More Japanese culture at JAGS

Japanese teacher, Hiroshi Okura, has done it again! Not content with the success of introducing Japanese (for both staff and pupils) at GCSE and A level, plunging them into the culture of Taiko drumming, Kabuki drama and Ikebana, he persuaded the internationally acclaimed novelist and animation director, Mr Makoto Shinkai, to talk to a mixed audience from Dulwich schools, with parents, in the Prissian Theatre on the last full day of term in December.

The visit started with a priceless entertainment from the JAGS girls studying Japanese, and Hiroshi took full advantage of having his own personal translator! Then we were immersed in a showing of Makoto Shinkai’s beautiful film, 5 Centimetres per Second (Best Animated Film in the Asia Pacific Screen Awards). Those 25 girls who have been enjoying Japanese animation at a lunchtime club may have been a little ahead of us in their appreciation of the Japanese culture, but everyone caught up, and everyone interested in how films are made using the latest computer technology was fascinated by Mr Makoto Shinkai’s demonstration of techniques. He had even made a short film about cats with attitude especially for us!

Lucky learners of Japanese at JAGS will get first-hand experience of Japan and its culture on a trip to Kyoto and Tokyo at Easter in 2009. Advice to potential Japanese learners from the current GCSE, AS and A level pupils: Seize the opportunity! Very few schools offer the chance to experience such an interesting culture and a challenging language! 

Read more about all of this later.