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Tsunami Boat Builds Friendship Across Pacific

Project representatives of "The Extraordinary Voyage of Kamome" visits Seattle Kinokuniya on Jan. 24. Photo by Minami Endo/ The North American Post

By Minami Endo The North American Post

A book event for “The Extraordinary Voyage of Kamome,” a bilingual children’s book about the friendship between American and Japanese high school students after the devastating earthquake in 2011 in Japan, was held at Kinokuniya Book Store in Seattle on Jan. 24. The co-authors and illustrator of the book hosted a story reading, book signing and presented photography of the boat.

 

After the tsunami hit the Tohoku region in 2011, a boat from Takata High School in Rikuzentakata in Miyagi Prefecture was washed out into the ocean. Two years later, the boat was miraculously found on the shores of Crescent City, Calif., and was returned back to Rikuzentakata by the efforts of Del Norte High School students. This began an international exchange program between the two schools.

A book tour was held around the Pacific Northwest in January including an appearance at Bellevue Children’s Academy on Jan. 23.

“Donations from Seattle for the earthquake greatly helped the sufferers in Rikuzentakata,” said Amya Miller, one of the co-authors and the previous Director of Global Public Relations in Rikuzentakata.

“When the tsunami happened, I wanted to help as third generation Japanese American. So when I heard about this project, I thought that telling a story was the way I could help,” said Amy Uyeki, a Sansei and the illustrator of this book.

It has been five years since the earthquake happened. Miller said people are beginning to forget about it. The sweet story of the boat that came back to Japan all the way from the United States gave a hope to the victims and created a new bond between young American and Japanese people.

“The friendship of American and Japanese high school students broadens each others’ horizons,” Miller also said. “We must continue this beautiful friendship.”

Profits from the book will be donated to the international exchange program between the two schools. More information can be found at www2.humboldt.edu/kamome or www. facebook.com/kamomeboat/.

Japan earthquake and tsunami commemoration events will be held in March including the “Remember, Repair, Prepare” event at 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. on March 12 at Teatro Zinzani in Seattle and “Songs of Hope: Final Memorial Concert” at 4 p.m. on March 13 at Willows Preparatory School in Redmond.

Details will be announced in coming editions.

Mike Hirakawa of Tsukushinbo Passes

By The North American Post Staff

Mike Hirakawa, the owner the classic local Japanese restaurant Tsukushinbo, is known to have passed away Sunday evening or early Monday. Details about the funeral will be published as they become known. The restaurant has remained open despite Hirakawa’s death.

Genji Mihara Returns with Leis from Japan in 1958

Original Issue Date: Feb. 8, 1958 Translated by Minami Endo The North American Post

Genji Mihara, president of Japanese Community Service in Seattle (JCS), arrived at Seattle Tacoma International Airport directly from Honolulu via PanAmerican Airlines at 10:05 p.m. yesterday. He joined the Imperial New Year’s Poetry Reading in Japan, setting the theme with “clouds.” About twenty friends from JCS, Seattle Tanka Poetry Society, Japanese Presbyterian Church and Mr. and Mrs. Consul General Takeno, Senior Counsel Yoshioka and Mr. and Mrs. Webber of the Port of Seattle welcomed Mihara who was wearing three Hawaiian leis. His wife Katsuno could not approach him because of the crowds, but Consul General Takeno guided her to Mihara, which was a pleasant moment.

“Since the welcome parties and interviews kept being held almost everyday during my one-month stay in Japan, I spoke too much and my voice is gone,” Mihara said.

“To summarize the Imperial New Year’s Poetry Reading, I visited the Imperial Palace at 9 a.m. on Jan. 10, joined the ritual for the opening ceremony for an hour and half and met the Emperor and Empress in a room with the other 14 members who were selected for the honor.

“Minister of Ceremony, Chief Harada of the Imperial Household Agency introduced, me as ‘Mr. Genji Mihara, president of Japanese Community Service in Seattle from Washington State, United States of America,’ to the Emperor, and he told me, ‘You came back again.’ ”

After lunch, I had a chance to speak with the four poetry judges. They explained that they picked a few dozen poems from seventeen thousand works, and the final 15 poems were selected by the Emperor.

After the meeting, we got on a bus for a tour of the Imperial Palace and left there at 4 p.m.

