About the Center
The Japanese Cultural Center is located near parking lot B of the Foothill College campus. A cherry tree lane leads to the chaniwa (tea garden), and a bamboo grove decorates the hillside.
The Center is an aesthetically pleasing classroom for Japanese language instruction and cultural workshops. It contains an authentic chashitsu (tea room), one of the few outside Japan, and a showcase for the display of Japanese arts and crafts objects.
When the Japanese language program was introduced by Dr. Michiko Hiramatsu at Foothill College in 1973, cultural workshops to explain Japanese traditions and historical events were also needed to enhance language study. Because of the difficulty in finding appropriate classroom space for these workshops, the idea of having a multipurpose Japanese Cultural Center was born.
The college community had to finance the project, and to help fund raising, the Friends of the Japanese Cultural Center was formed. Companies in Japan and many individuals were approached about the possibility of donating funds for the Center. For the Japanese in Japan, the donations became a symbol of friendship between the United States and their country.
Dedicated in 1982, the Center has served the college and community as a site for visiting scholars and master craftsmen from Japan, a gallery for the display of traditional arts and crafts of Japan, and as a meeting place for U.S. and Japanese business people and students to have cross-cultural dialogues through seminars and events.