notices regarding the COVID-19 situation

■ Japanese Government Initiatives for COVID-19

■ Embassy of Japan in Singapore Facebook