(upbeat music) (graphic pops) - Hello, and welcome to "The Journal."

I'm Steve Kendall.

You're probably familiar with the cherry trees in Washington, DC.

They've been around for more than a hundred years, but Bowling Green State University also has a similar site.

Joining us to talk about that and an event that's coming up to celebrate the cherry trees and the Cherry Festival, Cherry Blossom Festival here at BGSU, is Dr. Akiko Jones, a teaching professor in Japanese languages.

So, Akiko, thank you so much for being here and then talking about this.

Give us a little background on you, because, obviously, (Akiko chuckling) you're a professor emeritus of Japanese language.

Means you've been here a couple of years.

- [Akiko] Oh.

- So talk a little about how you came to Bowling Green and what you've done in your career here.

- Well, thank you very much.

You know, thank you very much for having me.

You know, it'll be really great, you know, that I came here, you know, 1983.

I started to teach (chuckling) 1983, so more than 40 years ago.

And I love it, you know?

I really, you know, enjoying and teaching, you know, Japanese program here.

And then it was a very small one, but then now, you know, it's kind of established.

You know, we kind of, you know, really quite well known in Ohio, you know?

So I'm just very happy to be here to be talking about our cherry... You know, the trees?

You know, we were given by the alumni.

- [Steve] Right.

- You know, in BG, right?

- [Steve] Yeah, because I mentioned in the intro that, of course, obviously people are familiar, Washington, DC.

Those trees were given to the US by the Japanese Empire at that point in 1912, so they've been there for a long time.

But as I said, people are probably surprised to know that if you come on our campus, there are cherry blossom, cherry trees, just like those similar.

In fact, some of them came from cuttings from those trees.

- [Akiko] Yes, uh huh.

Right, so I'm really proud of, you know, having, you know, these trees, and then also having this, you know, the festival, you know, Cherry Blossom Festival.

terrible festival, we call it Ohanami.

Because I think when I started out in 2002, is the first one, you know, because, you know, there were many, you know, those festivals around here.

So we were the first one, you know?

And just because of 2001, the alumni in Tokyo, you know, thought it would be so nice to have the, you know, know cherry trees on our campus to have the just kind of same type of the park, you know, in DC.

So they gave us, you know, 50 trees, you know?

(Steve chuckling) That's the called the Yoshino Sakura, you know, Yoshino.

And then a very famous one, very hard one to, of course, you know, keep them, you know, in good, but then it was a really great one, okay?

So they gave us the one, and then at the same time, you know, that because of the director, you know, thanks to the director of the Schedel Garden.

- [Steve] Mm-hmm, oh, sure.

Over, yeah, from Elmore.

- [Akiko] Three cuttings.

Right, yeah, exactly.

There are three cuttings, you know, from the original cuttings, you know, original of the cherry trees and the donated to President Taft, you know?

By the, at that time, is the mayor in Tokyo, you know?

And we were very proud to have those trees on campus right now.

And so they're blooming.

They're really blooming.

And so that we were given the 50 trees, and we had a really big, you know, ceremony in fall of, I believe, in 2001 with a guess that President Taft could not come, but then lady, you know, the president, you know, Taft's, you know, lady came, and we had a really great ceremony.

And then I thought at that time, "Oh, maybe I should show the alumni how," you know, "we were very happy," you know, "having," you know, "those trees."

So that's why that I started, you know, 2002, spring, you know, that the first, you know, Cherry Blossom Festival.

I never thought they would continue (chuckling) this long.

- [Steve] This long, yeah.

- I thought I would just do it for one year.

(Steve laughing) but I just it to go grew, grew.

And then the first one is, of course, another seeing us 100, you know, people, you know, kind of visited us, you know?

But then now, just it grew and grew, and then every year.

So now I have to use in a big room of the ballroom.

- [Steve] At the student union.

- [Akiko] Right, and then usually 850 to 900 people came, but the last year, I think because of that total equinox, you know, we had, you know?

So we had 1,000 people.

- [Steve] Oh, wow.

Wow.

- [Akiko] Yeah, over 1,000 people came, and then I was very pleased still, yeah.

