The Center for Japanese Studies, the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii, and the Consulate General of Japan at Honolulu are pleased to announce a screening of the film Harimaya Bridge (2009) on February 7, 2010 from 2:00-6:00 pm in Business Administration A-101. Harimaya Bridge tells the story of Daniel, an African-American man who must journey to Japan and collect his late son’s belongings. Set in Kochi, Shikoku, the film explores issues of discrimination, as well as conflict between past and present, fathers and sons, insiders and outsiders, Japanese and Americans. The film stars Ben Guillory, Saki Takaoka, Misa Shimizu, and Danny Glover and is directed by Aaron Woolfolk. Refreshments will be served after the screening and then followed by a panel discussion with Mr. Woolfolk and Dr. Christine Yano, professor of anthropology at UHM.

More information on the film is available from the official websites at http://www.harimaya-bridge.jp/ or http://www.theharimayabridge.com/. Additionally, an interview with the director is available from this link that gives some insight into the filming process.

EALL and CJS faculty member Professor Joel Cohn has worked with the students in his Edo Literature graduate course this past fall to curate an exhibit of Japanese woodblock prints at the Honolulu Academy of Arts (HAA), showing from January 28 – March 28, 2010. Information is available on the HAA website, accessible from this link. The exhibition, titled Poets and Printmakers: Literary Themes in Japanese Prints, explores the relationship between print and poetry and is already receiving praise for its creativity and depth of research. Shawn Eichman, Curator of Asian Art at HAA noted that Dr. Cohn’s students have “provided us with invaluable research on some of the prints, which will benefit the Academy for years to come.”

Please feel free to contact the Center for Japanese Studies for more information on visiting HAA and the current exhibition.