JAPANESE DISCUSSION:
Beyond Plastic Smiles

重要テーマを話すディスカッション・フォーラム - サンフランシスコ

Party Party Party! 1/22 6pm ディスカッション再始動！1/22 3pm. SFのホームレス& New Year Party!! 詳細はこちら。

Party Party Party! JDF Reopens on 1/22 3pm Homelessness in SF & New Year Party!!Check the details

2011年の新たな試み

1. 地域の重要トピックを継続的に取り上げる。
　　
2. ACTIONのための情報を提供する。
3. 聴くだけ（リスナー）参加が可能（日本語勉強に最適。日本語に自信のない人も気軽に参加。発言したければそれも可能）
4. 過去ディスカッションのPDFとiPad、iPod版で、読めるデジタル・フォーラムを発行
5. PodCast 版 Japan-US Forum、 夏でも寒いサンフランシスコの 「コタツ・テーブル（Kotatu Table）」の開始

1. Take reachable local problems in San Francisco such as Homelessness, Muni, disintegrating Japan Town etc into our Forum and continuously discuss the topic to deepen our understanding and motivate participation to those problems.
2. Accept auditory participants who only listens our Discussion. (Great to improve your listening skills, Friendly for English speakers not brave enough, you can of course speak up if you feel like)
3. ACTION : Will provide more information to act to the problems
4. Start publishing past discussions in e-book format so that people can read our discussion dialog on a computer, iPod and iPad.
5. Start "Kotatsu Table" the PodCast version of Japan-US Forum (it is inspired by "Algonquin Round Table")

Japan-US Forum of San Franciscoはアメリカに本拠を置く、日本人の活動部隊としてアメリカと日本の橋渡しに貢献したいと考えてきました。そこでこのJapanese Disussion Forumを発足し、物理的にも精神的にも島国と云える日本から出てアメリカという客観的な位置にいる私たちが、アメリカ人とともに意見を交換できる場を提供します。Japanese Discussion Forumは- セックス、戦争、政治、自殺、宗教、といった日常あまり話すことの無い話題や両国のユニークな文化トピックを中心に、私たちの考えや体験をアメリカ人も交えて日本語でとことん話し合い理解を深めると共に、それらをサードカルチャー的立場で日本へ発信します。

肌色の違い、言葉の違い、宗教の違い…それらの違いは多くその間に壁を生じ分断され、分断は諍いを生んできました。Japan-US Forum of San Franciscoは「違い」を理解し認め合うことが現存する葛藤や、争いをなくすことへの第一歩ではないかと考えます。このディスカッションの中で同じようにアメリカを体験する日本人や、アメリカ人と話しをすることを通して両国を理解し、個人的にも啓発を受ける。その活動の中で日本人としての私たち自身をも理解し再構築する機会になればと考えます。

その日のトピックについて日本語で真摯に話をしたい、聞きたい方であればどなたでもグループへの参加が可能です。右上のメーリングリストにご登録頂ければスケジュールが毎回メール配信されます。更なる詳細情報希望の方はメールアドレスをお知らせ頂くか、こちらのページでスケジュールをご確認の上、参加希望の旨お知らせ下さい。

では、あなたとお話できますことを心よりお待ち申し上げます。

開催地が個人宅となる場合は、参加者のみに住所をお教えしますので「参加ご登録」ページより参加登録をして下さい。

現在この活動を記録し、PodCastなどで発信していくことなども準備を進め私たちの活動を日本の多くの方にも知って頂こうと考えています。あなたの住む地域でこのディスカッションを開催したいというご興味のある方はお気軽にご連絡下さい！

English------------------------------------------------------

Since the inception of its parent body, the “Japanese Discussion Group in San Francisco” in August 2008, Americans and Japanese have been convening to discuss crucial and rarely discussed topics in Japanese, such as racial discrimination, gay adoption, organ transplants, life after death, and human cloning. (The list of past topics)

We started out with only 5 participants at the very first meeting. Now nearly 200 group members and, on average, 15 to 20 participants per discussion are enthusiastically sharing their opinions, thoughts, and experiences on the given topic. Attendance is intentionally constrained in order to foster an intimate atmosphere. This discussion group has been growing as a great place to exchange ideas between Japanese and Americans and to learn many things from each other.

The group also functions as a means for Americans to brush up on Japanese language skills in a more high-level format, rather than the usual meet-and-greet. Our discussions result in a “third” cultural point of view that resides at the intersection between Japanese experts in America, Japanese-speaking Americans, and Americans affiliated with Japan. We compile records of our discussions and plan a broadcast these back to Japan through a variety of media.

The discussion is usually of a serious nature and sometimes gets intense, but is often followed by a friendly at-home party or dining out, which has been very effective for members to get to know one another and strengthen their friendship.

In June 2009, we launched a new group entitled the “English Discussion Forum (originally "English Discussion Group on Japan”) in order to respond to many requests from members to provide an English-language analogue to our main group. This English version of the existing Discussion Group has also been well received by English natives with a Japan background, and has provided a new venue for us to share our experiences and learn new things about our shared connection to Japan.

August of 2009 brought the anniversary of World War II, as well as the group's one year anniversary. We took advantage of the coincidence by creating a series of break-out discussions over the course of the month dubbed “World War II Month.” Topics included discussions of the atomic bomb drops in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These discussion meetings drew attention from the press and were featured in the Nichi-Bei Times.

Regular Procedure:

There will be a moderator who will be preparing necessary data and questions about the topic of the day. Participants will discuss according to these questions. For non native Japanese speakers, we also provide word list prior to the discussion. We will be discussing in a small group of two or three if there are many participants (10 or more) so that everybody can speak up in the discussion, after a while we regroup and discuss what those small group has been discussed. This procedure of course is flexible to any better suggestions along the way.

If the Discussion will be held at individual home the address will be informed only to participants so please register from "sign up" page.