- [Steve] And it's interesting you mentioned the fact too, you know, the trees are here on campus.

They originally, you know, Washington, DC back in 1912.

Is there any concern about the weather?

The trees have adapted, obviously.

- [Akiko] Yes, yes.

- To the conditions here, because we like that think that we're a little colder than Washington, DC, although the weather's adjusting now.

Is that a challenge, to keep the trees protected and alive?

- [Akiko] Yes, I do.

Mm-hmm.

And then unfortunately, so we lost some of them, you know?

Because of the, you know, we had the really bad- - [Steve] Tough, yeah.

Hard winters.

- Frozen over the winter and stuff, but after we were given, you know, that 50 trees from that alumni, you know, that Japanese companies here, you know, kind of donated us, you know?

2002 in spring, and 20 trees were given by the, at that time, the Tochigi Fuji, you know?

I knew that the president, you know, really well, and then they gave us, you know, 20 of them.

You know, they're okay.

And then also 10 years of the, so anniversary, you know?

DOWA, which, you know, that the company, you know, still exists right now in Bowling Green, gave us that, you know, sort of weeping type of that, you know?

- [Steve] Oh, okay.

So different variety.

- [Akiko] 10 of them are all, you know, great, you know, blooming.

So just so we'd like to add, and then we hope that we can add more, you know, to it because we lost some of them, you know, because of the weather.

Now for people who aren't familiar, where would they find these if they come to the university?

Where roughly are they on campus?

- [Akiko] They call the Alumni Mall right now.

- [Steve] Ah, okay.

- Used to be the, what do you call it, the pond?

The big pond was there.

- [Steve] Oh, sure.

- Across from the alumni building.

- [Steve] Okay, where the Mileti Center.

- [Akiko] The Mileti, right.

- [Steve] Okay, gotcha.

- It's there.

Just exactly across from it.

- [Steve] Go out there to Mercer and Worcester, in that area.

- [Akiko] Right, so I'm hoping there will be blooming in April, you know?

- [Steve] Yeah, well, and as I know that, you know, obviously there'll be celebrations around the country, but it's so neat to have something like that here locally.

And you mentioned too, the fact that a lot of people, there is a very strong connection between northwest Ohio and Japan.

A lot of, as you mentioned, a lot of companies have come here, that sort of thing.

So that's a great link and a great kind of partnership that takes place in a lot of different ways.

- [Akiko] Yes, yes, and actually that I would like to, you know, when we started out is just to show the Japanese culture, you know, to the community, but right now it's what so many people, you know, kind of, you know, came, you know?

Not only the Ohio or Michigan, but sometimes the Indiana, you know?

- [Steve] Oh, sure.

- And you know, sometimes the Pennsylvania and in Illinois, you know?

The people, you know, to come.

And the Japanese companies around here, you know?

I actually, you know, do have the, you know, some gathering with the Japanese companies and American companies, you know, called the Nakama.

So those people will come, you know, with the Japanese, the families.

But more important is I like to connect with the communities, you know, in this area, who do not know, you know, about the Japanese culture, you know?

So I like to expand, you know, and then also promote the Japanese culture, you know, and then also connection with the Ohio and then, you know, the Japan, because Ohio Japan is a connection, is really strong because of the Honda, you know?

And then allow a lot of their- - [Steve] All things that, sure.

- Auto suppliers, right.

You know, here to the Honda and Toyota, you know?

Now these days in a Toyota too, you know?

- [Steve] Right.

- For the Kentucky.

- Yeah, well, we're gonna take a quick break here.

We come back, and you can talk more about the culture, because obviously for a lot of folks, our view of Japanese culture is through popular media, you know, movies, television shows, that kind of thing, but obviously there's a lot more to it than what we've seen on electronic media.

Back in just a moment with Dr. Jones, teaching Professor Emeritus in Japanese languages here at BGSU.

And we're gonna be talking more about the Cherry Blossom Festival, which will take place on campus here very soon.

Back in just a moment.

You're with us on "The Journal."

Our guest is Dr. Akiko Jones from the Japanese language program at BGSU.