Poem Contributes to U.S.-Japan Friendship, but “No need for celebration party”

Mihara’s hometown, Koryo Village in Hikawa County in Shimane Prefecture is now planning to build a memorial led by local leaders to celebrate the story of the village being told in the United States. Secretary Victor Mayer of Washington State also sent a letter to Mihara mentioning his appreciation of how Mt. Rainier was introduced to Japan and sharing his hopes of displaying the framed poem in his office.

Mr. McKay, chief staff of Mt. Rainier National Park, sent Mihara a free access pass to the park to show his appreciation for the advertisement of Mt. Rainier. The Emperor chose Mihara’s poem singing about his home village and Mt. Rainier, and that helped contribute to the U.S.-Japan friendship.

“I appreciate the kindness from everyone for the visit to Japan,” Mihara said. “I was surprised to know there would be a ‘Celebration Party,’ but I must decline it. In Tokyo, I received favors from Tetsuo Saito, Juzo Yoshikawa and Toshio Sato, and they asked me to give their best regards to everyone. Mayor Watanabe of the City of Hiroshima also shared a message that he looks forward to everyone’s visit for the Hiroshima Restoration Exposition in April and May.”

Welcome to Uwajimaya Seattle Concierge Demo

By Robert Giulietti For the North American Post

Shabu-shabu — 4 Servings

Ingredients

Hot Pot Broth

2 ½ tsp    Ajinomoto Hondashi Powder (Grocery Aisle 4A)

6 cups      Water (Grocery Aisle 7A)

1 tsp        Cooking Sake (Grocery Aisles 3B, 10)

Hot Pot Ingredients

4 cups      Chopped Nappa Cabbage (Produce Dept)

½ cup       Chopped Shiitake Mushrooms (Produce Dept)

1 pk          Diced Tofu (Seafood Dept)

1 lb           Thinly Sliced Sukiyaki style Beef (Meat Dept)

Dipping Sauces

Ajinomoto Rich Sesame Sauce (Grocery Special $3.69)

Ajinomoto Spicy Miso Sauce (Grocery Special $3.69)

Ajinomoto Spicy Shoyu Sauce (Grocery Special $3.69)

Prepare the table: Shabu-shabu, or hot pot style food, is as much an experience as it is a delicious meal. It is meant to be shared with a group of people in an open and interactive setting. There are no strict rules to inhibit your experience with regard to setup and/or ingredients, so please use this recipe as a guideline to “single pot” dining as is done in many Asian countries. Place a large “Nabe” (na-beh) style pot in the center of the table on top of a portable burner. Provide side bowls and smaller dishes for dipping sauces for each guest. Other helpful tools include skimmers, chopsticks, hot pot spoons and sauce dispensers. Note: If you lack any of these setup items, you will be able to find them at your favorite Asian grocery/gift market.

Prepare broth: Mix dashi powder with water and bring to a simmer. Add sake and reduce heat until broth is at a gentle simmer. Optional: Rather than use instant dashi powder, combine water with konbu (kelp) seaweed, bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and add katsuobushi or shaved bonito flakes and sake. Remove konbu and katsuobushi with a strainer and allow the broth to gently simmer.

Add ingredients: Once the broth maintains a gentle simmer, add cabbage, tofu and mushrooms and increase the heat to bring the broth back to a simmer – about two minutes. Once the broth is simmering, reduce the heat and get ready to eat! Optional recommended ingredients (be creative): Vegetables— spinach, yu choy sum, baby bok choy, shingiku, mizuna, daikon, watercress, leeks, green onion, Tokyo negi. Mushrooms—oyster, crimini, shimeji, maitake, hedgehog, enoki. Thinly sliced meats—pork, chicken, lamb, beef. Noodles—shirataki noodles, udon, rice noodles, bean thread noodles. Note: If you would like to find these ingredients, they are usually available at your favorite Asian grocery/gift market.

Enjoy: Prepare dipping sauces in smaller side dishes. Distribute about half of the vegetables, tofu and mushrooms in the side bowls. At any time, each individual is to dip one slice of beef into the simmering broth for about 15 seconds until the surface is cooked. Immediately remove the beef from of the pot, dip it into your chosen sauce, and enjoy!

Internment Musical Makes Its Mark on Broadway But Is Set to Close on Feb. 14

Lea Salonga and George Takei in a scene from Allegiance. ©Matthew Murphy

By Chris Hope For the North American Post

All good things must come to an end, but this end is coming far too soon. At the end of October, I had the privilege of attending a preview of Allegiance at the Longacre Theatre on Broadway.

