FROM OUR DIRECTORS
Dear Friends,
This has been another challenging year, and uncertainties caused by the pandemic continue to affect us all. Throughout, however, we have been impressed by the steadfast support of the IUC community and the resilience of our students, faculty, and staff. In the face of so much adversity, we find that there is still so much to be thankful for.
Our alumni community has been more active than ever. We are always delighted to learn about the latest accomplishments by IUC graduates and eager to boast about them in the “Alumni News” column of each newsletter. We have also held a record number of events this year. Doing them online has led to a tremendous growth in participation, strengthening the bonds of the IUC community as a whole.
With the onset of new COVID variants like Omicron, we may be in for more turbulence in 2022. Following the sudden cancellation of the planned student relocation to Japan in early December, we continue to plan for a host of contingencies. The resilience and determination of our students and the heartwarming support from our community give us confidence to move forward with our mission, regardless of what may come.
With heartfelt thanks and warm wishes for a healthy and fulfilling holiday season,
Giles Richter
Indra Levy
Bruce Batten
CLASS OF 2022
During October and November, with support from special friends in high places, the IUC successfully petitioned Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to grant current IUC students located overseas permission to enter Japan based on special circumstances related to the public interest. Over thirty students obtained visas, purchased air tickets, and were scheduled to arrive at Narita International Airport on December 1 for two weeks of quarantine. The very day before, on November 30, news of the new COVID-19 Omicron variant caused Japan to close it borders, resulting in the sudden cancellation of our relocation effort and dashing the hopes of the students. Subsequently, the IUC staff has been working to help affected students recover and secure airfare and hotel refunds.
Despite this setback, we have been impressed by students’ resilience and continued determination to re-attempt relocation to Japan at the earliest possible opportunity. Although we cannot predict exactly how and when Japan will revise its current ban on new foreign entrants, we are hoping for another chance early in the new year.
For both student relocation and reopening of the school, we continue to monitor the situation closely and prepare so that we are ready to move forward promptly when circumstances and timing are right. For the time being, we plan to begin classes online at the start of the third term.
An Appeal from the IUC Class of 2022
Your support makes the IUC and its programs possible. Please follow this link to read a letter from current IUC student Misha Awad about the importance you play as an alumni supporter!
>> Message from current student
IUC FALL 2021 SPECIAL ONLINE EVENT
On Nov.13, we hosted “Japan, Film, and the New Television Landscape,” an exclusive conversation with distinguished producer and director Alan Poul (IUC ’75). Interviewed live over Zoom by Giles Richter before an online audience of about 100 guests, Alan gave a fascinating account of his relationship with Japan and film, including details about pivotal productions and themes that have defined his extensive career, and what to expect on the new landscape transforming television. Alan also talked about how he recently revisited his Japanese roots as Executive Producer of HBO Max’s “Tokyo Vice,” which will launch in March, 2022, as well as about how the IUC helped provide language coaching for the show’s lead actor. The 90-minute program concluded with a lively Q&A session moderated by Executive Director Indra Levy and 30-minute mini class reunions held via individual Zoom breakout rooms, with very strong representation by members of Alan’s own illustrious Class of 1975. We would like to express our deep gratitude to Alan for being so generous with his time, and to all those alumni and friends who helped make this event so special.
| |
|
|
○ Student News
○ Recent Events
○ 2022 Virtual Shinnenkai
○ Call for Applications
○ Alumni Recognition
○ Online Appearances
○ Other Alumni News
○ Obituaries
○ Recent Publications
This year more than ever, your support is critical to our students. To make your gift today, visit our website. To find out how to make a planned gift, please email richterg@stanford.edu.
HOLIDAY SHOPPING
Did the holidays sneak up on you, and you’re still searching for a gift for that special someone? Well, look no further. Check out Kasumisou Gallery’s online store for a vast selection of accessories, home decor, and more! This gallery, which is run by IUC alum Mark Rosasco (IUC ’98), gives a portion of proceeds from sales to IUC alumni and supporters back to the IUC. Thank you Mark!
IUC PROFESSIONAL TUTORIALS
The IUC offers a custom-designed tutorials program in advanced Japanese for scholars and professionals at a lower rate for graduates of the IUC. Visit our program page for more information.
MIIS SCHOLARSHIP
IUC alumni enrolling in degree programs at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies are eligible for a $12,000 scholarship!
The Middlebury Institute educates professionals to advance understanding, promote peace, and drive change in pursuit of a more just world. For details, contact Jill Stoffers, Senior Director of Partnerships at MIIS, by email at jill.stoffers@miis.edu or by phone at (831) 647-6571.
|
|
|
|
IUC LECTURE SERIES No. 18
On November 17, Robert Hellyer (IUC ’94), Associate Professor of History at Wake Forest University, gave an online talk entitled “Green with Milk and Sugar: When Japan Filled America’s Tea Cups.” In it, he traced the trans-Pacific tea trade from roughly 1850 to 1950, showing how interconnections between Japan and the United States influenced the daily habits of people in both countries. The talk was particularly fascinating because of Prof. Hellyer’s own family history; his ancestors were directly involved in the US-Japan tea trade. Many thanks to Prof. Hellyer, to the many attendees, and finally to The Nippon Foundation for funding the fellowship program of which this lecture series is part.
SPECIAL GUEST LECTURES
This year’s regular program at the IUC has been enhanced with lectures and other online activities featuring special guests. The events are designed to introduce students to facets of Japanese society and culture that they might not otherwise encounter. Guests to date have included Toshikazu Yazawa, Director of the City of Yokohama’s New York Office; Noh actor Haruhisa Kawamura of the Kanze School; and Japanese traditional dancers Umeya Nakamura, 8th-generation master of the Nakamura style of dance, and her daughter Ume.