We left that last segment, Dr. Jones, we were talking about the fact that one of the things you'd like to do with the Cherry Blossom Festival, we're gonna talk in detail about that event, is to make sure that people learn more about the Japanese culture, because obviously we see it through filters.

Unless someone immerses themselves in it, it's basically through popular media, And that may or may not be the most correct and best way to go about finding out about someone else's culture.

So talk about the efforts you've made to introduce the Japanese culture to folks here in Ohio.

- Okay.

Yes.

You know, I'm just so happy that, you know, we were given this chance, you know, to show Japanese culture and Japanese customs, you know, and, you know, some of the very entertainment, you know, the parts of it, you know?

And then great for the little kids, you know, that then are 2-year-old to, you know, senior citizens.

So I thought about the first is just to kind of to show a very common, you know, things that everybody knows is the origami, you know, Japanese paper folding, or Japanese brush writing, you know?

But when you do the Japanese brush writing too, you just need to concentrate, you know?

And then it's not that really zen, you know, that type of things, but you have to really concentrate.

Right?

- [Steve] Ah.

Mm-hmm.

- Because, you know, thinking about, and then how you'll be sit, you know, and things like that, you know?

I will like them to know, you know?

And then when you do the origami, you know, they have to be very clean and then I know neat, you know?

- [Steve] Yeah, very precise.

- Right, precise about it too.

So we would have, you know, those things on that, like a kind of workshop, you know, that type of the tables we did, okay?

But also, and we added, you know, Japanese traditional games.

- [Steve] Ah, okay.

- Yeah.

And then also Japanese kimono, you know, that you got that tries on, you know?

- [Steve] Mm-hmm.

Sure.

- And then so they...

It's very popular, you know?

People like to kind of, you know, try on the kimono and then take the pictures, you know?

But also we wanted to show some of the, you know, the people, adults will be interested in Japanese flower arrangement, you know?

The flower arrangement is a little different from the American way of, you know?

Western style of the flower arrangement.

It's not, you know, symmetrical, you know, so that you have some kind of a little philosophy, you know, behind it too.

But also tea ceremony.

We cannot really show the ceremony part, but I like everybody to taste the Japanese, you know, tea ceremony, just tea with, you know, some of the sweets, you know?

And then there's a kind of little bit of the meaning to it, you know?

So when they come, they will learn, you know, why they have to have that, you know, some of the sweets first.

And then I, you know, concentrate on drinking, but that is you have to enjoy then kind of drinking the tea.

But also this tea ceremony is always have the Japanese sweets.

So I asked, you know, that the lady who is an expert in making the Japanese, who can show you that, how to make the Japanese sweets.

So that is the really big, you know, you know, shot too.

- And how would those be?

What do those consist of?

How are they different than maybe the sweets or candies or things that we would look at from an American point of view?

What, what, what's different about those particular sweets, the ingredients and things.

- Oh, the ingredients are different.

We don't use the butter.

- [Steve] Oh, really.

- You know, first of all.

You know, no, not the milk, you know, like so that the sweetness is different.

I like them to, you know, kind of see that if we say the sweet, but sweetness, you know, made from the more like the red greens.

- [Steve] Okay.

- I mean, red beans.

- [Steve] Red beans, okay.

- Yeah, red beans.

- [Steve] Wow.

Interesting.

- So that kind of sweet, you know, of course, in the sugar.

You know, sugar is in too, you know?

But not the butter type of, you know, the sweetness we have, you know?

And then of course, and the kimono is a definitely different, you know?

So how to walk is a little bit different too, you know?

And then a meaning of the how you put the, you know, kimono there, you know, which side is gonna be above.

It's gonna be about somehow related to the funerals, you know, so that the, you know, we have to be away from that, you know, whatever that the customers, we go through the funerals, you know?

So things like that, you know?

I'd like the people to know so that we have the sort of a workshop type of things on one side, and the other side is that we have the stage, you know?

So, you know, a lot of people will like the, you know, the martial arts, you know?

So we will have the, you know, the karate and then the taido you know, the martial arts, and then including not only the, you know, the teachers, but also he will bring the, you know, children, you know, and then some of the, and apprentices, you know?

So those who are taking, learning it, you know?

So I think people will enjoyed it too.