I was more than a little apprehensive about the idea of an internment musical, but after witnessing the approach the team behind Allegiance had taken with the show, I quickly developed the firm belief that the production had the potential to represent the greatest opportunity of my generation for the Japanese American (JA) community to deliver the internment story to the widest possible audience.

Unfortunately, St. Valentine will be delivering a sad message this year; Allegiance has been slated to close on February 14.

Here is an excerpt of a piece I wrote for the Nikkei Voice to capture my impressions of the show after seeing the preview in October 2015:

George Takei has over 9 million likes on Facebook. Few in history have been able to directly market an audience like he can, and he’s been tracking the progress of Allegiance for his social media audience since he opened his Twitter account in 2011 (currently at nearly 1.8 million followers). That is an unprecedented advantage for advance publicity for a Broadway show.

As in Canada, the U.S. internment of JA’s remains a sensitive matter for many. There are several additional layers to the JA story that make it an even more nuanced and still divisive history when compared with the Japanese Canadian (JC) experience. Add to that the fact that keeping the U.S. internment story in the curriculum has been a challenge for American educators; general knowledge regarding the internment of JA’s across the U.S. is extremely low.

With its access to a diverse audience through Takei, Allegiance represents a make-or-break moment for the dissemination of the U.S. internment story. It simply must be “done right,” balancing history, community sensitivity, and commercial appeal.

As I was waiting for the show to begin, I reflected on the fact that there isn’t much “new” that I’ve experienced with regard to the recalling of internment history in many years. The curtain rose and I was quickly transported into the internment process. What a strange feeling.

Although the outcome of the JC/ JA internments was very different with regard to the treatment of property and the post-War treatment of “evacuees”, the process of the internments was similar enough that JC’s witnessing the show will easily see their ancestors on the stage throughout the production. I experienced more than a few moments of being deeply moved, empathizing with the characters as if they were my own family. My gosh, the affectations and approach to life between pre-War JA’s and JC’s was similar!

Where good theatre holds the possibility of transcending the stage, I was amazed at how quickly Allegiance demolished the barrier between the audience and the performers. By the end of the first act I already felt that, on a personal emotional level, the production was entirely successful. Keep your eye on the reviews after the formal opening of the show on November 8, 2015. I suspect that the critics will be pleasantly surprised.

I strongly recommend that all JC’s make the effort to witness the production in person for the rare opportunity to come as close as humanly possible to experiencing the internment chapter of our shared JC/JA history. At best you’ll commune with “family.” At worst you’ll witness an unprecedented social media phenomenon first-hand coupled with two hours of solid Broadway-caliber performances.

In stewarding the production from its unlikely concept to its Broadway opening, George Takei has come to personify the spirit that drives the JA family at the centre of the show: Gaman—persevering with patience and dignity in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

I am left with the hope that the production will leave a lasting legacy that all of those working to preserve the Japanese North American story will benefit from; the JC community has much to gain from the potential success of Allegiance.

* * * * *

Allegiance plays at the Longacre Theatre on Broadway until February 14, 2016. I strongly urge anyone with an interest in JC/JA history and a desire for a true Broadway experience to attend. Tickets are now very limited but available on the show website at: allegiancemusical.com. The website will also provide information regarding future productions and plans for the musical.

Editor’s note: The article was originally published in the Discover Nikkei at www.discovernikkei.org managed by the Japanese American National Museum. The writer is a Toronto-based lawyer, writer and director of Hatsumi – One Grandmother’s Journey Through the Japanese Canadian Internment.

Japan Businesss Association Gathers for the New Year

Japan Business Association of Seattle held its annual New Year’s party on Jan. 15 at Hilton Bellevue Hotel gathering about 230 members and community representatives. The attendees celebrated the new year with a kagami biraki ceremony, dinner and entertainment including a video PR contest joined by seven companies.

Photo courtesy of JBA, Seattle Digital Photography

What Hana’s Suitcase Bring to Today

Fumiko Ishioka, executive director of Tokyo Holocaust Education Resource Center. Photo by Alabastro Photography, Courtesy of Seattle Children’s Theatre

By Fumika Iwasaki The North American Post

“Hana’s suitcase” opened at Seattle Children’s Theater on Jan. 21. The play is set during the holocaust, focusing on a little girl, Hana, and her luggage.

Fumiko Ishioka, Executive Director of the Tokyo Holocaust Education Resource Center, thought the holocaust could become a starting place for children to think about discrimination and prejudice in their lives.

