Grant Activities

Manzai Workshops

Japanese comedy duo Franponais conducted interactive workshops on manzai—traditional Japanese stand-up featuring humorous exchanges between two performers—in seven cities in the UK, France and Belgium. Fourteen workshops were held in all, at 12 venues, and they attracted more than 300 participants from 15 countries. Among them were children with a Japanese heritage, Japanese-language learners, students, and Japanese exchange students with diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Hands-on activities revealed the structure of the traditional three-step punchline often found in rakugo storytelling, plus techniques of manzai performance, and culminated in presentations in Japanese.

Developing Cultural Understanding and Leadership Through Young Engagement

The program aimed to help next generation Japanese and American leaders deepen mutual understanding, reaffirm the significance of U.S.–Japan relations, and develop leadership skills for addressing global challenges such as environmental issues.　For two weeks in September 2025, twenty-five students from Tohoku University visited Montana, and together with 10 students from the University of Montana took part in classes where they explored each other’s society and culture. There were also visits to former coal mines sites and workshops on environmental conservation in Montana, valuable opportunities for intercultural learning, dialogue, and collaborative problem-solving.