But also the taiko, you know, taiko, Japanese drums, you know?

And taiko performance, you know?

which started out in BGSU.

Now it's so popular in Ohio, but we are very proud that the BGSU and the School of Art- - [Steve] Of course.

- You know, and they started, you know, this one.

And then, so they will be, you know, coming in to be doing it too, and including the tap dance and the Japanese singing, you know?

So the one side is a performance, One side is a really a workshop type of, you know, hands-on type of, you know, things.

- Talk a little bit about that you mentioned the fact too that, you know, the martial arts and all those other things.

So obviously when we see martial arts presented in popular culture, there is a sort of touch point about the thought, the meaning behind why you move certain ways, why you do certain things, and the mental part of focusing your physical through this mental thing.

So talk a little about the meaning behind, say, karate and those things like that.

We see the movements, but there's a lot of thought, there's a lot of process behind that, that's not just physical; it's mental.

- [Akiko] Yeah, it is, you know?

Because, you know, mental things, and then I'm not an expert of the, you know, correct stuff.

- [Steve] We were hoping there was a demonstration.

- I would like (laughing).

- [Steve] No, just kidding.

Just kidding.

- I know that the sort of philosophy, you know, what kind of a think about it, you know?

Of course, and it's a lot of things are going to I know Buddhism and Shintoism and those things, but I would like the people to come and then they can ask the experts, you know?

There too we'll get.

But, you know, just one of the things that we have is Bushido, you know, the Bushi, you know, Japanese samurai, you know?

Idea about is, you know, even though you win, you know, like when you do the sports, you know, when you win, you should not be showing the gut feeling.

- [Steve] Oh, okay.

- [Akiko] You have to think about the other person's, you know, feelings.

- [Steve] So there's some empathy.

- [Akiko] Right, right.

- [Steve] A empathetic approach to it.

- [Akiko] So things like that, right.

And so I would like, you know, any questions, you know, they can bring and then they can ask, you know, experts, we will be, you know, having those.

And then taiko two, I think, and it's just wonderful, you know?

And then, you know, you'll be able to kind of ask the questions.

That's why it's open to, you know, everybody.

- [Steve] Sure, okay.

We come back, we can kind of talk more about the actual event, make sure people are aware of when it is, where it is.

And again, we can kind of go through all the activities you mentioned, some of 'em, but we'll kind of bring them up to speed and make sure they don't miss this opportunity to- - [Akiko] Okay.

Yes.

- To participate.

Back in just a moment with Dr. Akiko Jones here on "The Journal."

Thank you for staying with us here on "The Journal."

Our guest is Dr. Akiko Jones, teaching Professor Emeritus in Japanese languages at BGSU.

We've talked about the event that's coming here.

Talk about a little more detail.

But one of the big parts of this too is the students at the university are involved in this event, which gives them a lot of experience, and outside of the classroom.

This is sort of a co-curricular, extracurricular event that allows them, of course, to meet other people and involve themselves in the culture in a way that maybe they don't get simply by going through Japanese language classes.

- Exactly, yes.

Exactly.

Okay, so because that's, you know, one of the main, you know, main points, you know, having, you know, organizing in this event is not just for fun things, you know, but certainly we have to bring in, you know, some of the benefits, you know, to the student.

Right?

Okay.

So that the student, so to me that probably, you know, for educational point, these a kind of a three points, you know?

One is a BGSU student, you know?

- [Steve] Right.

- Especially my, you know, the Japanese program student, you know, a Japanese club, you know, members.

And they work together so they get to know each other, and then they will be able to, you know, exchange their ideas about the Japanese culture, what they'll learn, you know?

So inside, it's a really nice, big family members, but also they have a chance to show or tell, you know, other community members, you know, who do not know any kind of Japanese culture, what they have learned, right?

- [Steve] Right.

- [Akiko] So, you know, it is really great.

But then also that we will have the community people come, you know, and so the non-Japanese people, they can kind of show, you know, their, you know, the culture.

But also the Japanese people will be coming, so they have a chance to be able to talk, you know, you know, that speak Japanese and then can sort of, you know, exchange, you know, you know, what they have learned, you know, and to ask.

