The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles　国際交流基金ロサンゼルス日本文化センター

08/25/2026

𝕁𝕒𝕡𝕒𝕟𝕖𝕤𝕖 𝔽𝕚𝕝𝕞 𝕊𝕔𝕣𝕖𝕖𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘/ℂ𝕠𝕟𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 ℂ𝕒𝕗𝕖
Tea Time! x JFF Theater: Tsukiji Wonderland

📅 Saturday, August 29 | 12:00-3:00 pm
📍 JFLA, 5700 Wilshire Blvd, Ste 100
📝 https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/s85c62p

JFLA’s Tea Time! x JFF Theater officially begins on Saturday, August 29!

Join us at noon for a special screening of the documentary film 'Tsukiji Wonderland.' Directed by ENDO Naotaro and released in 2016, the film provides an intimate look at the history, evolution, and legacy of Japan’s most famous fish market.

After the film, participants will discuss it in Japanese. A worksheet will be provided with key vocabulary and phrases to help you level up your speaking.

We look forward to seeing you at the end of this month!

08/13/2026

Last month, JFLA kicked off a new Tea-time! x JFF Theater Japanese conversation event that featured group discussions in Japanese and showcased examples of films on the JFF Theater platform. We all had a great time practicing Japanese and learning more about Japanese films.

This new series will feature a monthly Japanese film screening combined with group conversations in Japanese. Stay tuned for more updates about August's event!

08/12/2026

𝙊𝙉𝙇𝙄𝙉𝙀 𝙇𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 & 𝘿𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣
Bizen ware artist KAZUYA ISHIDA

📅7-8:15pm, Wed., Aug 16th (PDT)
📍ZOOM Webinar
✉QR code or https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/e766vmw

Bizen ware artist Kazuya Ishida, who continues to preserve the rich tradition of Bizen ware while expanding its possibilities and sharing its unique appeal with audiences around the world, will present a lecture and demonstration live from his studio.

Ishida is one of the participating artists in the currently ongoing 𝘒𝘐𝘕𝘌𝘛𝘐𝘊 𝘚𝘛𝘐𝘓𝘓𝘕𝘌𝘚𝘚: 𝘚𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘱𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘊𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘴, on view through 9/19, 2026 at the Japan Foundation, Los Angeles.

This is an online lecture presented via Zoom Webinar. Please sign up to get the link to join.

Bizen ware artist Kazuya Ishida, who continues to preserve the rich tradition of Bizen ware while expanding its possibilities and sharing its unique appeal with audiences around the world, will present a lecture and demonstration live from his studio.

08/11/2026

What a fantastic evening of live music! 🎶✨

Informative, interactive, and so much fun, the performance brought together an extraordinary blend of Japanese melody, Indian rhythm, jazz, and world fusion.

Thank you to all the artists and everyone who joined us for this unforgettable evening! 🪈🎵

Featuring: John Kaizan Neptune (shakuhachi), Shubha Chandramouli (Carnatic music), David Neptune (percussion), Christophe Ambrosino (guitar), and Spencer Hinkle (bass).

And a special surprise! JFLA’s colleague Mike Penny joined the musicians on stage for an impromptu shamisen collaboration.

08/10/2026

𝙋𝙀𝙍𝙁𝙊𝙍𝙈𝘼𝙉𝘾𝙀 by Takashi Horisaki

"𝙱𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚊𝚒 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙰𝚐𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝙰𝙸 𝚁𝚎𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚍𝚞𝚌𝚒𝚋𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢: 𝙼𝚎𝚒𝚓𝚒 𝙼𝚘𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚣𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚂𝙽𝚂, 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙶𝙿𝚃 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙱𝚎𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚍"

📅11am, Saturday, August 22nd
📍Murasaki Hall, The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles
✉ RSVP from the QR code or https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/xa84gez

Taking the form of a slide-talk, Horisaki’s performance will trace the history of bonsai from its new formal developments in the late Meiji era, through its transformation over the past fifteen years in the age of social media, and offer his perspective on how bonsai may continue to evolve amid the rapid advances of AI technology.

