Candle in the Wind: Celebrating hope and resilience on the first anniversary of the Japan tsunami

March 11th, 2011, an earthquake and tsunami took the lives of thousands of people on the east coast of Japan. March 11th, 2012 marked the first anniversary of this tragic event. In commemoration of all those impacted by this natural disaster- victims, survivors, those who lost their near and dear ones, Light up Nippon is an effort to restore hope and happiness through fireworks into their lives. It is also a tribute to all those who have shown extraordinary grit and resilience to restore and rebuild what was lost. 

This event was made possible by Cine Darbaar in collaboration with Japan Foundation.

Several people assembled at the Japan Foundation on the 11th of March to pray for the hope, safety and recovery of Japan.  People witnessed fireworks, lit candles and participated in the discussion on the Light up Nippon project that was led by the representative director of the project, Yoshitake Takada. Mr. Takada spoke of the idea behind the project of how he wanted to bring smiles to the faces of children and pay tribute to the deceased through fireworks in the Tohoku region of Japan of Japan.

After the tsunami, Mr Takada, like several Japanese residents contributed money to support those who had lost their homes and livelihood in the tsunami. However, when the annual Tokyo fireworks were cancelled that year, an idea struck this ad agency employee. He would get the fireworks to the Tohoku region. The fireworks would act as a commemoration in keeping with Japanese tradition of mourning and reuniting the dead with their families through a bonfire lit once a year in the house. 

 Mr Takada secured 11 locations to carry out these fireworks and got donations from both individuals and corporates. On August 11th fireworks lit up the skies of the Tohoku region of Japan bringing joy and a sense of solidarity between those who were grieving the loss the faced due to the massive natural calamity. Takada's team made a film on the whole process of Light up Nippon from inception to execution which was screened at the event at the Japan Foundation. The film triggered emotional responses of people congratulating Takada's efforts to help in the recovery from the Great East Japan earthquake.

Light up Nippon!

On March 11th, 2011 the Tohoku region of Japan was struck with a massive earthquake which caused massive devastation . People lost their lives, homes, near and dear ones and faced the misery unleashed by th natural disaster. However, despite the calamity, hope and resilience shone through in the affected community's will to rebuild.

The Japan Foundation and Cine Darbaar present “Light up Nippon’’ a documentary is based on the disaster in Tohoku and earthquake restoration programs in Japan.  It especially focuses on the project undertaken to bring the community together and commemorate the deceased through fireworks.  Fireworks illuminated the entire sky across 10 locations in the Tohoku region exactly five months after the great eastern japan earthquake. Young people from various walks of life came together to create this symbol of resilience. Each member contributed his or her talents and worked together with the residents in the devastated areas and firework technicians. The documentary follows their preparations.

Come and show your solidarity and support. The film will be followed by a panel discussion.

Date: 11^th, 2012

Time: 6:30 pm onwards

Venue: Japan Foundation, New Delhi

Women's Day Special!

As temperatures rise in the city, Japan Foundation brings to Delhites another set of cool events this month. One of the events not to be missed in the month of March is the 8th IAWRT Asian Women's Festival 2012. The festival focuses on women auteurs and is timed to coincide with Women's Day. The Japanese films to be screened are as follows:

Autumn Adagio

Autumn Adagio (Inoue Tsuki) on 5th of March at 6:30pm                         
at India International Centre, New Delhi.

Synopsis: Sister Maria is a Japanese Catholic nun who donned the cloth at an early age, and she has lead an introvert life dedicated to faith and self-imposed drudgery. That changes when she turns 40 and menopause hits her like a second bout of puberty. 
Maria suddenly feels uncomfortable in her existence and when she helps a local ballet school by playing piano during their lessons, she develops feelings for the handsome teacher. Now, at the end of her childbearing years, Maria starts to understand better what she abandoned when she became a nun.

Ashes to Honey

Ashes To Honey (Hitomi Kamanaka, 2010) on 6th March at 6:00pm
at Alliance Francaise, New Delhi.


Synopsis: The film explores the global nuclear issue. It focuses on an isolated heart-shaped island of Iwai-shima, in Yamaguchi prefecture. The residents there have been fighting the construction of a nuclear power plant across their shores for nearly 30 years. Kamanaka also explores sustainable models of alternative energy in Sweden.

Japanese animation short films at India International Centre, 2:15pm onwards

The Dream in The Dream

Sponchoi Pispochoi (Ikue Sugidono & Miyako Nishio, 2010)
A human being actually consists of many insects having their own will. Suddenly a giant parasite, Sponchoi Pispochoi, comes to their peaceful community. How do the insects break away from this parasite?


The Dream in the Dream (Ikue Sugidono, 2007)

A woman's everyday routine as she wavers between dream and reality.

Üks Uks (Maya Yonesho, 2003)
We have many doors in our life that lead to mother, friend, temptation, love, art and oneself. When all the doors are open, we will find harmony.


Vestige of Life (Maki Satake, 2010)
The filmmaker’s grandparents left the house in which they had lived for many years. It contains their memories as well as hers.


Gaki Biwa-Houshi  (Reiko Yokosuka, 2005)
The gaki is a biwa player of the ogre. When he starts to play music on the veranda, the surroundings transform creating a remote and strange world.