So there is a chance, you know, there too, okay?

But also, second thing is of course, just like we mentioned, you know, community people who do not know anything about, you know, cultures in Japanese, Especially long time ago, you know, when I started out, you know, 20 years ago, you know, hardly anybody know about, (chuckling) you know, Japanese culture.

Now, you know, so many, you know, that the medias and stuff, you know.

But so they kind of would like to learn it, but also they can try it, you know?

That they can just hands-on activities and stuff, you know?

So I thought it's beneficial for the community too.

But also that it's great, I'm hoping that it's great, for BGSU is because, you know, it's a public university, you know, for public good, right?

- [Steve] Yes, right.

Absolutely, yeah.

- So I'm hoping that they know we have a great connection, you know, with the BGSU and in the city of the BG, you know?

- [Steve] Right.

- And then also other communities, you know, in other areas and the visibility of, you know, BGSU, you know, I'm hoping to expand, you know, through this, you know, the program since, you know, I'm having, you know, a lot of people, like 800 and 900 people to come, you know, to this, and that too.

- [Steve] Well, and it's a good point that you make because the more that we learn from each other and know about each other, the better we're able to live together, work together, enjoy the benefits of all of our cultures.

So it's a great thing because you talk about the partnership between the city of Bowling Green and the university and the involvement of community members and students, and it touches all of those bases that brings people together to learn and enjoy and, I guess, you know, meet other people.

- [Akiko] Right.

Right.

- And I think that's...

It's incredible thing.

- [Akiko] Yeah, uh uh.

- The event itself, obviously, there's national celebrations you go on because as we get toward the end of this month, March, that's when the big anniversary of the original 1912 event took place.

- [Akiko] That's true, yes.

Uh huh.

- But your event is set for Sunday, April 6th.

So talk a little about, we touched on it very early on in the show, but talk about what's gonna go on, where it's going to be, that kind of thing.

- Yes, okay, so April the 6th, you know, and so this year, okay?

So it's Sunday and starting at 12 o'clock, you know?

12 to 4 it's open.

And 12:15, we are going to have a ceremony, you know?

And in Japan, that's just one of the cultures.

We always have a ceremony, (chuckling) you know for any kind of a gathering.

So that, and president, you know, Rodney Rogers, will open, you know, that, you know, big greeting, you know, for, you know, the community.

And then also we will have the dean of the, you know, College of the Art and Science because in the Asian Studies program, and then also Japanese, you know, both, you know, belong to the College of Arts and Science.

- [Steeve] Arts and Sciences, yeah.

- So, yes, so that Dean Ellen Schendel will be, you know, kind of giving us, you know?

And then plus in the city of BG, so mayor, and then also Consul General of Japan in Detroit, - [Steve] Oh, will be here.

Wow.

- Yeah, so.

Yeah, he will be here to give us some greetings, you know?

That is a really great for the students.

- [Steve] Sure, to be- - [Akiko] You know, especially the Japanese program students, you know, kind of get, you know, excited about, you know, being with the Consul General of Japan.

- [Steve] Yeah, the government VIP and representing the government of Japan.

- [Akiko] So, mm-hmm.

- [Steve] That, yeah.

- [Akiko] So that, you know, after the ceremony that then, you know, you'll be able to kind of see, but now really nice thing is that everything is free, including the sushi.

Sushi, yeah?

And then also Japanese snacks.

- [Steve] Ah, okay.

- I got a lot of Japanese different snacks, you know?

It's all free, you know, so I would like everybody to taste it, you know?

And then snacks are little different too.

Even crackers are different.

- [Steve] Sure, sure.

- Because, you know, you know, we using a rice flour.

- [Steve] Yeah, the ingredients- - Instead of, ingredients are different.

- [Steve] Versus what traditional Americans sort of, yeah.

- And then the Japanese candies and that stuff like that.

And a lot of, lot of games there too.

And then some of them have that sort of reverse, you know, that the prizes to go.

And then the little children, you know, we have the water games.

- [Steve] Okay, so it's- - You know, so they can just, you know, pick up some of the, you know, little and the balls, and, you know, some of the little, you know, cute things, you know, for the little kids, you know?

