radio interview "Current State" wkar.org > Sister State since 1968

[originally aired Feb 14, 2014]
http://wkar.org/post/exploring-michigan-s-decades-long-relationship-japan
blurb,

In 1968, Michigan Governor George Romney signed an agreement with the governor of Shiga Prefecture, which is one of Japan’s 47 state-like territories, to create a sister state relationship. The cultural partnership between the two states is one of the longest-running in the country and is still going strong today.

Kate Simon, president of the Michigan-Shiga Sister State Board, says the relationship developed because Shiga and Michigan both have great lakes...

Lake Biwa song (biwako no uta)

Traditional praise of the great freshwater lake around which Shiga prefecture takes its shape; about the surface are of Michigan's Grand Traverse Bay.

 - Riley Elementary 4th graders on the occasion of the 19th annual art exchange between St. Johns, Michigan and Konan-city, Shiga-prefecture, Japan.

art exchange 2014 - songs from Riley Elementary 4th grade

Under the direction of Ms. S. Ries at St. Johns Public Schools

Shabon-dama ('soap bubbles')

Chichipapa

Snow ('yuki' in Japanese, that is)

art show from Shiga to Michigan, August 2013

 

 

early May, Shigematsu Japanese Garden at L.C.C.

http://www.lcc.edu/cs/facilities/006.aspx gives more details of this garden, now completing its springtime glory.

Art Exchange 2013 PREVIEW

View the movie here (4') or full-size at YouTube, or download the PowerPoint
Opening Reception at Briggs Library in downtown St. Johns 48879 on March 5, 2013

making Woodblock prints

Linda J. Beeman led National Art Honor Society students of Ovid Elsie High School in making traditional-style woodblock prints after school in February 2012.

Japanese songs to share, Biwako Song & medley

Finale of the opening reception to the 17th annual exchange of children's art between St. Johns, Michigan and Konan-city, Shiga-ken, held at the Briggs Public Library on March 6, 2012. This song is sort of like the Auld Lang Syne for the people of Shiga prefecture.

sister cities forum to exchange ideas

Annual art sampler 2012

Selected from the 303 pieces received from the 10 elementary and middle schools of Konan-city, Shiga-ken and on display at the Briggs Public Library from March 6 the the end of the month.

more reports on Michigan - Shiga children's art exchange

Full article, http://www.artsusa.org/pdf/information_services/research/policy_roundtable/BackyardDiplomacy.pdf

Blog story at: http://blog.artsusa.org/2012/01/11/backyard-diplomacy-international-cultural-engagement-local-arts-agencies-from-arts-watch/

children's art exchange, fall 2011 in Konan-city

More than 15 years of elementary & middle school art exchanges and still going strong!
These early November scenes come from the city library in Konan-shi, Shiga-ken.

direct contribution to Tohoku March 11 triple disaster

 Direct Relief  –  a great organization because 100 percent goes to charities. It has an endowment to cover its overhead and costs and works with some excellent Japanese nonprofit organizations that need funding because there is still so much work to do in the Tohoku region. Click here to contribute to tsunami relief through Direct Relief.

old highways of Japan - passing through Shiga prefecture

Thoughtful write-up by Phil at www.photojpn.org

The Tokaido and Nakasendo Roads were the two main roads in Japan during the samurai/Tokugawa period up to 1868. They connected Tokyo (Edo) where the shogun lived and Kyoto where the Emperor lived. Both roads went through Shiga before reaching neighboring Kyoto.

Here's a good map of the coastal Tokaido Road between Tokyo (Edo) and Kyoto. Each lodging town was numbered. Ishibe in Konan was No. 52. So 52 on this map is Ishibe: http://www.hiroshige.org.uk/hiroshige/tokaido_hoeido/images/tokaido_map.GIF Lodging towns No. 50 (Tsuchiyama) to 54 (Otsu) are all in Shiga.

