Transpacific Field of Dreams: How Baseball Linked the United States and Japan in Peace and War

By Sayuri Guthrie-Shimizu
Professor of History, Michigan State University

Monday, March 19, 2012、from 6.15 pm to 8.30 pm

(The talk will be in English)

"Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball." This famous observation was made in 1954 by Jacques Barzun, a French-born scholar of American culture, and highlights the game's special connection to some inner cores of American civilization. But as Sayuri Guthrie-Shimizu, professor of history at Michigan State University, shows in her new book Transpacific Field of Dreams (University of North Carolina Press), baseball was a global game from its inception, and many around the globe, not the least of them Japanese, have claimed it as their own.

Baseball has also linked the United States and Japan, even in times of strife, for over 150 years. Baseball was even played in Japanese American internment camps in the United States during the war. By the mid-twentieth century, the sport had become emblematic of Japan's modernization and of America's growing influence in the Pacific world. Baseball thus provides unique insight into U.S.-Japanese relations during times of war and peace, and, in fact, is central to understanding postwar reconciliation between the two countries. In telling this often surprising history, Transpacific Field of Dreams shines light on globalization’' unlikely, and at times accidental, participants.

In the book review, Barbara Keys, University of Melbourne says "Beautifully written and richly researched in English and Japanese-language sources, this book reveals that 'Amnerica's pastime' was truly a transnational game, one with power to bind two very disparate nations. This book will surely be the definitive study of an important topic with ramifications well beyond the world of sport."

There will be a book sale/signing by the author.

The library committee is now offering a cocktail party - "meet the author" - starting at 6:15 pm, followed by dinner at 6:45 pm. Drinks can be ordered on a pay basis from the bar in the room.

Book Break charges 2,000 yen (including tax) for the event. Sign up now at the reception desk (3211-3161) or online at http://www.fccj.or.jp/node/7222. To help us plan proper seating and food preparation, please reserve in advance, preferably by noon of the day of the event. Those without reservations will be turned away once available seats are filled.

Reservations cancelled less than 24 hours in advance will be charged in full.

Library Committee, THE FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS' CLUB OF JAPAN

Japanese edition of "BREAKING NEWS:
How The Associated Press Has Covered War, Peace, and Everything Else"

By Kazuo Abiko

Monday, March 12, 2012 from 6.15 pm to 8.30 pm

(The speech will be in English; Q&A in English or Japanese)

The original "BREAKING NEWS," the first book about The Associated
Press in 67 years, was published in 2007. It is also the first fully documented chronicle of AP's coverage of news.

Kazuo Abiko, former AP general manager for Northeast Asia and former
FCCJ president, has translated the hardcover history book of more than
400 pages into Japanese, and its Japanese edition was published last
June by Japan Press Research Institute, a public-interest incorporated
foundation.

Because of the foundation's public-interest nature, copies of the
Japanese edition are not sold at book stores. Instead, they have been
distributed to Japanese news organizations, educational institutions and
public libraries, while copies may be purchased directly from the
foundation at cost.

It is not a book about historical moments as recorded by AP
correspondents. Rather, it is the story of how they got the story - a
collection of accounts by reporters, photographers and editors that is
as telling as the news itself.

How, for example, when nearly everyone else fled at the end of the
Vietnam War, AP bureau chief George Esper -- who passed away just
recently at age 79 -- stayed behind and served Coca-Cola and stale
pound cake to two North Vietnamese soldiers before calmly writing
the bulletin announcing the fall of Saigon.

Kaz, as we call him at the FCCJ, will talk about some episodes of AP
journalism as documented in the book, including how AP was beaten by
UPI on the breaking news of the assassination of John F. Kennedy in
Dallas, Texas, in 1963 - the incident highlighting the fierce competition
that existed between the two wire services in old days.

He will also talk about the transformation of the AP from a traditional
wire service to what it calls "the essential news network," as well as
the AP's and other news organizations' recent efforts in this
ever-evolving digital age.

Following his retirement from the AP in 2010, Kaz has been teaching at
Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Sophia University and Utsunomiya
University on subjects related to news media and journalism. He,
meanwhile, participates in journalism researches and studies sponsored
by Japan Press Research Institute. He is a co-author of the book
"Changes in the Media Environment and International News Reporting,"
published by the institute in January this year.