Takashi Horisaki is one of the participating artists in the currently ongoing exhibition, "KINETIC STILLNESS: Sculptural Ceramics," on view through September 19th at JFLA.

11:00 am - 12:30 pm, Saturday, August 22, 2026 MURASAKI HALL, The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles (5700 Wilshire Blvd, Ste 100, Los Angeles, CA 90036)

08/05/2026

𝙅𝙖𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙈𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧 ☀️🍿

In Japan, there is a culture of enjoying horror stories and ghost tales during the hot summer to cool down👻🥶

Sign up with your email address to watch selection of Japanese movies for free with no ads!

➡️ en.jff.jpf.go.jp/

08/04/2026

Last month, Year 14 and Year 15 J-LEAP Assistant Teacher/Lead Teacher (AT/LT) pairs arrived in Seattle to participate in training before heading to their respective host sites across the country! Pairs worked on lesson demonstrations during the J-LEAP training which helped the new Year 15 pairs get to know each other and develop essential co-teaching strategies, and helped Year 14 pairs, now heading into their second year together, refresh and improve on their approaches ahead of the start of AY 2026-27.
We are so impressed with these J-LEAPers and excited for their lucky students back home!
Mina-san, Otsukaresama desh*ta!

WHAT IS J-LEAP?
This program dispatches young native Japanese-language “Assistant Teachers (ATs)” to various K-12 educational
institutions across the U.S. where they will co-teach with a veteran “Lead Teacher (LT)” for up to two years in order
to strengthen their host school’s Japanese language program. The program, now in its 15th year, started in 2011 and is jointly
administrated by Japan Foundation and Laurasian Institution.

MORE INFO: https://www.jflalc.org/jle-j-leap
2025
ONLINE J-LEAP INFO SESSION: https://youtu.be/813IxMC47gk?si=eq0BwEF6zBONhp7H
Japan Foundation 国際交流基金

08/04/2026

The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles, is excited to co-present a curator talk with American Museum of Ceramic Art (AMOCA) on Tuesday, September 1, at 7 pm PDT.

Hollis Goodall and Kaoru Kuribayashi will introduce and discuss their respective exhibitions - ‘Tōgei: Contemporary Japanese Ceramics’ at AMOCA and ‘Kinetic Stillness: Sculptural Ceramics’ at JFLA - during a special online conversation.

Participants are encouraged to ask meaningful questions that invite both curators to share their insights.

Register for this FREE online event through our LinkTree.

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Online Curator Talk
Forming Narratives around Clay: Perspectives from Hollis Goodall and Kaoru Kuribayashi

Tuesday, September 1
7:00 - 8:30 PM PDT

Webinar link will be provided to registrants before the day of the program

07/28/2026

From July 31 to August 6, Janus Films and Landmark Nuart Theatre (Landmark Theatres) are proud to present special screenings of the film 'The Samurai and the Prisoner,' directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa.

Tickets are available for purchase through samuraiandtheprisoner.film or https://www.landmarktheatres.com/movies/1000039229-the-samurai-and-the-prisoner.

The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles, is proud to be a community partner for these film screenings.

07/25/2026

𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙚𝙧 𝙐𝙥𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙍𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙍𝙝𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙢 (7/29)

We would like to share an important update regarding the performers for Roots and Rhythm.

Due to an unexpected family bereavement, Ghatam Giridhar Udupa, our originally scheduled ghatam artist, is unfortunately unable to travel to the United States. In accordance with traditional mourning customs observed in India, they will remain with their family during this time.

While we are saddened that Udupa will no longer be able to join us, we are pleased to welcome Shubha Chandramouli, an accomplished mridangam artist, who will be joining the performance instead.

We are grateful to Shubha Chandramouli for stepping in on short notice, and we look forward to sharing an exceptional evening of music with you.

Thank you for your understanding, and we can't wait to see you at the event.

📅Wed., July 29, 2026
📍Murasaki Hall at JFLA (5700 Wilshire Blvd, Ste 100, Los Angeles, CA 90036)
🎟️RSVP from QR code or https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/syunj8s