KU Center for East Asian Studies

⚾ Featured Friday: Ichiro Suzuki 🇯🇵

A baseball icon who brought Japanese excellence to the global stage, Ichiro Suzuki changed the way the world viewed the sport. Known for his incredible hitting ability, speed, discipline, and dedication, Ichiro became one of the most influential players in baseball history.

From his legendary career in Japan to his historic MLB achievements, Ichiro inspired fans and athletes across the world while building a bridge between Japanese and American baseball.

🏆 10× MLB All-Star
🥇 2001 AL MVP & Rookie of the Year
⚾ 262 hits in a single MLB season (2004)
🌎 Baseball Hall of Fame inductee

Ichiro’s legacy is a reminder that passion, perseverance, and respect for the game can leave a lasting impact.

🎢 Step into the Language Lab: Amusement Park Edition! 🎡✨

Take a ride through Korean, Chinese, and Japanese as you learn fun vocabulary inspired by your favorite amusement park attractions! From roller coasters to cotton candy, discover how to say everyday words while exploring East Asian languages.

🎠 Learn new words
🎟️ Practice your language skills
🌏 Explore Korean, Chinese, and Japanese culture

Ready for the language adventure? Let’s go! 🎢

⛸️✨ Featured Friday: Kim Yuna ✨⛸️

An athlete. A champion. An icon. 🇰🇷

Known as the "Queen of Figure Skating," Kim Yuna captivated the world with her grace, precision, and artistry on the ice. Her historic Olympic gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics and silver medal in 2014 cemented her legacy as one of the greatest figure skaters of all time.

Beyond competition, Kim has become a global ambassador for sport, inspiring millions through her dedication, humility, and excellence. From breaking records to promoting the Olympic spirit, her impact reaches far beyond the rink.

🥇 Olympic Gold Medalist
🏅 World Champion & Record Breaker
🌍 Global Ambassador for Figure Skating
✨ Inspiration to athletes around the world

Kim Yuna's legacy reminds us that true greatness comes from perseverance, passion, and pursuing excellence with grace.

Discover a new language. Explore a new culture. Expand your perspective. 🌏

Ready to broaden your horizons this fall? KU's East Asian Languages & Cultures courses offer the opportunity to explore the rich histories, cultures, literature, media, and societies.

Whether you're just getting started or continuing your language journey, there's a course for you!

📚 Fall enrollment is open—find the class that sparks your interest.

🌏 CEAS Director Akiko Takeyama is spending the summer in Mongolia, building relationships that will help expand future research and educational partnerships between the University of Kansas and the National University of Mongolia. 🤝

Last week, she participated in the American Center for Mongolian Studies' Lens on Mongolia Summer Field School, including a visit to the stunning Hustai National Park.

"I have been having an amazing time! We visited Hustai National Park where we captured wild horses, among other wild animals. Astonishingly beautiful."

📸 Enjoy a few of her incredible photos from Mongolia!

🌿🐎

🎬✨ Featured Friday: Park Chan-wook ✨🎬

A filmmaker. A storyteller. A visionary. 🇰🇷

From the unforgettable twists of Oldboy to the elegant storytelling of The Handmaiden and Decision to Leave, South Korean director Park Chan-wook has redefined modern cinema with his bold visuals, complex characters, and thought-provoking narratives.

Exploring themes of justice, memory, identity, and human connection, his work has captivated audiences worldwide and helped bring Korean cinema to the global stage. 🌏🎥

🏆 Cannes Best Director winner
🎞️ Cinematic innovator
🌟 Pioneer of the Korean Wave in film

As Park Chan-wook reminds us:
“The moment you stop questioning human nature is the moment you stop telling interesting stories.”

✨🌏 to our East Asia Student Night with Student Union Activities at Daisy Hill! 🎉🍂 Back in November 2021, we had a wonderful time sharing East Asian cultures and information about our organization 📚❤️.

We always enjoy connecting with students and are grateful for opportunities to collaborate with campus units and student organizations to create engaging, welcoming events for the KU community. 🤝💙

Here's to more partnerships, more memories, and more fun events ahead! 🫶✨

📣 Volunteers Needed! 🇯🇵

The Heart of America Japan-America Society (HAJAS) is looking for volunteers to help at the Kansas City Ethnic Enrichment Festival!

Whether you’ve volunteered before or are looking for a new way to get involved, this is a great opportunity to support Japanese culture, meet new people, and be part of one of Kansas City‘s favorite cultural festivals.

🗓 Festival Dates: August 21–23
📍 Location: Swope Park, Kansas City

We hope you’ll join HAJAS in making this year‘s festival a success! 🇯🇵🎉

The festival dates are Friday, Saturday and Sunday, August 21, 22, and 23. The festival is again in Swope Park. Set-up for the Japan booth is Saturday, August 15, 8:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. (lunch included).

To sign up to volunteer, please click the links below:

Booth Set-Up Saturday, August 15:
https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.signupgenius.com%2Fgo%2F4090C4BA9AB29A6FC1-64680334-2026&data=05%7C02%7Ceunyoung.lee%40ku.edu%7C54383602f1804d936b6408dee9a3d60e%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C639205087060867918%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=2kDkglcw%2BgEmyVtX225S6PGGKwvQpNbhjRSNsQPrhlo%3D&reserved=0

Festival Weekend: August 21,22,23
https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.signupgenius.com%2Fgo%2F4090C4BA9AB29A6FC1-64680333-2026&data=05%7C02%7Ceunyoung.lee%40ku.edu%7C54383602f1804d936b6408dee9a3d60e%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C639205087060936351%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=B3xorefbcl66bItDG%2B7hiPVkLNpQNO8eyyH7dsVjcGE%3D&reserved=0

This includes sign-ups for the Kitchen, Bazaar & Passport stamping.

🌟 FEATURED FRIDAY 🌟

This week, we're highlighting Steve Chen, a Taiwanese-American entrepreneur and co-founder of YouTube.

Born in Taipei, Taiwan, Chen immigrated to the United States as a child and later became one of the innovators behind YouTube, the platform that transformed how people share ideas, stories, and cultures around the world. As YouTube's first Chief Technology Officer, he helped build a technology that continues to connect billions of people globally.

💡 Did you know? YouTube was founded in 2005 and quickly became one of the most influential platforms in the digital age, changing communication, education, and entertainment worldwide.

Steve Chen's journey highlights the significant contributions of Taiwanese and Asian American innovators in shaping today's technology landscape.

IPSR Affiliate Jack Zhang was recently accepted to the Council on Foreign Relations Term Member program. This program is the oldest and most influential foreign policy group in the United States. Congratulations Jack!

Learn more from this link:
https://sites.google.com/view/jackzhang/twl