From the Desk of Consul General Osumi

2023/12/20
Essay Vol. 3
~The Necessity of Supporting Japanese Language Education in Northern California~
 
 December 20, 2023
Yo Osumi
Consul General of Japan in San Francisco
 
(From Clarendon Elementary School's Facebook Page)

 With Christmas trees and decorations all around, holiday celebrations in San Francisco are now in full swing, and there are only a few days left before we ring in the new year. The other Sunday, the city hosted its annual SantaCon, and I saw many Santas walking around the city.

 Now, in this essay, I hope to share with you a little about my activities as Consul General, as it is difficult for me to communicate with all of you on a daily basis.
(My family and I went to Lake Tahoe to cut a Christmas tree)
(My family and I went to Lake Tahoe to cut a Christmas tree)
 On December 14, my wife and I attended the 50th anniversary Gakugeikai (school arts festival) of the Japanese Bilingual and Bicultural Program (JBBP) at Clarendon Elementary School in the city. The city of San Francisco and the state of California, both of which value diversity and inclusiveness, have large immigrant populations, and foreign language education is thriving. In San Francisco, Japanese language education is offered at two elementary schools, a junior high school, and three high schools. I wrote about the 50th anniversary gala at Rosa Parks Elementary School in the first entry in this series, and this time I’d like to write about the 50th anniversary Gakugeikai at Clarendon Elementary School. The student chorus sang a wide repertoire of songs, ranging from Ainu mythology to YOASOBI (a Japanese pop group). They danced along to the songs, and I was very impressed.
 
 Rosa Parks Elementary School is located near San Francisco’s Japantown, and although the students' backgrounds are diverse, its program features more "Japanese" elements such as radio calisthenics (a widespread school activity in Japan). Clarendon’s program has a stronger emphasis on a "bicultural" element, and I got the impression that it tries to give students a "Japan experience" to complement their regular classes. The gymnasium (which was a bit Shōwa-esque and nostalgic) was filled with folding chairs, and I felt the enthusiasm and family-like warmth of successive generations of parents and the school as a whole supporting the students. I was deeply moved by this diversity and the strength of the community that supports it, which I believe cannot be found anywhere else, including parts of the East Coast where I have lived, such as New York City.
 We at the Consulate wish the program long-term success.
 
 I believe that Japanese’s former popularity as a foreign language was mainly due to economic interest, until Japan’s “bubble economy” burst. The popularity of Japanese as a foreign language has been maintained to a certain degree, meaning that it enjoys greater popularity than many European languages. This is largely due to the positive influence of Japanese soft power, especially manga and anime, as well as the recent boom in interest in Japanese food and the huge uptick in inbound travel.
 However, throughout the Bay Area, schools offering Japanese language education are scaling back their offerings or closing their doors. This is happening not only in financially strapped counties and cities, but also in relatively affluent places.

 The Swiss linguist Saussure said, "Man perceives the world by using language as a symbol to delimit it.” The worldview of the Japanese people is encoded in the Japanese language, and learning the language is one of the most effective ways to promote understanding of Japanese culture, which I am convinced has a richness that can contribute to the world. Therefore, I believe that promoting and maintaining Japanese language education is very important for people to get to know us and to share the wonderful things passed down from our ancestors.
 That is why we at the Japanese Consulate, including myself, continue to make daily efforts to encourage all relevant parties to keep Japanese language education alive.
 However, community issues are ultimately decided by the community. What I saw at Clarendon Elementary School was the overwhelming enthusiasm of the parents, who have maintained JBBP, and of those who have experienced the program. It is very important that the Japanese and Japanese Americans living in each community, as well as those who have ties to Japan in other ways, have a voice, and we at the Consulate hope to support those voices by working with each and every one of you, as well as with the various organizations involved.

 I arrived at the Consulate at the end of September this year, and I would like to thank you for supporting me, a newcomer, in various ways. I would like to further devote myself to this position, and I look forward to working with you next year.
 I wish you a happy New Year.

(My family and I went to Lake Tahoe to cut a Christmas tree)