SEPTEMBER
Please contact the Board’s assistant, Karlee Hicks, at khicks@keironw.org or 206-571-2550 to arrange pick-up at Nikkei Manor, 700 6th Ave S, Seattle
■Dancing with Our Ancestors exhibit – now through Oct 13, W-SU, 12-4 p.m. Free. White River Valley Museum, 9f18 “H” St SE, Auburn. Created in partnership with the White River Buddhist Temple. See loans from temple members of kimonos, happi coats, yukatas, fans, taiko, historic photographs, and more. Learn about the history of the temple and obon traditions. Even learn some dances with an instructional video. See: https://www.wrvmuseum.org/.
■Bon Odori Family Day – SU, Sep 29, 1-3 p.m. Free. White River Valley Museum, 9f18 “H” St SE, Auburn.
■Honoring Our Connection event – Fri, Sep 27, 5-7:30 p.m. Free. Suggested donation $10. Seattle City Hall, Bertha Knight Landes Room, 600 Fourth Ave, Seattle. Join Seattle-Kobe Sister City Association in celebrating Qwaisius-Shaun Peterson who carved the replacement story pole in Kobe, Japan. Moderated conversation with Shaun and Dan Friday (great-grandson of Joseph Hillaire who carved the original pole. Members of the Lummi Nation and Puyallup Tribe will also share.
RSVP: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/c8b995805c60417691e102896895e71f. Special $6 parking at SeaPark Garage,6th Ave between Cherry and James. Questions? E-mail: Karin Zaugg Black at karinzaugg@yahoo.com.
See: https://www.seattlekobe.org/upcoming-events/.
OCOTOBER
Japan Week at Bellevue College! – Sat, Oct 5th, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Free. Bellevue College, 3000 Landerholm Circle SE, Bellevue. BC parking garage free on Saturday. Other parking lots $3/day. (Sep 30 – Oct 4th for Bellevue College students.) Oct. 5 is Matsuri (festival) Day open to the general public. Showing original Godzilla movie (with English subtitles) from 1954, anime cafe, manga swap, and flea market. Traditional Japanese musical performances, Japanese dance, martial arts demonstrations, self-shiatsu massage, tea ceremony, flower arrangement, calligraphy, origami, yukata photo booth, karaoke, Doraemon TV show, contests, etc.2 contests: origami and character bento (kyaraben) – submissions due Sep 27th. Need 200 volunteers to help. See: https://bit.ly/2024JW.
■Blaine Bazaar – Sat, Oct 5, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m., Blaine Memorial United Methodist Church, 3001 24th Ave S, Seattle. Take-out only with limited seating inside. BBQ salmon, BBQ chicken, vegetarian yakisoba, curry, suno dogs, and pie. Also farmer’s market, bake sale, and ohagi. Portions of the proceeds benefit Mission Guatemala. See: www.blaineonline.org.
■Matsutake Mushroom Hunting Lecture – Sat, Oct 5, 1-2 p.m. 220 PDX, 220 NW Second Ave., Portland, OR. Free. Amy Peterson, who leads the Japanese American Museum of Oregon’s annual matsutake hunt, will give a talk on mushroom hunting in Oregon, how to identify mushrooms, equipment needed, and where to find mushrooms. Registration required: https://jamo.org/matsutake-lecture/.
■Unearthing History: Planting the Seeds for Densho’s Legacy Unearthing History – Thu, Oct 10th, 5:30-7:30 p.m. PT / 8:30 p.m. ET. Densho’s 2024 virtual fundraiser. A celebration of collective impact and expression of ongoing commitment to stewarding for future generations. Register at: www.densho.org/unearthing-history.
■Philip Woo’s 50th High School Reunion Party! – Fri, Oct 11th, 7-10 p.m., Terry’s Kitchen, 5625 119th Ave SE, Bellevue. Live music. Franklin High, Garfield High, Cleveland High, Rainier Beach High, Seattle. All are welcome. Featuring: Philip Woo (via Tokyo) – keyboard and Harmonica, Leonard Berman – guitar, Danny Benson – bass, and Ben Smith – drums. Special Guest: Detroit’s own Ashton Moore – vocal and Swinky – vocal. Philip Woo’s Habanero Hot Sauce available for $10. Tickets: $35 (Includes sales tax).
Reservations : https://www.terryskitchenbellevue.com/. Also, see: https://www.facebook.com/philipwoomusic/.
■64th Convention of Japanese People Abroad – Tue-Thu, Oct 15-17th, Tokyo, Japan and online. Register at: https://jadesas.or.jp/jp/taikai01/ by Sep 17th. Any and every Nikkei and Japanese abroad are welcome to participate. We also welcome non- descendants who have an interest in Nikkeis and Nikkei communities, and are active members of Nikkei organizations.
■The Life, Art, and Faith of Sadao Watanabe trailer: Watanabe Yoshio video screening and art exhibition – Sun, Oct 20th; 30 min. screening: 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Japanese subtitles. Seattle Japanese Baptist Church, 160 Broadway, Seattle. Printmaking program for children and refreshments provided. For more information, see: www.jbcseattle.org
MISCELLANEOUS
■2026 Seattle FIFA World Cup Host City Poster Contest due Oct 20. Winning design will be featured as the official poster gaining national and international recognition. See details at: https://seattlefwc26.org/poster-contest.
■Omoide Project – seeking submissions for upcoming book, Omoide VII. No writing experience needed – just a desire to share and preserve stories of Japanese Americans. It will feature stories about small but significant acts of kindness and compassion. Expressed by Nikkei and non-Nikkei during World War II in 1942-45 when Japanese Americans were faced with great fear and uncertainty. If you’re interested in joining the Omoide Writing Group, contributing stories or a speaking presentation, contact: deegoto@gmail.com.