Here's an excellent Web site showing Hiroshige prints of the Tokaido Road: http://www.hiroshige.org.uk/hiroshige/tokaido_editions/tokaido_editions.htm
You can see that Ishibe in Konan was the 52nd lodging town on the Tokaido Road. And you can see various print editions of each town by Hiroshige. The most well-known edition is called Hoeido. Lodging towns No. 50 (Tsuchiyama) to 54 (Otsu) are all in Shiga.

More info about the Tokaido: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/53_Stations_of_the_Tokaido

The other major road that connected Tokyo with Kyoto in the old days was called the Nakasendo Road which went through the interior instead of the Pacific coast: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/69_Stations_of_the_Nakasendo

The Nakasendo (also called Kisokaido) also passed through Shiga on the way to Kyoto. The Tokaido and Nakasendo Roads intersected at Kusatsu and Otsu. There are woodblock prints for all the Nakasendo lodging towns as well.
http://www.hiroshige.org.uk/hiroshige/kisokaido/images/Kisokaido%20map.gif
http://www.hiroshige.org.uk/hiroshige/kisokaido/kisokaido07.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sixty-Nine_Stations_of_the_Kiso_Kaido

Singing, Water, Shiga rowing

about the song in detail:http://photoguide.jp/txt/Lake_Biwa_Rowing_Song

video at length here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOUwlb6P_9s

John Denver once visited Shiga and sang in Japanese too:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sn2R7-1sM_0 Very beautiful voice, (singing phonetically). He got most of it right.

Japanese version (by Kyoto Univ. Rowing Club Alumni)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uH3mtrS3xWo

Photos related to the song:http://photoguide.jp/pix/index.php?cat=273

The girls also sang the song in English on national TV during a well-known amateur singing contest. They were well received.http://photoguide.jp/pix/displayimage.php?album=517&pid=14043

Japan & Lansing Community College in 2011

LCC students will have the opportunity to engage in academic study, service learning, and a business independent study in Lansing’s sister city, Otsu, located in Michigan’s sister state, the Shiga Prefecture. The new Japan Immersion program, running from June 7 through August 17, 2011, will include the following activities: Japanese language and culture study at the Kyoto Institute of Culture and Language. Cultural and service learning opportunities with local nonprofit and governmental organizations. Three-credit LCC independent study in business on the Biwako-Kisen Company (BKC) Michigan boat, a Mississippi River-style stern-wheeler on Lake Biwa. Students will work part-time on the tourist vessel. LCC and BKC have partnered on three student programs between 1982 and 2007 and are pleased to renew their partnership. Shiga Prefecture and the City of Otsu are well removed from the devastation of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, as well as from the ongoing issues with the nuclear power plant in Fukushima. Shiga, and neighboring Kyoto, continues to host literally thousands of international students and tourists year-round. All local Japanese universities are accepting international students as usual -- as are the Japan Center for Michigan Universities (JCMU) and the Associated Kyoto Programs (AKP). Both of these major study-abroad programs also have assessed the situation in this region as safe and will have normal summer programs running this year. The cost of participating in the program -- including LCC tuition, Kyoto Institute of Language and Culture tuition, and air fare – is estimated at $3500. Housing is provided and scholarship funds to cover part of the program cost will be available for students. No prior Japanese language study is required for this program. Applications for this program are due April 20, 2011. For more information or to request application materials, contact Professor Marc Thomas at thomasm6@lcc.edu or 517-483-1912.

the 15th annual art exhibit

highlights from March 1, 2011 at http://briggspubliclibrary.org

online Japanese language learning

via Senseionline 18 June 2010:
 
...for people who would like to learn Japanese and aren't conveniently located by an institution or
a friend that will teach it to them, this might be just the information they were looking for:

*UAB NihongoCast,* http://www.uab.edu/foreignlang/nihongocast/, the online version of Japanese
101 at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, a joint production of the UAB Departments of Foreign Languages and Literatures, Communication Studies, and Theatre, taught by Tim Cook of Georgia Public Broadcasting's *Irasshai.*

Lake Biwa & Museum

"Learning innovative measures from the regions"

Water is the source of all life. One sixth of Shiga Prefecture, which I visited last weekend, is taken up by Japan's largest lake, Lake Biwa. Lake Biwa supports the lives of 14 million people living in the Kinki region.

