The JASGA Newsletter is compiled and
edited by:
Audrey Wozniak
Communications Co-Chair
Japan America Society of Greater Austin |
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ONGOING SERIES |
Teens Conversation Club
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JASGA hosts a conversation group aimed at introducing Japanese language and the culture of Japan to teenagers through teenage native speakers. Teens play games while talking with friends in Japanese! Two or more Japanese native mentors also attend.
The club is intended for teens between 12-18 years old, and is held at the UT-Austin Texas Union on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of every month from 1:30-2:45 pm.
Upcoming club meeting dates include February 7th and 21st. |
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Limited-Time Offer |
Japan-America Society Calendar
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The Japan America Society is putting out the first-ever color calendar recognizing 12 of the society chapters around the U.S. The calendars are available for $12 and proceeds will benefit the Japan America Society and our local Austin chapter. Please contact us if you are interested in ordering. |
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Dear Members,
Happy Setsubun!
Setsubun, or Bean-Throwing Festival, marks the coming of spring and the Lunar New Year. Many Japanese families celebrate Setsubun by throwing roasted soybeans to symbolically purify their homes and bring good luck.
The Japan-America Society of Greater Austin (JASGA) enjoyed hosting many events for the community last year and has many more to come this new year. We hope that you will take the opportunity to enjoy them!
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UPCOMING EVENT:
Austin Regional Japanese
Language Speech Contest
Date: Saturday, February 13, 2010
Time: 1:00-4:30 PM
Place: O. Henry Middle School
2610 W10th St.,
Austin, Texas, 78703
The Japan-America Society of Greater Austin hosts the 2nd Austin Regional Contest on February 13, 2010 in collaboration with the Annual Texas Japanese Speech Contest, the statewide competition for students and adults at all levels in Japanese language and culture.
The contest offers participants an opportunity to demonstrate their oral communication skills in Japanese while competing in a statewide competition. The contest will also promote student's awareness and understanding in culture, language and people of Japan. The contest divisions include free speech and Japanese poetry recitation. The top three winners of each Regional Contest division advance to the statewide Texas Speech Contest, competing for a trip to Los Angeles and Japan.
The 2nd Austin Regional Contest is sponsored by Austin Independent School District (AISD), Asahi Imports, and Seiko Instruments, Inc., in partnership with the Consulate-General of Japan at Houston, Austin Japan Association (AJA), and Austin Japanese School (AJS).
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ONGOING SERIES:
Japanese Culture Salons:  January-March 2010
Date: First Monday of each month
Time: 7-8:30 pm
Place: Casa De Luz, Cielo Room
1701 Toomey Road
Austin, Texas, 78704
JASGA hosts monthly Japanese Culture Salons for the public on a variety of topics. Past Salons have featured topics ranging from kyudo(Japanese archery) to Soto Zen Buddhism to anime. March's Japanese Culture Salon features Ross Robertson to demonstrate and teach aikido, a Japanese martial art.
In February, JASGA hosted Yuko Kato, who taught participants in a Salon called "Japanese Table Manners 101," which highlighted cultural etiquette specific to Japan.
January's Japanese Culture Salon featured John R. Snyder, an Austin poet and educator, who explored the roots of haiku and the transition to modern haiku renku.
Japanese Culture Salons are open to the public. We hope you will come enjoy these opportunities to learn about Japan! Similarly, if you are interested in a particular topic for a future Salon, please feel free to make suggestions to
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GUEST ESSAY
The Year of the Tiger
By Tomio Yamakoshi Petrosky
Center for Complex Quantum Systems, UT
January 28th, 2010
 This is the year of the tiger in the zodiac calendar. The scientific name of the tiger is "Pantera tigris." Pantera means panther, and tigris means arrow, or fast. The Tigris is a big river that flows through Persia, the birthplace of the ancient Mesopotamia civilization. Pliny, the author of "Naturalis Historia" in the early Roman Empire wrote as follows: Tigers run amazingly fast. When a hunter steals tiger cubs from a Mother tiger's den while the Mother tiger is absent, he uses several horses. The mother tiger notices it and chases the hunter. When the hunter hears the roaring of the tiger nearby, he drops a cub. Then the mother tiger goes back to the den with the cub in her mouth, and again chases the hunter. The hunter gets on another horse and runs. But still the mother comes close to the hunter. He again drops another cub. The mother goes back to the den with the cub and again chases the hunter. After several repetitions, the hunter jumps into a waiting boat with a few cubs. The mother tiger roars with grief at the shore.
The other day, I watched a television show on the history of Siberian tigers. In a scene, a helicopter chased a tiger in the snow making a loud noise and producing a strong wind. The tiger did not run away, but he started to climb a big tree. At the top of the tree, he tried to attack the helicopter. I was so amazed that the tiger looked like an animal that did not have any sense of fear.
Tigers do not inhabit Japan. Hence Japanese do not know the real shape of a tiger in the old days, even though they heard many stories about tigers from Chinese or Korean literature. Because of this, there is a funny rendition of a tiger in a famous painting. In KONPIRA-SAMA (金比羅様), a well-known Shinto shrine at Shikoku Island, there is a painting of a tiger, which is just like a cat (see the photo). This picture was painted at 1787 by OHKYO MARUYAMA (円山応挙), a great painter in Japan in the Edo period.
There is another story about the tiger and cat. This is a Cambodian story. Many years ago, a cat taught a tiger the way of crafty and agile motion, but did not teach "NEKO BABA" (猫ばば) which means hide her shit in soil. Thus, the tiger is still jealous of the cat.
I hope babies born this year are as strong as tigers, but at the same time, as clever as cats.
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We hoped you enjoyed setsubun!
We are looking forward to this new year!
Sincerely,
Japan-America Society of Greater Austin
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