Upcoming Events

Since 1999, JASCO has been hosting the annual Ohio Japanese Speech Contest, offering an opportunity for Japanese-language learners to showcase their achievements. The objective of this event is to foster Japanese language education throughout the state of Ohio by supporting the continued effort of local public schools and colleges to improve the quality of the Japanese-language learning environment. The winners of the contest will receive prizes that will encourage them to continue studying Japanese language. This competition not only provides highly motivated students across the state with the chance to improve their Japanese language skills, but also inspires and encourages others to broaden their understanding of Japan, its culture, and the strong ties between Japan and United States. The 2021 Ohio Japanese Speech Contest has been moved online. This year's participants and schedule are as follows: HIGH SCHOOL CATEGORY 10:00 AM WELCOME 10:10 AM Meadow Callicoat (Marysville High School) 10:20 AM Grace Hackett (Marysville Early College High School) 10:30 AM Keegan Mulligan (Marysville High School) 10:40 AM Cheyanne Parker (Marysville High School) 10:50 AM Sherzod Soatjonov (Dublin Coffman High School) 11:00 AM LUNCH BREAK (1 hour) COLLEGE CATEGORY 12:00 PM WELCOME 12:15 PM Garrett Brown (University of Findlay) 12:30 PM Allyson Givens (University of Toledo) 12:45 PM Jocelyn Haugh (University of Findlay) 1:00 PM Thea Knapp (University of Findlay) 1:15 PM Yawei Li (The Ohio State University) 1:30 PM Shuhan Luo (THK Accelerated Japanese for Professional Development Program) 1:45 PM Tamara Medakov (University of Findlay) 2:00 PM Fred Shippy (University of Toledo) 2:15 PM Samuel Thacker (University of Findlay) 2:30 PM BREAK (30 minutes) ADVANCED CATEGORY 3:00 PM WELCOME 3:15 PM Branden Labarowski (University of Cincinnati) 3:30 PM Nahal Pahlevani (University of Cincinnati) 3:45 PM Karen Xiao (University of Cincinnati) 4:00 PM JUDGING BREAK 4:30 PM WINNERS ANNOUNCEMENT

Women entrepreneurs in Ohio Series part 1 Stephanie #JASCO #Women entrepreneurs #Ohio

Learn about the Japanese tea ceremony, and how to make a great-tasting cup of green tea, with Yuko Eguchi Wright, assistant professor title of tea ceremony (Jyun-Kyojyu 準教授), in the Urasenke tea ceremony school certified by Sen Soshitsu XVI. Visit her website at http://yukoeguchi.com.

A special webinar hosted by the Japan-America Society of Central Ohio in partnership with the National Association of Japan-America Societies (NAJAS) and The Sasakawa Peace Foundation on Tuesday, November 17 at 7 PM EST via Zoom. We were honored to host two experts on the subject who will provide their insights into the impact of recent political changes on the US-Japan relationship as well as broader geostrategy issues in Asia: Ms. Aiko Doden, Special Affairs Commentator, Senior Director, NHK World TV Aiko Doden is Special Affairs Commentator on international affairs and Senior Director at NHK World TV. Concurrently she presents “Newsline InDepth”, a feature segment on NHK World News. She has expertise in reporting on a wide range of global issues from hard security to human security. Since April, she also presents NHK Educational TV Special Series “Crisis Interviews: Looking Beyond the Pandemic”. Ms Doden comments on developmental affairs with a focus on sustainable growth, global health, gender and education. She is a popular face on TV having anchored key news program as “NHK News at 9 PM”, “NHK World Network” and “NHK Asian Voices”. She was a correspondent based in Thailand covering ASEAN countries extensively with close to 50 visits to Myanmar. Dr. Kent Calder, Director of the Edwin O. Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies, Johns Hopkins University Kent Calder serves as the Director of the Edwin O. Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies at Johns Hopkins University. He previously served as Vice Dean for Faculty Affairs and International Research Cooperation at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) from 2018 to 2020 and as Director of Asia Programs from 2016 to 2018. Before arriving at Johns Hopkins SAIS in 2003, Calder served as Special Advisor to the U.S. Ambassador to Japan, Japan Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Professor at Princeton University, Lecturer on Government at Harvard, and as the first Executive Director of Harvard University’s Program on US-Japan Relations. In 2014, he was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon. Following Ms. Doden and Dr. Calder's individual presentations, there was be a special panel discussion moderated by Peter Kelley, President of the National Association of Japan-America Societies, and then a question and answer session with the panelists. Geostrategy in the Grassroots is a public affairs program focusing on the geostrategic challenges Japan and the US face in a changing Asia presented by The National Association for Japan America Societies and The Sasakawa Peace Foundation.

A conversation with Kanon and Rurika Kawashima, alumni of The Ohio State University Japanese Student Organization, about their New Years experiences in Japan and how it compares to the United States.

"Kagami mochi is a traditional Japanese New Year decoration and it consists of two round mochi layers topped with a mandarin. “Kagami” means “mirror” in Japanese, and it is said that its shape resembles a bronze mirror, which was considered a treasure by the ancient Japanese. It is also believed that by double decking such noble items, your fortune will also double. The mandarin on top is called dai-dai and it is supposed to give hope and prosperity to the following descendants. These two reasons make Kagami mochi a very lucky item." https://kokoro-jp.com/culture/1735/

Learn how to make the 2020 kanji 密 (mitsu). The kanji on its own means “close” or “dense.” According to the Japan Times, "this word has often been used as a way to raise public awareness about social distancing, with experts and government officials calling on the public to avoid the crowded setting."