Month: November 2023

The Heart of Ryukyuan Dance

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By Chamiya Carnathan

On November 18, 2023, Sally Schwartz and I attended the “The Heart of Ryukyuan Dance” performance which was located at Georgetown University’s Davis Performing Arts Center. Five masters of Ryukyuan dance from Hawaii, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. were featured in the performance. The five Ryukyuan Dance Masters from various academies came together for the first time to share Ryukyuan culture and art. Sally and I were generously invited by the DC Okinawa Prefectural Office to both the performance and the reception afterwards, and I greatly appreciated the event that I attended. 

To provide some context about the significance of the Ryukyuan dance, Ryukyu is the ancient (and original) name for the Okinawa region of Japan. From its founding in the 15th century until its incorporation into Japan in the 19th century, Okinawa fostered its history and culture as the autonomous “Kingdom of Ryukyu” for 450 years.

I didn’t know what to expect when I attended the event but it was way better than I expected. In all, ten dances told stories that included cultural tapestries, love stories, and much more. Every dance was distinct in its own right, whether it was a lively, upbeat dance or a slow dance. I loved watching the dances and connecting the dance moves to the story itself. The dance that sticks in my memory the most is called “Kanayo Tenkawa River,” and it tells the story of two lovers who chose to exchange vows by the Tenkawa River. The fact that the dance included props made it something I truly adored. The dancers used a piece of cloth to show that they were interconnected through their love. 


The dancers’ demonstration of a move used in Okinawan dances to the audience was my favorite part of the performance. They then invited the audience to join in on the dance, which I thought was a great way to involve the audience. We were able to learn a cultural dance move and take it with us home. My other favorite event was the decision to combine GoGo music — Washington DC’s official music — to Ryukuyan dancing. I would never have imagined that the two cultures could coexist, so it was really fascinating to watch. Although the dance and music are very different from one another, they nevertheless blended incredibly well. 

I greatly appreciate the dancers and everyone involved for creating a wonderful experience. I loved every ounce of it and I would love to attend another event like this again. 

The significance to Japanese language learning from Japanese locations and landmarks

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By Elias Lovos

To me, and I’d like to assume to the others as well, going to places that hold historical significance towards Japan helps keep my motivation to pursue Japanese language learning even further. Reading, looking, and imagining how everything was put into place behind the history just inspires you to read more into it, wanting to learn more about the topic and the overall history. 


Thankfully, in Washington D.C., there are historical landmarks and workshops we’ve gone to. For example, we spent a Saturday morning last month walking around the Tidal Basin, which is located near the National Mall. A pagoda we found near the FDR Memorial includes the 5 elements: Sky, Wind, Fire, Water and Earth. This historical piece was given to the United States from Mayor Ryozo Hiranuma of Yokohama, Japan in 1957. It’s honored and kept in good condition by the people who choose to admire the piece instead of attempt to vandalize it. It’s respected by all, signifying the US and Japan relationship to be strong, and shows Japan’s appreciation to the US by giving them a piece of themselves along with the cherry blossoms around the Tidal Basin.

Furthermore, on November 4th, Japanese Plus students attended another workshop by Onigiri Action, sponsored by Table For Two, which happened at Marianne’s Cafe on the first floor of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in downtown Washington D.C. 

The workshop allows you to make your own onigiri (rice balls) to enjoy, savoring the taste. But in return, taking a quick picture and posting it on social media using their hashtag or on their website will allow you to feed starving children around the world. The significance this has on children’s lives by only making an onigiri and posting it to the public for more awareness is a wonderful experience and action. 


These are just a few experiences the class and I have attended. Hopefully we get to attend more field trips surrounded by Japan’s history, whether its music, art, environment, and even architecture. Because of these field trips, we all are replenishing the drive that drove us to join this program: learning the culture and language of Japan.

A Walk to Learn

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By Felipe Lemos

On October 28, I had the pleasure of walking along the Tidal Basin along with my Japanese Plus classmates as well as some visiting teachers from Japan. This was a great opportunity to practice my Japanese along with my classmates and learn new words and phrases from the teachers. The rules were clear, we were only allowed to conversate in Japanese throughout the entire walk. This meant we would practice both long phrases to describe various things we saw on the walk, and short filler words from daily conversation. We learned how to play “I Spy” in Japanese as well. We learned how to say the different colors in Japanese and used that to play I Spy with various different monuments that we could see around us. This was helpful for learning not only the colors but also the names of common objects, like trash cans or trees.


We were also able to appreciate Japan’s cultural influence in DC as we walked by the out-of-bloom but still beautiful cherry blossom trees that would turn beautiful shades of pink come spring. The walk was an overall success as I felt that it was a great chance for me to practice my Japanese in a more casual setting outside of the classroom. We were also able to catch some tidbits of Japanese influence along the way, such as a lantern that came from Japan and references to World War II in the FDR Memorial.

Walking around the Tidal Basin

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By Jennifer Pineda

Walking around the Tidal Basin was a fun experience with my classmates and visiting educators from Japan. Although it was hard to speak only Japanese, it was a great way to learn while having fun. I enjoyed looking at the different sites such as the Japanese Lantern, and Japanese Pagoda, and taking photos with everyone. One thing that really stood out to me while we were walking around was the Japanese Pagoda. It’s funny to imagine the amount of confusion when trying to put together the 3,800 pounds of granite. As an American, most of the time, these things seem normal and we don’t really look into the history of those things, but when being told that they had relations to Japan, it gave those sites a deeper meaning. It shows the connection between America and Japan, realizing that there are pieces of Japan even in your own area and you might not even know.