Japan faced pollution problems during the 1960s and the 1970s, which the government established various regulations to counter. In addition to these regulations, Shiga Prefecture advanced its own measures, such as establishing an ordinance on sewage standards that are stricter than the national standards.

At the Lake Biwa Museum which I visited, Governor Yukiko Kada of Shiga Prefecture, who was once a senior researcher of the museum, showed me an exhibition of a private residence from around the mid-1950s and explained how people dealt with water in their daily lives at that time.
FULL STORY

art exchange - 14th annual for St. Johns & Konan

Opening scene of artwork hung on banners, then video clips of the performance:
Music by East Olive Elementary 3rd & 4th graders under the direction of Ms. Ries.


Panorama views of the exhibit of artworks from elementary and middle schools
(see also http://art-sjkonan.wikispaces.com/)

some Shiga headlines lately - early 2010

Shiga at the Olympics - Shiga will be well represented at the Vancouver Olympics. Miki ITO, from Hino-cho, is on the Moguls Team. Rana OKADA, from Otsu, is on the Snowboarding Team. Shuhei NARITA, who is originally from Aomori but now works from Eins in Omihachiman, is a coach for the Nordic Combined Team. Look for Miss Ito and Miss Okada during their respective events!

--News Stories (adapted and edited from News on Shiga)--
Nippon Electric Glass Co., Ltd. donated 100 million yen to Shiga Prefecture for Renovation of the Uminoko
…went into service in 1983. There are 420 thousand students who have ridden on the ship in total.

Shiga's image around Japan not good according to a marketing research survey
…most people in Greater Tokyo have no impression about Shiga. 30% of them negatively think it is quiet and obscure.

--Other News Stories (copied directly and unedited from News on Shiga)--

The population of Shiga's international residents has dropped

Shiga's labor market was worst ever in 2009

Budget cuts at Shiga Univ. and Medical School

Otsu joins the Mayors for Peace
Otsu joined the Mayors for Peace, a conference that consists of cities advocating the abolishment of nuclear weapons. Otsu is Shiga's 12th city taking part in the conference.

Shiga Environmental Business Exhibition came to an end with great success


City Merger -New Nagahama-city adds 6 towns: Torahime, Kohoku, Takatsuki, Kinomoto, Yogo, Nishiazai.

Shiga Election for Govenor will be in July with Gov. Kada running for re-election [Japan’s 5th woman gov’r elected]

Michigan-Shiga Sister Cities online

http://mishiga.org

In 1968 Governor Romney of Michigan and Governor Nozaki of Shiga Prefecture, Japan signed the agreement to establish a sister state relationship. This Michigan-Shiga partnership is the oldest and most comprehensive sister state relationship between the United States and Japan. Residents of Michigan and Shiga continue to maintain close ties through partnership activities between sister cities and exchanges involving students, teachers, community members and government officials....

Shiga Fair 2009 in Novi

Sunday, October 4. Contact this year's Shiga Official Representative,
Ms. Miyamura at shigaken ATmsu.edu

vast photo collection - Shiga prefecture

http://shiga-ken.com/ has comprehensive coverage, in fact you may ask what more is left to record visually? And there is a similar approach to other parts of Japan, as well.

annual citizen exchange moves to Fall slot

The Michigan-Shiga Sister State Board welcomes applications for the Goodwill Mission to Shiga, including five days of home-stay experiences with a Shiga host family as well as day trips to Kyoto and other neighboring areas. http://www.isp.msu.edu/jcmu/alumni/goodwill/

annual art exchange through Feb. 28

http://www.briggspubliclibrary.org/ is exhibiting over 200 pictures in the 13th annual display

of art from Konan-shi, the sister city to St. Johns, Michigan, through the month of February.