So as long as the little children can walk, you know, they should be able to have a great fun.

- [Steve] To participate, to find something, yeah.

- [Akiko] Right, mm-hmm.

The old ballroom.

Yeah.

You know, that's the biggest room, you know?

- [Steve] Yeah, the Lenhart Ballroom.

- [Akiko] The biggest, yeah.

- [Steve] And in the Bowen- - Ballroom of the Union.

- In the Student Union.

Right.

- [Akiko] Student Union.

- [Steve] Right, yeah.

And I was looking, I was going down the list, because I know the list of activities is really extensive.

You talked about now the flower arrangement.

So, as you said, we're very symmetrical when we come to flower arrangements in our culture.

So what is different about those, just generally speaking?

So if I attend and take part in the flower arranging, what am I gonna learn that's different?

- [Akiko] Oh, okay.

- You know, line everything up in a row and concentric spacing and everything's uniform.

That's not the way, that's not the way it is?

- No, so that the person who is going to be showing it then, you know, the flower arrangement, it's kind of a show how to do, okay?

And then you'll be, you know, step by step.

And then after that, you know, we have a lot of, you know, the flowers, you know, ready so that they will be able to try it to on.

- [Steve] Ah, okay.

Ah.

- Yeah, so that they can try.

And then the difference is what?

We are supposed to, we have to enjoy the space, you know, between the flowers, and then it's just a little bit things because instead of, you know, putting everything into an organized- - [Steve] It's compacted.

- Compacted, right.

So we have to kind of see that some of the spaces, you know, should be there, and some of them are long, you know?

That some of them are just this way, you know, like a 60 degrees and then, you know, 30 degrees and stuff.

So I would like them to try, you know?

Get the flower, interested.

- [Steve] And probably there's a meaning to how you arrange them and why certain flowers or plants are put in certain places and to convey some sort of meaning other than it's just, it's a very nice flower arrangement, but it symbolizes something beyond just, "It's very attractive."

- Right, so I would like them to kind of try it and then, you know, they can ask the questions to the instructors, yeah.

- And the way you've described it, and we're running outta time here, is that there is something there for everybody, whether you are interested in food, flowers, games, just learning culture in general.

- [Akiko] Exactly, right.

- So there's something there for everybody.

- [Akiko] Exactly right.

That's true, right.

So some of the people might be interested in some kind of a, you know, what you call, sports, you know?

And then definitely the karate will be there too, right?

- [Steve] Yeah.

- And then a lot of, you know, just the whole ballroom will be filled with that.

- [Steve] Great.

- You know, activities.

- [Steve] Yeah, and Sunday it'll be, you know, very good, and again, noon to four, April 6th, the Lenhart Grand Ballroom at the Union.

Thank you so much for coming here on time.

- [Akiko] Well, thank you very much for having us.

- [Steve] And thank you so much for doing this for now, the 24th year.

As you said, (Akiko laughing) started out one time.

- [Akiko] I know, and I thought so too, you know, when I started.

- [Steve] I guess it speaks to how successful it's been that you're still doing it after 24 years.

- [Akiko] But it just because of, yeah, just because of the student, you know, that, you know, without the student help, certainly we could not have done this one.

But now I'm happy, you know, to be able to do it, right?

- [Akiko] Thank you.

- [Steve] Thank you so much, Dr. Jones, appreciate that.

- [Akiko] Well, thank you very much for having us, and I'm hoping that a lot of people will be able to come, whether it rains or not, you know, that that will be inside.

- [Steve] Because 'll be inside, and, yeah, and a lot of neat stuff going on.

- [Akiko] Yes, okay.

I can guarantee you.

- [Steve] Thank you so much.

- [Akiko] Everybody can enjoy it (laughing).

- [Steve] Great.

Thank you.

- [Akiko] T hank you very much.

Thank you very much.

- [Steve] You're welcome.

- [Akikio] For having us, you know?

Thank you.

- And you can check us out at wbgu.org.

You can watch us every Thursday night at 8:00 PM at WBGU-PBS.

We'll see you again next time on "The Journal."

Goodnight and good luck.

(upbeat music)