For the entire schedule of the 8th IAWRT Asian Women's Festival 2012 click here

Wall Art Exhibition: Artists Talk

Interview with Maya Yonesho

By Manjari Kaul

Maya Yonesho, born in Hyogo, Japan in 1965, is an animation filmmaker. She has studied Visual Design and Animation at Kyoto Saga University of Arts. She conducted the 3 day animation workshop at Japan Foundation, New Delhi as part of a project titled 'Daumenreise' which literally means 'thumb-travel'. Through workshops and collaborations in countries such as Vienna, Taiwan, Japan, Israel and now India (she conducted a workshop in Mumbai before coming to New Delhi), she has travelled with this filmmaking process that involves the natives of the country to pictorally represent what they consider to be the quintessential images of their country/city. Movement is created between the chosen images through animation and these images of the place merge into or in some cases emerge from each other.

Maya Yonesho

The following is an excerpt from an interview with Maya Yonesho:

Manjari Kaul: Daumenreise 27... how, why, when and where did it all start?

Maya Yonesho: It started in 1996. I was in Vienna and I wanted to make a film about the place. However, there were no animation studios available and all I had was a camera and a laptop. I wanted to do something that involved chatting with friends, enjoying food and drinks and making a film. I started working on this project as it included all three things on my wish list. This traveling animation project has been to Vienna, Taiwan, Croatia and Israel. Animation, in its wider meaning implies "happiness in movement".  

MK: What is the process that one goes through in your workshops?

MY: The main idea is to draw about the city. One picture is selected from the many drawings everyone creates and then people fill in with movement between these pictures. 

MK: Is there anything unique or different about the Delhi project?

MY: As this workshop is being organised by Japan Foundation people are interested in the relationship between India and Japan. In fact, one of the animation sequences is about a trip to Japan.

MK: Have you made any sketches to capture the sights and other sensations of Delhi?

MY: Yes, I made a trip to Old Delhi. ( Takes out her little cards of colorful sketches) the lotus temple, yogurt in a pot, an auto-rickshaw, the red fort and butter chicken. If I were to make other sketches they would be of weak dogs and tired people on the roads. 

MK: You screen your Delhi segment on the 28th of February, what after that?

MY: I plan to go to Indonesia and Japan after this, then Croatia, then Germany, may be someday to the Moon! There is a Japanese proverb that says- "When you are travelling, don't worry about making mistakes." I want to screen my film on the moon one day so people may watch it from Earth.

Photograph Courtesy Maya Yonesho

Animation Workshop

The Japan Foundation organized a 3 day workshop on Animation from 26th to 28th February, 2012 at The Japan Foundation. The workshop was conducted by filmmaker, Maya Yonesho. The workshop was aimed towards creating animation in and about one's local settings. Participants at the workshop engaged in all aspects of animation production, from storyboard creation to filming and special effects, using unique techniques for shooting hand-drawn animation in a real-life setting. The finished product created will synchronize sound, speech and settings.         

The participants were told to draw images that they associated with their city- buildings, food, transport, roads or other things quintessentially Delhi. After drawing their story board and then doing their sketches on small pieces of paper they took photographs of these against the background of what they had sketched. This workshop is part of Maya Yonesho's project called Daumenreise which has traveled to  Taiwan, Norway, Croatia, Israel and Poland. The filmmaker would like to one day want to take this project to the moon. 

About Maya Yonesho:

Maya Yonesho, who is active in Japan and overseas in the field of art animation. She has won the Excellence Award of the Agency for Cultural Affairs of Japan at the Japan Media Arts Festival in 1998 for “believe in it,” which synchronizes speech and sound. Part of her film “Üks Uks,” produced in 2005, was used in the trailer for the Tricky Women International Female Animation Festival in Austria. The film has also been exhibited and screened at the Kunsthalle Dusseldorf modern museum of art in Germany and the Design Museum in Estonia, among others. Thereafter, she produced “Wiener Wuast,” by filming hand-drawn animation with Vienna as the background. Workshops using the same technique have been held in Taiwan, Norway, Croatia, Israel, Poland and other countries.  

Japan at the World Book Fair, New Delhi

By Manjari Kaul

The Japan Foundation has put up a stall at the World Book Fair, New Delhi whose main focus is on promoting Manga comics. The Manga collection on display cover action, detective, dramas, romance and many more genres. A screen at the entrance of the stall shows anime films through the day.  

Machiko Yamamura

In an interview, Machiko Yamamura, the Assistant Director of Japan Foundation said that their aim was to introduce Manga, something that is hugely popular among the Japanese youth to the Indian youth. She added, “Everyone knows about Ikebana and Origami so we wanted to introduce those aspects of Japanese culture that are not that well known in India through the medium of this exhibition of books.” Talking about the reading habit among Japanese, she said that Japanese like to read a lot. They use it to unwind from their stressful work situations. Machiko Yamamura said she was curious to know the reactions of people, especially the youth visiting the book fair, to the Manga comics.

Alongside the comics there are small figurines of these Manga characters and their costumes on display at the Manga Cafe. The figurines exhibit the popularity of Manga in contemporary Japan and raise the interest of those who are gradually being ushered into the magical world of Manga through this exhibition.

For the uninitiated...

Manga is the Japanese word for 'comic' or 'cartoon'. In the west the word 'Manga' has come about to be used for cartoons or comics produced in Japan or by Japanese authors in Japanese language in a style that was developed in late 19th century.  

Photos courtesy: Safal Choudhary