~ Photos and Article by JETAA NSW ~
Spring has arrived in a splendiferous display of clear blue skies and warm weather! We at JETAA NSW reflect on our winter activities of the past few months, which includes our recent trip to Cowra and our trivia night. Let’s go!
August – Trivia Night:
Our ever popular trivia night was held at the AB Hotel. As always, our MC kept things moving along really well, and competition was FIERCE for the bottles of wine, and a special Japanese snack pack. Special thanks go to the Japan Foundation for donating a double pass to the upcoming Japanese Film Festival, as we’re always highly appreciative of gifts from friends and associates. Our mental agility was put to task to answering many questions from Japanese history culture, and performing silly games as we laughed our way to the finishing line.
September – Tabaimo – Mekurumeku:
JETAA has always strived hard to promote Japanese culture, and we were invited to view the Tabaimo: Mekurumeku exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art. With a tour of the exhibition conducted in Japanese, it was fascinating to see the rich and sensual complexities of Tabaimo’s art, as we delved deep into the artist’s inside mind, in a mesmerising display of the dark side of Japanese society during the GFC, and its desire to break free from it.
September – Cowra Cherry Blossom Festival:
Due to overwhelming demand we decided to organise what has been our most popular event in the JETAA calendar – the Japanese Spring tradition of Hanami (flower viewing). And what better location than Cowra, the site of the Cowra breakout during WWII and now a significant cultural site with a beautiful Japanese garden. Travelling on a mini bus hired by JETAA NSW, a group of our members enjoyed this peaceful regional town’s annual Sakura Festival, filled with colour, sounds, food and of lots and lots of cherry blossoms! Everyone had a really great time and it was a great bonding experience as members come closer together in the spirit of friendship and adventure, and reflected on the Australia-Japan relationship. We intend to run our trip as regularly as we can as long as our funds and demand allows us.
Upcoming:
The JETAA Oceania Conference will take place in Melbourne this year, and the topic will be about “Staying Relevant”, and examine the future and survival of JETAA in Australia and New Zealand. Representatives from each of our chapters will get together and talk about problems and issues facing JETAA’s ongoing viability, and share stories and strategies on how to best remain dynamic and active, with the very little resources available to us. It promises to be a very thought-provoking and exciting conference!
Thanks for reading about our JETAA NSW activities. We hope to see you all at one or all of our events, and please, come say hi to us!