The library committee offers a cocktail party - "meet the author" -
starting at 6:15 pm, followed by dinner at 6:45pm. Drinks can be ordered
on a pay basis from the bar in the room. Book Break charges 2,000 yen
(including tax) for the event. Sign up now at the reception desk
(3211-3161) or online at http://www.fccj.or.jp/node/7220. To help us
plan proper seating and food　preparation, please reserve in advance,
preferably by noon of the day of the event. Those without reservations
will be turned away once available seats are filled.

Reservations cancelled less than 24 hours in advance will be charged in
full.

Library Committee, THE FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS' CLUB OF JAPAN

Book Break
"Kazi Ghiyasuddin"

Speakers: Author, Kazi Ghiyasuddin,
Rosa Maria Falvo (Editor), Monzurul Huq (Contributor)

Monday, February 27, 2012, from 6.15 go 8.30 pm

（The speech will be in English）

"Kazi Ghyasuddin: Contemporary Masters of Bangladesh", published by Skira of Italy with the collaboration of Bengal Foundation will bring to the audience a rare opportunity to be educated on traditional and contemporary artistic trends of the Indian subcontinent. Like elsewhere in the world, the Indian art was historically rooted to the patronization of authorities, both religion and administrative, as had been beautifully reflected in figurative forms of mythical figures in numerous temples in the region. Indian art has since then undergone periodic evolutions, travelling all the way from Mogul miniature paintings to the early influence of Western artistic trends at the beginning of twentieth century.

The art of Bangladesh has travelled a difficult path during the last six and half decades before finding its own identity within the larger frame of Indian art. In the process to find a distinct identity by various artists they have been influenced by Western artistic trends in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Japan, too, has played a role since the days of bilateral interaction between Okakura Kakuzo and Rabindranath Tagore, the First Asian to win the Nobel literature award. Kazi Ghyasuddin rightfully represents that dual identity as he shares his time between Japan and Bangladesh since mid-1970s.

Living in Japan for more than three decades and studying paintings at Japanese universities has played a major influence on the artist in various ways. The technique that he is familiar with and the method that he applies in reflecting his inner vision into the canvas are partially borrowed. We can see Japanese traces in the rich singular touch of his brushes, as well as the rational use of colors - some of the characteristics that are closely connected to the oriental style of paintings. However, these creations are also rooted deeply in the surroundings of his early childhood. In short, nature that we encounter in his paintings is essentially the rain soaked face of rural Bengal. Thus, his art is influenced by the changing colors of the Bangladeshi sky at different times of the year bringing an extra tone and texture to the already colorful local settings. This is what is transformed to his canvasses through the techniques that he has acquired from the borrowed country.

The new album of his collection of paintings with an introductory essay on the artist and his works written by former FCCJ President Monzurul Huq gives a full understanding of the range of his artistic skill. The album has been edited by Rasa Maria Falvo, a writer and curator of Asian contemporary art. The artist, the editor and the main contributor - all three will be present at the FCCJ book break on Monday, February 27, 2012.

The library committee is now offering a cocktail party - "meet the author" - starting at 6:15 pm, followed by dinner at 6:45 pm. Drinks can be ordered on a pay basis from the bar in the room.

Book Break charges 2,000 yen (including tax) for the event. Sign up now at the reception desk (3211-3161) or online at http://www.fccj.or.jp/node/7144. To help us plan proper seating and food preparation, please reserve in advance, preferably by noon of the day of the event. Those without reservations will be turned away once available seats are filled.

Reservations cancelled less than 24 hours in advance will be charged in full.

Library Committee, THE FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS' CLUB OF JAPAN

Book Break

"My Japanese Table: A Lifetime of Cooking with Friends and Family"

By Debra Samuels

Tuesday, February 7, 2012、from 6.15 pm to 8.30 pm

(The speech will be in English)

Bestselling author, cooking instructor and Boston Globe food writer Debra Samuels brings 40 years of experience and her deep love of Japan together for a celebration of food and friends as detailed in her new book, My Japanese Table (Tuttle). Samuels starts out in the 1970s as an undergraduate in homestays in Kyushu and Kyoto. Over the next several decades, she returns to Tokyo with her family during her husband's sabbatical years, raising children, studying Japanese cuisine and eventually writing about food and travel for the Boston Globe. Sarah Elton food writer at Atlantic.com chose "My Japanese Table" as a favorite for 2011.

