Athens, Ga. – An exhibition of photographs showing World Heritage Sites in Japan will open in the Tate Student Center on the University of Georgia campus June 14 and run through July 11.
The event, being organized locally by the Center for Asian Studies, part of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, is part of an outreach effort to provide better understanding about Japan among American people.
“The World Heritage Sites shown in these panels are places that are recognized as precious and important in Japan and that should be preserved historically and culturally,” said Hijiri Hattori, Japan outreach coordinator for the CAS.
The photographs will be on the walls in the area between the Tate Center and the new Tate II annex.
The exhibit has numerous educational and community components, said Hattori. For instance, the CAS is inviting teacher groups from Georgia and South Carolina going on a study trip to Japan in July to visit the show. The CAS also hopes UGA students who will go to Japan with study abroad programs will attend the show to see the sites that are depicted.
As part of its overall effort to educate area people about Japan, CAS will co-sponsor an outreach table at KidsFest, part of AthFest in June and will contribute to programs at local public libraries.
The show is a traveling exhibition that already has been shown in such places as the Japan Pavilion at the Epcot Theme Park at Walt Disney World in Florida.
Sponsors of the exhibition at the Tate Center, in addition to CAS, are the Japan Foundation in New York and the Japan Club at UGA.
World Heritage Sites are categorized into three groups: Cultural Heritage, Natural Heritage and Mixed Properties. In Japan, there are three natural sites and 11 cultural sites, though not all will be represented in the Tate Center show.
The Center for Asian Studies at UGA exists to nurture and guide academic programs and exchanges, primarily on Asia, for students, faculty and staff members. While these programs focus on language and area studies, they also involve students and faculty from law, business, agriculture, education, journalism and veterinary medicine, as well as the arts and sciences.
The University of Georgia provides an extensive curriculum in Asian studies and has for many years. Courses deal with a wide range of subjects and cultural areas of Asia and the Middle East. Many courses focus on China and adjacent states and territories of Taiwan; Mongolia, Hong Kong and Macao; Japan; and the Koreas.
Study abroad programs are also available in Asia and the Middle East. UGA conducts programs in India, Japan, Morocco and South Korea. It participates with other institutions in the University System of Georgia in programs in China.
For more information, contact Hijiri Hattori at 706/583-0627.
