Nippon Club Newsletter (October 2001)

Japan's Measures in Response to the Simultaneous Terrorist Attack in the Unites States

(The following is the measures announced by Prime Minister Junichi Koizumi at a press conference at 7:34 P.M.(Japan Time) on September 19)

1. Basic Policy

(1) Japan will actively engage itself in the fight against terrorism, which it regards as Japan's own security issue.
(2) Japan strongly supports the United States, its ally, and will act in concert with the United States and other countries around the world.
(3) Japan will take concrete and effective measures which will clearly demonstrate its firm determination. These measures will be implemented in a swift and comprehensive manner.

2. Immediate Measures

(1) The Government of Japan (GOJ) will promptly take measures necessary for dispatching the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) for providing support, including medical services, transportation and supply, to the US forces and other taking measures related to the terrorist attack, which have been recognized as a threat to international peace and security in the United nations Security Council resolution 1368.
(2) GOJ will promptly take measures necessary for further strengthening the protection of facilities and area of the US forces and important facilities in Japan.
(3) GOJ will swiftly dispatch SDF vessels to gather information.
(4) GOJ will strengthen international cooperation, including information sharing, in areas such as immigration control.
(5) GOJ will extend humanitarian, economic and other necessary assistance to surrounding and affected countries. As a part of this assistance, GOJ will extend emergency economic assistance to Pakistan and India, which are cooperating with the United States in this emergency situation.
(6) GOJ will provide assistance to displaced persons as necessary. This will include the possibility of humanitarian assistance by the SDF.
(7) GOJ, in cooperation with other countries, will take appropriate measures in response to the changing situation to avoid confusion in the international and domestic economic systems.

«Y2001 International Festival update»

The Y2001 International Festival (originally planned from October 5th - 7th) was postponed due to recent social concerns. It was very sad news to have to stop the preparations for the festival. Up to that point, many volunteers had prepared a lot for the Sidewalk Cafe, International Bazaar, Center Stage, Ceremonies etc. In this article, the Nippon Club would like to express thanks to all who helped with these preparations. According to the International Festival organization, they are investigating the possibility of holding the festival this coming spring. The Nippon Club intends to support this plan. The preparation we completed so far will be fully utilized for the next festival. We appreciate the support of all our volunteers and hope to enjoy a festival in spring, 2002.

We welcome your generous donation

The Nippon Club's goals are to promote Japanese-American cultural exchange, to conduct local service activities, and to provide practical information to Japanese residents in the area. The Club also seeks to foster deeper mutual understanding between Japan and North Carolina. No membership fee is required, as Nippon Club's activities are supported by voluntary work and contributions from members and other sponsors. Please help us by sending the most generous gift you can today which is tax deductible.

Contact persons are:
David Robinson (dsrobins@social.chass.ncsu.edu )
Masaaki Takamiya ( ttakamiy@us.ibm.com )

Donation: We have received a $200 donation from Retail Technology International, Inc.

Adopt-A-Highway

The Nippon Club joined the Adopt-A-Highway Program in 1993 and performed our first clean up on November 1993. We adopted Highway US70 between Ebenezer Church Road and Duraleigh/West Millbrook Road. We have been fortunate to be able to participate in this program for so many years.

The third highway clean up of this year was held on September 8th. It was a beautiful sunny day. 16 volunteers enjoyed picking up trash and chatting with newcomers. They had recently arrived this area and had not settle down yet, or was looking for a car. We appreciate those who contributed their time and work. The next cleanup will be:

Date: Saturday, December 1

Time: 9:15 AM (Clean up starts at 9:30 AM)

Place: Eatman's Carpets rear left parking lot on Glenwood Avenue, 

           5 miles north from Crabtree exit of Raleigh Beltline I-440. 

           Eatman's Carpets is at the corner of Westborough Drive and US-70/Glenwood Avenue. (map)

Contact: Francis A. Moyer at NC Japan Center

Tel: (919) 515-3450

Anyone who is 13 or older can participate. We encourage all of you to come join us and bring your friends along. In case of rain, the event will be cancelled.

Note: bring your own garden globes.

Origami "Cranes" will be flying and celebrate a new IMAX theater on 11/17/01

A new IMAX theater with a screen seven stories high will open at Exploris on November 16th 2001. The opening film, "Mysteries of Egypt", is the first IMAX film produced by National Geographic and will be playing until April, 2002.

To celebrate the opening event, the Nippon Club will help visitors make origami cranes and hang their Origami from strings down into the global village square. Anyone who is willing to help visitors with Origami on the weekend of November 17th should contact Mr. Takamiya at ttakamiy@us.ibm.com or (919) 677-1470 (H).

Imax: Exploris members can purchase tickets in advance now. Advance tickets for the general public will go on

sale on November 1st. Exploris suggests getting tickets in advance. If you have any questions about purchasing them, contact the Admissions Desk at (919) 857-1079. For more information about IMAX theater, visit the Website www.exploris.org.

The Autumn Japanese used book Fair

The Spring Book Fair was a great success, thanks to the generous donation and cooperation of many volunteers! Now is the perfect time to refresh your book collection at the Autumn Japanese used book sale.

Date:	November 17, Saturday 2001

Time: 10:00am - 12:00pm

Place: Cafeteria of the Japanese Language School of Raleigh

          Cafeteria at Our Lady of Loudes

          2701 Overbrook Rd. Raleigh (map)

All books will be priced 20 cents per title, so please bring your loose change. All the proceeds will benefit the Japanese Language School of Raleigh. Anyone with an interest in Japanese books is welcome. We hope those who missed the Spring Sale will take this opportunity to obtain the books they may have been looking for.

