Feature Stories – Somewhere in the world today
Every edition of Wochi Kochi covers a special topic. Each and every day, people throughout the world are acting as intermediaries, or bridges, between Japan and the world. Feature stories bring you anecdotes and observations direct from artists, writers, and researchers working at various spots on the globe. Expect a broad range of stories, from descriptions of life on the city streets to profiles of people encountered when working on projects.
2024.11. 1
Placed together, we are citizens of the world.
La Biennale di Venezia: 60th International Art Exhibition
One of the intrinsic values of art is its ability to fundamentally reexamine the current state of society and provide new perspectives. In this special feature, we introduce artists who create works based on the belief that "Every individual, regardless of their characteristics, has inherent value by virtue of their existence," their supporters, and a world of art that emerges from collaboration with people with diverse backgrounds, transcending nations and differences.
2024.5.24
The 50th Japan Foundation Awards
―Culture Transcending Borders― <4>
Peruvian Japanese Association - Award Commemorative Lecture
［Special Feature 080］Since its founding in 1917, the Peruvian Japanese Association (APJ) has worked to support mutual assistance between ethnic Japanese and promote their integration into Peruvian society. This year marks the 150th year of diplomatic relations between Japan and Peru and the 124th year since the start of immigration. Against this backdrop, Mr. Juan Carlos Nakasone Oshiro from the APJ, which has supported the ethnic Japanese community in Peru for many years, delivered a lecture on the history of Japanese immigration to Peru, the contributions made by the APJ, as well as its history.
2024.5.24
The 50th Japan Foundation Awards
―Culture Transcending Borders― <5>
A Commemorative Talk Session by Ogawa Yoko and Ozaki Mariko
［Special Feature 080］Since making her literary debut in 1988, Ms. Ogawa Yoko has created excellent long and short stories one after the next, and has won awards including the Akutagawa Prize, the Yomiuri Literary Prize, the Tanizaki Junichiro Award, and the Noma Literary Prize, among others. Ms. Ogawa's novels, written in elegant Japanese, never cease to stir the imaginative capabilities of those who translate them into other languages, and as of mid-2023, 36 of her works have been translated into a total of 37 languages.
2024.2.19
Movie Theaters around the World <2>
Okazaki Yuko, freelance writer and editor, contributor
Ways to Enjoy Movies (Part 1)
[Special Feature 079] For Korean people, films are a very familiar part of everyday life. There are many small- and medium-sized film festivals held throughout Korea, including the Busan International Film Festival, Jeonju International Film Festival, and the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, and so on. It seems that people go to the film festivals held around the country with the same feeling of going to a music festival.
2024.2.19
Movie Theaters around the World <3>
Okazaki Yuko, freelance writer and editor, contributor
Ways to Enjoy Movies (Part 2)
In Japan, we hear in some form or another about the situation regarding American movies, which boast the largest number of screens, attendance, and box-office records in the world by far. Time and again, we have seen news of multiplexes operated by the world's leading movie theater companies, AMC Entertainment and Regal Cinemas, struggling amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Rather than resigning themselves to the situation, the two companies' theaters are still taking a variety of steps to turn things around.
2023.4.24
The 49th Japan Foundation Awards
―Building Bridges Across Differences― <4>
Goenawan Mohamad - Award Commemorative Lecture
[Special Feature 078] Goenawan Mohamad is a leading Indonesian intellectual who has long played a leadership role in the country's democratization movement. He published the weekly news magazine Tempo and worked as a spirited journalist who emphasized the importance of liberty and democracy. After retiring from the front line, he is still engaged in literary activities such as essays, poems, plays, novels, and paintings. The world has since listened to his insightful words on freedom of expression, religion and culture, and ethnic identity.
2022.10.24
Inner Diversity <2>
An interview with artist KOM_I
A Wanderer
[Special Feature 076] KOM_I is an artist active in a plethora of fields and communities. In addition to her genre-bending creative endeavors, she also studies world music and folk arts, and frequently interacts with immigrants living in Japan. We interviewed KOM_I on what inner diversity means to her, and what she values in her relationships with others.
2022.10. 5
Living Together with Japanese Language <3>
Contributed by Yamawaki Keizo, Professor, School of Global Japanese Studies, Meiji University and Members of the Yamawaki Seminar
Yasashii Nihongo and Tabunka Kyosei
[Special Feature 077] Recent years have seen an increasing number of television programs that urge people to evacuate using simple phrases such as "Escape to somewhere high." "Yasashii Nihongo" or plain and caring Japanese has been attracting attention as the language that is easy to understand for native and non-native speakers alike, and it also plays an important role in efforts to promote tabunka kyosei or intercultural cohesion. What are the possibilities and challenges of plain Japanese?
2022.6.13
The 48th Japan Foundation Awards―Linking the World through Culture amid the COVID-19 Pandemic<4>
" From the Field: Linking Japan and Vietnam through Developing Human Resources with Japanese Language Skills "
[Special Feature 075] In recent years, Vietnam has seen a rapid increase in the number of people learning Japanese. According to the Japan Foundation's Survey on Japanese-Language Education Abroad 2018, Vietnam has the world's sixth largest number of Japanese language learners.
2022.6. 3
The 48th Japan Foundation Awards―Linking the World through Culture amid the COVID-19 Pandemic <3>
Interview with Miyata Mayumi, shō performer
"Seeking a Sound in Shō that Continues to Resonate across Time and Space"
[Special Feature 075] The second installment of the award-winners' interview for the special feature "The 48th Japan Foundation Awards―Linking the World through Culture amid the COVID-19 Pandemic" (for more on special features, click here) is with shō*¹ performer Miyata Mayumi.