Ann Arbor Japan Week 2023

• Ann Arbor Japan Week Kickoff Film, Howl’s Moving Castle at the Michigan Theater, 603 E. Liberty St., 3pm.
  Reserve your FREE ticket!
  Sophie finds her life changed when she is literally swept off her feet by the handsome, mysterious wizard Howl. In search of a cure to a witch’s curse, Sophie boards his magnificent moving castle into a new life of wonder and adventure.
  Presented with English dubbing. 2004. 119 mins. Anime/Adventure. PG.

• Calligraphy Reading Workshop
  10–11:30am on Zoom
  Hosted by Reginald Jackson, Director of the U-M Center for Japanese Studies and Associate Professor of Pre-Modern Japanese Literature.
  Come learn the basics of reading Japanese calligraphy! We’ll consider early kana’s development from Chinese characters and discuss principles of creating and deciphering cursive from the Heian period (794–1185). Sample exercises will draw from poetry and prose in the Kokinshū (905) and The Tale of Genji (1008). Basic knowledge of hiragana and katakana required, some knowledge of kanji helpful. Recommended supplies: dull pencil or brush pen, paper.
  Please register here: myumi.ch/96mZ1
• Film Screening, Mifune: The Last Samurai
  AADL Downtown Library, 1st floor lobby, 343 S. Fifth, 6–7:30pm
  Join us for a screening of the documentary Mifune: the Last Samurai by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Steven Okazaki which explores the acting career of Toshiro Mifune. Mifune was a prolific actor who starred in many Akira Kurosawa films during what is considered the Golden Age of Japanese Cinema. 2015, 80min, unrated.

• Manga Drawing Workshop
  10–11:30am on Zoom
  Hosted by Reginald Jackson, Director of the U-M Center for Japanese Studies and Associate Professor of Pre-Modern Japanese Literature.
  Come learn introductory drawing techniques for manga illustration! We’ll cover construction, expressions, poses, and rendering techniques using examples from classic and recent shōjo and shōnen manga. No previous drawing experience required and all are ages welcome! Recommended supplies: pencil/pen, highlighter/colored pencil, paper.
  Please register here: myumi.ch/73mxD
• Wagashi Confectionery Making Demonstration with Toshiko Sugii Steffes
  AADL Downtown Library, 1st floor lobby, 343 S. Fifth, 2–3pm.
  Join us for a demonstration on making and decorating nerikiri representing the four seasons by Toshiko Sugii Steffes.
  Wagashi are traditional Japanese confections originally made to be served at tea ceremonies. They are considered a visual and culinary art form and are often enjoyed during special occasions or seasonal transitions. Nerikiri is a type of Wagashi that is created using white butter beans, sugar, mochi, and food coloring.
  This demonstration will happen twice, first at 2:00pm then again at 6:00pm.
• Wagashi Confectionery Making Demonstration with Toshiko Sugii Steffes
  AADL Downtown Library, 1st floor lobby, 343 S. Fifth, 6–7pm.
  Join us for a demonstration on making and decorating nerikiri representing the four seasons by Toshiko Sugii Steffes.
  Wagashi are traditional Japanese confections originally made to be served at tea ceremonies. They are considered a visual and culinary art form and are often enjoyed during special occasions or seasonal transitions. Nerikiri is a type of Wagashi that is created using white butter beans, sugar, mochi, and food coloring.
  This demonstration will happen twice, first at 2:00pm then again at 6:00pm.

• Teru Teru Bozu: Japanese Weather Dolls
  AADL Pittsfield Branch: Program Room, 2359 Oak Valley Dr., 2–3pm.
  Join us for this seasonal craft inspired by the Japan Society London to learn how to make Japanese weather dolls, called Teru Teru Bozu, to ward off the rainy season.
• Howl's Moving Castle Silhouettes
  AADL Downtown Library, Secret Lab, 343 S. Fifth, 6:30–7:30pm.
  Create a playful window decoration based off of Studio Ghibli's beloved 2004 film Howl's Moving Castle! These easy and intricate multi-layer paper silhouettes will be pre-cut by machines and then assembled by hand. The library's computer-aided cutting equipment will also be there for a live demonstration of how they work.

