JAPANESE DISCUSSION:
Beyond Plastic Smiles
重要テーマを話すディスカッション・フォーラム - サンフランシスコ
8月第一土曜日７日は、広島、長崎原爆記念日の中日。恒例の原爆ディスカッションを開催します。第三土曜日21日は、英語ディスカッションで「日系人」を取り上げる予定です。詳細はこちら。
August is the A-bomb month. We will discuss A-Bomb in Hiroshima & Nagasaki on August 7th in Japanese. On 21st we are planing to pick Nikkei-jin (Japanese American) topic.Check the details
Japan-US Forum of San Franciscoはアメリカに本拠を置く、日本人の活動部隊としてアメリカと日本の橋渡しに貢献したいと考えてきました。そこでこのJapanese Disussion Forumを発足し、物理的にも精神的にも島国と云える日本から出てアメリカという客観的な位置にいる私たちが、アメリカ人とともに意見を交換できる場を提供します。Japanese Discussion Forumは- セックス、戦争、政治、自殺、宗教、といった日常あまり話すことの無い話題や両国のユニークな文化トピックを中心に、私たちの考えや体験をアメリカ人も交えて日本語でとことん話し合い理解を深めると共に、それらをサードカルチャー的立場で日本へ発信します。
肌色の違い、言葉の違い、宗教の違い…それらの違いは多くその間に壁を生じ分断され、分断は諍いを生んできました。Japan-US Forum of San Franciscoは「違い」を理解し認め合うことが現存する葛藤や、争いをなくすことへの第一歩ではないかと考えます。このディスカッションの中で同じようにアメリカを体験する日本人や、アメリカ人と話しをすることを通して両国を理解し、個人的にも啓発を受ける。その活動の中で日本人としての私たち自身をも理解し再構築する機会になればと考えます。
その日のトピックについて日本語で真摯に話をしたい、聞きたい方であればどなたでもグループへの参加が可能です。右上のメーリングリストにご登録頂ければスケジュールが毎回メール配信されます。更なる詳細情報希望の方はメールアドレスをお知らせ頂くか、こちらのページでスケジュールをご確認の上、参加希望の旨お知らせ下さい。
では、あなたとお話できますことを心よりお待ち申し上げます。
開催地が個人宅となる場合は、参加者のみに住所をお教えしますので「参加ご登録」ページより参加登録をして下さい。
現在この活動を記録し、PodCastなどで発信していくことなども準備を進め私たちの活動を日本の多くの方にも知って頂こうと考えています。あなたの住む地域でこのディスカッションを開催したいというご興味のある方はお気軽にご連絡下さい！
English------------------------------------------------------
Since the inception of its parent body, the “Japanese Discussion Group in San Francisco” in August 2008, Americans and Japanese have been convening to discuss crucial and rarely discussed topics in Japanese, such as racial discrimination, gay adoption, organ transplants, life after death, and human cloning. (The list of past topics)
We started out with only 5 participants at the very first meeting. Now nearly 200 group members and, on average, 15 to 20 participants per discussion are enthusiastically sharing their opinions, thoughts, and experiences on the given topic. Attendance is intentionally constrained in order to foster an intimate atmosphere. This discussion group has been growing as a great place to exchange ideas between Japanese and Americans and to learn many things from each other.
The group also functions as a means for Americans to brush up on Japanese language skills in a more high-level format, rather than the usual meet-and-greet. Our discussions result in a “third” cultural point of view that resides at the intersection between Japanese experts in America, Japanese-speaking Americans, and Americans affiliated with Japan. We compile records of our discussions and plan a broadcast these back to Japan through a variety of media.
The discussion is usually of a serious nature and sometimes gets intense, but is often followed by a friendly at-home party or dining out, which has been very effective for members to get to know one another and strengthen their friendship.
In June 2009, we launched a new group entitled the “English Discussion Forum (originally "English Discussion Group on Japan”) in order to respond to many requests from members to provide an English-language analogue to our main group. This English version of the existing Discussion Group has also been well received by English natives with a Japan background, and has provided a new venue for us to share our experiences and learn new things about our shared connection to Japan.
August of 2009 brought the anniversary of World War II, as well as the group's one year anniversary. We took advantage of the coincidence by creating a series of break-out discussions over the course of the month dubbed “World War II Month.” Topics included discussions of the atomic bomb drops in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These discussion meetings drew attention from the press and were featured in the Nichi-Bei Times.
Regular Procedure:
There will be a moderator who will be preparing necessary data and questions about the topic of the day. Participants will discuss according to these questions. For non native Japanese speakers, we also provide word list prior to the discussion. We will be discussing in a small group of two or three if there are many participants (10 or more) so that everybody can speak up in the discussion, after a while we regroup and discuss what those small group has been discussed. This procedure of course is flexible to any better suggestions along the way.
If the Discussion will be held at individual home the address will be informed only to participants so please register from "sign up" page.