Any book donations are accepted on the day of the sale. Please bring book donations directly to the cafeteria before 8:40 am. If you have a large amount of books to donate, please contact the school office at 515-9064 (Tue. to Fri. 9:00AM-5:00PM). Alternatively, anyone associated with the Japanese School of Raleigh may wait to donate books until the time of the sale.

Congratulations to Ms. Kimiko! 2nd Place at the State Fair

Ms. Kimiko Sink from Kobe, Japan received 2nd place in "MTV Rocks." The North Carolina State Fair was held from Friday, Oct 12th to Sunday, Oct 21st The State Fair first started in 1853, and this year was the 134th event. In this long period of time, the State Fair has only been cancelled 15 times. This year's fair was also a lot of fun! There were shows, rides, animal petting, foods, a huge waterfall, events, and entertainments.

Did you visit the Flower and Garden Show this year? There were floral design contests every three days at the State Fair Flower Show. Floral designers from all over North Carolina competed with their skills and ideas for the different themes. Kimiko's work, in the theme "MTV Rocks", was full of unique ideas with a cap, sunglasses, and even her own old sneakers beside her flowers, and she won the second place.

Ms.Kimiko Sink came to Raleigh in 1982. After her husband passed away, she took floral arrangement class and started working at Benson Greyston Florist in North Raleigh in 1996. In the same year, she took first place at the North Carolina State Fair.

You can see and ask about her design at "Benson Greystone Florist" in Greystone Shopping Center located the corner of Sawmill and Lead Mine Road. (919) 848-6566.

K-12 International Outreach Program

Ms. Kimberly Chapman

"Bringing the World to North Carolina Schools"

The K-12 International Outreach Program brings the world to North Carolina schools through educational speakers, programs, and performances that engage students in learning about other countries, cultures, and international current events. This service is offered to educators free of charge!

Programs are designed to supplement the class curriculum for many subjects and can be tailored to meet different grade levels and teaching needs of educators. With this program, educators can also plan international events and festivals at their schools. A wealth of teaching materials including lesson plans, classroom activities, CD-ROMs, music, books, and cultural materials are available for educators to borrow through our International Lending Library.

The program utilizes the international expertise and talents of UNC faculty, student organizations, international scholars, and community members who will visit your school free of charge to deliver educational performances and presentations.

Programs can cover a variety of topics in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, The Middle East, and North America, including:

Culture
Religion
Current Events and Foreign Policy
Foreign Language
World Music and Performance Arts
History, Geography, and Politics
Holidays Around the World
International Relations
Development and Population Growth
International Health Issues

For more information on the K-12 International Outreach Program or to schedule a presentation in your classroom, please contact Kim Chapman, Program Director, at 919/962-6860 or kchapman@unc.edu . You can visit www.ibiblio.org/nck12outreach to complete and on-line request form.

Last year, the K-12 International Education Program visited over 200 schools across North Carolina. Feedback from both students and educators who have benefited from these programs has been entirely positive. Here are a few excerpts from evaluation forms that we have received:

-----"Thank you for coming to visit our school. I really enjoyed your presentation about the Middle East. Having a person that actually lived in and experiences the Middle East was cool. Your slides really gave me an idea of what you were describing. The small excerpt of music also helped me out. Again, thanks for your time!"-----7th grade student, Carroll Middle School (Wake County)

-----"I am writing to thank you on behalf of the Johnston County Board of Education for the outreach services you have provided to the teachers and students in our school system this academic year. I think this level of service is wonderful…all of the feedback that I have received from the teachers, students, and principals concerning the programs has been entirely positive. Teachers were very enthusiastic about the quality of the program(s), and I was most impressed with the responses of the 7th grade students. Their questions showed clearly that they were thinking and making connections. I look forward to working with you during the (next) academic year in providing in-service opportunities for our grades 6-12 social studies teachers." -----Ava C. Thompson, Secondary Curriculum Coordinator, Johnston County Board of Education (Johnston County)

K-12 International Outreach Program (Japan group) visited Morrisville Elementary School

"Yukata is neat and comfortable"

Ms.Yuki Aratake, Japanese teacher at UNC-CH and Ms. Meiko Shimura-Ellis, visited Morrisville Year-Round Magnet Elementary School in Morrisville. They made presentations and demonstrated Japanese culture on Sept 13 and Oct 4. Both of the days were for the special classes of three day Japan Culture Program. Students learned greetings-konnichiwa, Japanese characters-differences of Hiragana, katakana, and kanji, Geography, Culture-life style, housing, and room partitions called Fusuma, etc. They had a candy picking Chop Sticks competition and they also played Japanese toys, Hanetuki and Darumaotoshi. They were amazed at the idea of Kimono: that one Kimono wraps any size of body like "one size fits all" except Sumo wrestler. They liked wearing Yukata which is cotton made Summer Kimono. A girl in Yukata said, "This is a neat and comfortable clothes," and she tapped and walked around her classroom with wooden shoes Geta.

-----Yes! We really enjoyed the presentations on Japan. They did a wonderful job. It was informative, well-planned, interesting and age appropriate. Great job!! Thanks for all your help! Carol Hamilton, teacher---------

Ms. Meiko shimura-Ellis is a Japanese Calligraphy artist and Japanese Culture Demonstrator. You can see a display of her work, arts of paintbrush, at Woman Craft in Chapel Hill. She can be reached at (919) 929-8362 (W) or (919) 702-7269 (H).