• Bon Odori Dance Festival with the Sakura Japanese Instrumental Group
  AADL Downtown Library: 1st floor lobby, 343 S. Fifth, 6–7pm
  Join the Sakura Japanese Instrumental Group for a mini concert of festival and folk music followed by a Bon Dance. Bon Festivals celebrate life and bring community together. After the performance, join in on the interactive dance. Participants will learn a simple series of moves to be performed standing or seated and dance along with the musicians!

• Japanese Storytime with Momo Kajiwara
  AADL Downtown Library, 1st floor lobby, 343 S. Fifth, 10:30–11am.
  Join us as local music teacher Momo Kajiwara leads us in song, movement, and storytelling in Japanese!
• Little Trees, Big Impact: Bonsai Expert Demonstrations
  Matthaei Botanical Gardens, 1800 N. Dixboro Rd. 1–4pm.
  Hiroharu Kobayashi and Yoichi Fukudan, well-known Satsuki experts from Japan, will give a Satsuki demonstration on the commons between 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm. Kobayashi and Fukudan are owners respectively of Kobayashi Sangyou Nursery and Rakjyuen Nursery, two of the premier Satsuki nurseries in Kanuma, Japan.
• Miyabi Koto Shamisen Ensemble
  AADL Downtown Library, 1st floor lobby, 343 S. Fifth, 2-3pm.
  Join Masayo Ishigure and the Miyabi Koto Shamisen Ensemble for a live performance of classical and contemporary Japanese koto and shamisen music. Miyabi Koto Shamisen Ensemble is a New York–based group that was founded by Masayo Ishigure in 1996, and consists of members of the Sawai Koto Academy, one of the most prominent schools for contemporary Koto and Shamisen music.
• Iaido Workshop
  Weiser Hall 10th Floor Event Space, 500 Church St., 3:30–5pm.
  Learn about iaido, a Japanese martial art, and sword history from Peter Boylan and instructors from the Michigan Koryu Kenkyukai. Attendees will have the opportunity to practice some basic iaido techniques with wooden practice swords.

• Restaurant Special
  Slurping Turtle, 608 E Liberty St., open daily for lunch and dinner.
  Receive 10% off food and beverages when you mention Ann Arbor Japan Week.
• Little Trees, Big Impact
  Matthaei Botanical Gardens, 1800 N. Dixboro Rd. Hours vary, please check online before visiting.
  This June, the Bonsai and Penjing Garden at Matthaei Botanical Gardens is celebrating its 10th year. Bonsai will be on display throughout June and, on select days, the bonsai garden will be hosting pop-up bonsai pruning demos as volunteers and staff tend to the collection. Check MBGNA’s Facebook, Instagram, and webpage for these pop-up announcements. Admission to the garden is free.
• Art Exhibit, Portraits of Feminism in Japan
  Lane Hall Exhibit Space, 204 S. State St., Mon–Fri, 9am–4pm (or by appointment).
  What is feminism in Japan? Rather than imagining it as a singular, coherent object, this exhibit seeks to introduce the diversity, difference, and complexity inherent in feminist activism in Japan. This exhibit features original portraits of feminists who have shaped the landscape of women's and gender rights in Japan and beyond. Created by nine contemporary artists in Japan and the United States, the portraits and accompanying texts challenge simplistic understandings of "feminism" while also drawing attention to a diversity of experiences, needs, and activism within Japan.

• Ann Arbor District Library
• Japan Business Society of Detroit Foundation
• Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum
• Michigan Koryu Kenkyukai
• Miyabi Koto Shamisen Ensemble
• The Michigan and State Theaters
• Sakura Japanese Instrumental Group
• Slurping Turtle
• U-M Department of Women’s and Gender Studies
• U-M Institute for Research on Women & Gender

Ann Arbor Japan Week 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018 and 2017 live on in the archives. Check them out to get a notion of how the week has evolved.