Grant Activities

Noh theater in Mexico. Historical relevance, scenic practice and woodcarving

While Noh, Japan’s traditional dance-drama is widely known worldwide, that is less true for Mexico. A series of workshops lead by experts in Noh were held from September to October 2023 to change the situation. The eight sessions included a lecture by Mr. Richard Emmert, a professor at Musashino University, on his specialty, traditional Japanese arts, and a workshop for artists and sculptors by Mr. Hideta Kitazawa, one of the leading Japanese Noh mask masters of the modern era.

Japanese Rice and Japanese Food Life

The committee’s long-term objective is to promote deeper international understanding of Japanese cuisine, its diversity, unique food materials and cooking methods, and the local cultures that have nurtured them. The FY2023 grant program focused on inviting an influential Spanish chef, Diego Guerrero, owner-chef of DSTAgE, a Michelin 2-star restaurant in Madrid, to participate in an immersive four-day program of experiences and active dialogues with people in Toyama Prefecture. The itinerary included visits to rice farmers, soy sauce producers, a kelp factory, plus meetings with local chefs, and even high-school students who are promoting a local branding project to appeal the charms of the locality. (August 25 to 28, 2023)