View a sample of pictures (others from 2008), or see this year's work with commentary by Shiga Official, Ms. Miyamura:

some of the songs performed at the opening reception Feb. 5,

or hear Alyson G, one of the young artist who describes her work.

visit by master potter, Mr. Tamura

*About the pottery style of Shigaraki-yaki
The pottery comes from Shigaraki region of Koka City ( also famous in early modern times for its ninja clan) in Shiga prefecture (twinned with the state of Michigan).The special quality of its clay sets it apart. Its rusticity has communicated the traditional Japanese spirit and the aesthetics of wabi and sabi to the present day.

A word of history
Pottery production seems to have begun more than 1200 years ago in 742, when the Emperor Shomu built a palace in Shigaraki from roof tiles and vessels fired from this local clay.Thanks to its central location on the main Japanese island, Shigaraki-yaki took on an important role in people’s daily lives (jars, vats, braziers) as well as in traditional arts such as the Japanese tea ceremony.

At the December 2008 visit to Michigan by Master Potter, Mr. Tamura
Master Tamura demonstrated his craft on stage, using his potter’s wheel to make the clay dance and bend into beautiful shapes. He offered advices in throwing pots. A brief outline of Shigaraki-yaki's history allowed the audience to experience all aspects of the unique role played by Shigaraki-yaki in Japanese history and culture.

Biographical sketch of the Pottery Master
Mr. Shizuo Tamura is President and board member of multiple pottery associations in Shigaraki and throughout Japan. His works have won numerous art awards and have been featured in exhibitions around Japan. Mr.Tamura’s unique artistic vision seeks to remain true to the traditional aesthetics of Shigaraki-yaki while also introducing modern, creative elements that will resonate with audiences internationally.

*courtesy photos by Shiga representative to Michigan, Ms. Miyamura, shigaken ATmsu.edu

audio recordings - 40th Anniversary ceremony

Commemorating 40 years of sister-state relations between the state of Michigan and Shiga prefecture, several honored guests spoke.


[hotlink to audio recording; unlinked names are awaiting permission to put online]



State Superintendent of Education, Mr. Michael Flanagan.
Superintendent of Education for Shiga-ken, Mr. SUEMATSU Kyoiku-cho.
Alumnist of the JCMU program (Japan Center for Michigan Universities), Mr. Brian Forest.
Alumnist of the Michigan-Shiga High School Exchange, Mr. Mario James.
Student representative of the Science High School exchange, Mr. TAKAHASHI Wataru.

40th anniversary of Michigan-Shiga sister statehood

August 20 welcome ceremony AND the August 25 banquet are open to the public.
Details online at http://japanlore.googlepages.com/mi-sisterstate

Related Japan links in Michigan

Midwest Japan Seminar, http://www.asianstudies.msu.edu/MJS/
sometimes hosting the monthly event in Michigan

Japan Festival in Saginaw (September), http://www.japaneseculturalcenter.org/

Michigan-Japan Professionals Association, http://www.michiganjapan.org/
telephone at 517-507-5420 or email info@michiganjapan DOTorg

Sister cities, JapanKits for loan, Japanese Quizbowl

Annual Michigan Japanese Quiz Bowl for young people, www.umich.edu/~iinet/cjs/mjqb

Lending kits of artifacts for teachers, www.umich.edu/~iinet/cjs/japankit

Michigan sister cities in Shiga-ken, http://www.umich.edu/~iinet/cjs/sisterstate/

woodblock print Michigan artist

http://www.marybrodbeck.com/ is based in Kalamazoo and is working fall 2007 as Visiting Artist at the JCMU, Japan Center for Michigan Universities in Hikone (east coast of the country's biggest freshwater body of water, Lake Biwa).