Japanese food has had worldwide appeal for decades, but mostly as restaurant fare. Samuels' book brings home-style cuisine into the western kitchen with accessible recipes that come with stories and cooking tips to help bring the sights, aromas and tastes of Japan to the cook. Included in the over 100 recipes are familiar favorites like Hand-Rolled Sushi and Miso Soup and less familiar but equally welcome dishes such as Lobster Rolls with Wasabi Mayonnaise and Matcha Mochi Cupcakes.

Samuels presentation, full of engaging photographs, will focus on obento as an insight into Japanese values; what she refers to as "Japanese culture in a box." The elements and importance of obento are highlighted through comparisons between lunch preparation in American and Japanese kitchens.

"Before attending the recent book launch for Debra Samuels' latest cookbook, My Japanese Table: A Lifetime of Cooking with Friends and Family, sponsored by the Japan Society of Boston, I would have assumed that a lunch following so many guidelines would be too time-consuming to make, too expensive to buy day after day, and too unattainably ideal to be both beautiful and delicious. But after Samuels' palate-engaging introduction to the Japanese Bento box, I will never look at a brown paper bag lunch the same way again, " Elizabeth Hathaway, Reporter, WBUR, Boston "Public Radio Kitchen."

There will be a sampling or foods from the book.

The library committee is now offering a cocktail party - "meet the author" - starting at 6:15 pm, followed by dinner at 6:45 pm. Drinks can be ordered on a pay basis from the bar in the room.

Book Break charges 2,000 yen (including tax) for the event. Sign up now at the reception desk (3211-3161) or online at http://www.fccj.or.jp/node/7138. To help us plan proper seating and food preparation, please reserve in advance, preferably by noon of the day of the event. Those without reservations will be turned away once available seats are filled.

Reservations cancelled less than 24 hours in advance will be charged in full.
Library Committee, THE FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS' CLUB OF JAPAN

Nippon Shunga Hyakka (Encyclopedia of Japanese Erotic Art: Shunga)

By Ofer Shagan

Monday, January 23, 2012, from 6.15 pm to 8.30 pm

(The speech will be in English)

Erotic art, once produced worldwide, was mostly for religious purposes and fertility gods. In Japan too, where eroticism appears in ancient myths, some shrines are still decorated with phallic sculptures. But here, not only did erotic art (shunga) survive longer than in most other countries, it became a highly developed, secular art form.

Nonetheless, in the early Meiji Era, the Japanese government outlawed shunga. There was no explicit rationale, merely a desire to imitate the West. Ever since, successive governments did their best to forbid publication of shunga, new and old. Until very recently, shunga books were censored and scholars avoided the essence of the subject, tending to deal only with dating of works and styles of artists.

Ofer Shagan's new book has shaken all this up, focusing on shunga's substance and subject matter, striving to understand its meaning in the Edo Era and beyond.

A successful art dealer for many years, Shagan built up the world's largest and most varied shunga collection. His book, in its two volumes, includes about 1,000 images from his collection, most never previously published, all directly connected to the explanatory text.

Shagan's research led him to the many functions of shunga in pre-Meiji Japan: in instructive manuals, humour, gossip and, most importantly, teaching morals. Strikingly, for the most part shunga was not used as pornography.

Yet, following years of censorship and suppression, Japan's current erotic art is known for its extreme pornography - this while Japan has become the world's only developed democracy still practicing censorship. Shagan seeks to throw light upon how this "perverse” result came about, trying to understand shunga in the context of Japanese social history. In his view, mindless censorship should cease, though laws should deepen in relation to certain acts, such as violence and rape.

The library committee is now offering a cocktail party - "meet the author" - starting at 6:15 pm, followed by dinner at 6:45 pm. Drinks can be ordered on a pay basis from the bar in the room.

Book Break charges 2,000 yen (including tax) for the event. Sign up now at the reception desk (3211-3161) or online at http://www.fccj.or.jp/node/7079. To help us plan proper seating and food preparation, please reserve in advance, preferably by noon of the day of the event. Those without reservations will be turned away once available seats are filled.

Reservations cancelled less than 24 hours in advance will be charged in full.

Library Committee, THE FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS' CLUB OF JAPAN