IUC ALUMNI TALKS
This fall featured two more alumni guests speakers sharing their stories and career journeys.
The first, on September 25th, was Yannick Gayama (IUC ’19), Managing Director for Africa at Tokyo-based venture consultancy Double Feathers Partners and Senior Advisor for Inter Media Japan, a media agency specializing in diplomacy and investment promotion. He is also the co-founder of the African Commerce Community in Japan (AfCCJ). The second talk took place on December 4th, and featured Avery Fischer Udagawa (IUC ’04) who discussed her experience as a translator of young adult fiction, the challenges and rewards of translation, and her determination to bring literature from around the world to children in English-speaking countries.
>> IUC Alumni Talk: Yannick Gayama
>> IUC Alumni Talk: Avery Fischer Udagawa
IUC Alumni Talks is a web series planned and executed by three alumni, Richard Sleboda, (IUC ’03), Lilly Hart (IUC ’19), and Sabrina Lau (IUC ’20). The goal of these events is to create a space for members of the IUC alumni network to share their personal journeys. Through this series, the organizers hope to build a strong community among people with diverse associations with Japan.
Sign up today for the IUC Alumni Talks mailing list to stay informed about upcoming talks!
Interested in volunteering with the IUC Alumni Talks? To learn more, contact the team at alumni_talks@iucjapan.org.
2022 VIRTUAL SHINNENKAI
January 14 @ 5:00 pm PST
Please join us on Friday, January 14th at 5:00 pm PST (Saturday, January 15 at 10:00 am JST) for a virtual New Year’s gathering of IUC alumni to catch up with old friends and make new ones. The event will be hosted by Giles Richter (’92) via Remo.co, an online networking platform where participants can roam freely between virtual tables to engage in conversation. The invitation will be posted on the IUC’s social media channels with instructions on how to connect and join the fun. Alumni can also use the link below to sign up now for a free Remo account and register for this exciting event!
This event will be closed to the public. Alumni and current students only.
CENTER NEWS |
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
We are excited to announce that we are currently accepting applications for the 2022–23 10-month program, and will begin accepting applications for both the summer and kanbun programs soon. We would like to ask your help in spreading the news with anyone who may be interested in applying. If you have any questions, please contact Alice Kada at akada@stanford.edu.
IUC 10-Month Program Application
Application Deadline: January 14, 2022 EST
ALUMNI RECOGNITION
Louise Allison Cort (IUC ’68), Curator Emerita of the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution, was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, in the 2021 Autumn Conferment of Decorations on Foreign Nationals. Louise is the twentieth IUC graduate to receive the Order of the Rising Sun. Congratulations, Louise, on this richly deserved honor! The accompanying photograph of Louise was taken during her presentation at the Toshizo Watanabe Symposium held at Stanford University in October 2018.
>> Embassy of Japan in the United States of America
Isabel Bush (IUC ’21), received the American Folklore Society's Saboohi I. Khan Award for Student Research in Asian & Asian American Folklore for her paper on “Viral Monsters for a Viral Era: Japan's Folkloric Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.”
>> Saboohi I. Khan Award
ONLINE APPEARANCES
With public events having shifted to Internet streaming during the pandemic, many more talks and presentations by IUC alumni are now accessible online. We’ve started cataloguing some of these to share on our website and social media, so if we have missed yours or you have any others to share—past or future—please post them to the IUC Facebook and LinkedIn groups or send us an email at stanford@iucjapan.org!
The 1960 Anpo Protests and the Origins of Contemporary Japan Nick Kapur (IUC ’08)
America's Aging Allies? National Security Implications of Demographic Change in the Indo-Pacific Ellis S. Krauss (IUC ’69)
Exporting Studio Ghibli: The Road to Worldwide Recognition Steve Alpert (IUC ’79)
JFNY Literary Series: Kyoko Nakajima x Ian MacDonald & Ginny Takemori Ian MacDonald (IUC ’96)
Kiritappu Wetland: SATO - Perpetual Planet Series Video Report #10 Anne McDonald (IUC ’92)
水俣 ―公害と戦後日本におけるデモクラシー Timothy George (IUC ’85)
Shojo Manga: The Power and Influence of Girls’ Comics Mia Lewis (IUC ’14)
OTHER ALUMNI NEWS
Jessy LeClair (IUC ’18) was selected as a member of the 2021 cohort of the U.S.-Japan Council's Emerging Leaders Program (ELP). The program identifies, cultivates, and empowers a new generation of Japanese American leaders. >> The U.S.-Japan Council’s Emerging Leaders Program
Daniel Zoot (IUC ’97) was named new Corporate Vice President of L3Harris Technologies Japan. Zoot will establish L3Harris’s first corporate office in Tokyo to help customers address their toughest technology and national security challenges.
OBITUARIES
We are sad to report the recent passing of the following members of our community. Please visit the links below to read about their lives.
Edward A. Olsen (IUC ’70)
>> Obituary
Roselee Bundy (IUC ’74)
>> Obituary: H-Net
Ted Bestor (IUC ’75)
>> Obituary: Edwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies, Harvard University
Miriam Cho (IUC ’12)
>> Online Tribute
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
So many of our alumni have published books recently that we couldn’t feature them all of them in our newsletter. If you don't see your book listed in our full list of recent publications, please let us know so we can add it. >> recent publications list
|