“It might be a different situation from the United States or Canada, but in Japanese society, there is discrimination and prejudice,” she said. “I would like children to be conscious of discrimination in society and work to create an unprejudiced society.”

Hana’s suitcase was first brought to the Tokyo Holocaust Education Resource Center as an exhibit. Ishioka had the idea that it could be used as the focal point of a real life story through which to ask what kind of dreams the 13 year old owner had, how many family members there were or where she was sent with the suitcase.”

Including Germany, European countries have worked hard to preserve
resources about the holocaust and learn from then. With research, Ishioka found and met George Bredy, Hana’s brother.

“Hana’s suitcase,” including Hana’s stories and Ishioka’s activities, was published and then a documentary and a movie were made. Additionally, stage plays were held in Japan, Canada and the United States. Because Sheri Biller, from the Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation, and Friends of Hana’s Suitcase have made every effort to hold the play for about 10 years, Seattle became the first city to host the play on the west coast.

In addition, because of Biller’s recommendation, Ishioka received a Distinguished Service Award from the University of Washington Alumni Association. As in Japan, Ishioka visited schools and spoke about Hana’s stories.

“If people can appreciate their family or siblings after seeing the play, I’m so happy,” said Bredy who also joined the Seattle visit last week.

Emil Sher, playwright, said, “The play shows not only how the holocaust was sad but also people’s hope. Discrimination and violence like the holocaust do not just belong to history, they still continue around the world. I hope the play will become an opportunity examine our daily lives.”

The show will be run until Feb. 7.

“Not only in the holocaust, but thinking about innocent people who
have been killed throughout history and having a imagination could help to develop peace,” Ishioka said. “I hope ‘Hana’s suitcase” promotes the growth of children’s imaginations.'”

More information can be found at www.sct.org.

Kishu Club Celebrates New Year

Seattle Kishu Club (Wakayama Kenjin-kai) started its 111th year with a New Year’s Celebration on Sunday at the Japanese Cultural & Community Center of Washington. About 40 members including four generations of the Sudo Family attended the annual gathering.

Photo courtesy of Seattle Kishu Club.

Japanese Emperor arrives in the Philippines

By Maiya Gessling The North American Post

Japanese Emperor Akihito and his wife, Empress Michiko, arrived in the Philippines on Tuesday for a fourday visit at the invitation of Philippine President Benigno Aquino.

The Emperor read out a short statement in Tokyo before his departure: “Many Filipinos, Americans and Japanese lost their lives in the Philippines during the war. Especially in the battle in Manila, a tremendously large number of innocent Filipino civilians were victims. Upon making this visit, we need to bear this in mind at all times.”

Akihito and Michiko visited the Philippines once before as crown prince, but this is the first-ever official visit by a reigning Japanese emperor. The president and emperor reportedly discussed Japanese cars and the entrance of the Japanese clothing brand Uniqlo, leaving more contentious issues such as security in the South China Sea and Filipina “comfort women” to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his government.

Akihito laid a wreath at the Heroes’ Cemetary, acknowledging the 1.1 million Filipinos and 518,000 Japanese soldiers and civilians who lost their lives in World War II.

Japanese-born sumo wrestler wins Emperor’s Cup

After ten years of close-calls and disappointments, Fukuoka-born ozeki (second rank) Kotoshogiku has become the first Japanese wrestler to win an Emperor’s Cup since retired ozeki Tochiazuma won the same tournament in 2006.

For sumo followers, Kotoshogiku’s victory comes as a surprise. Many thought ozeki Kisenosato had the best chance of winning a tournament victory for Japan, but Kotoshogiku came through this tournament with a 14-1 record and a chance to earn promotion to yokozuna (first rank) in March’s Spring tournament.

“I’m filled with happiness beyond words. I was given lots of support even when I was having a tough time and not getting results, and I’m happy I’m standing here today,” Kotoshogiku said, according to the Japan Times.

Mitsubishi Zero flies over Japan for first time since WWII

A restored Mitsubishi Zero fighter, Japan’s most famous World War II plane, took to the skies over Japan on Wednesday for the first time since World War II.

This particular plane has been in Japan since it was purchased by a Japanese citizen for $3.5 million in 2014. Before that it made an apperance in the movie “Pearl Harbor” and belonged to an American who restored it flying condition after it was found in Rabaul, New Guinea in the 1970s.

The pilot for the flight was decorated former U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Skip Holm, who flew the plane in and out of Kanoya Air Base.

UW’s Forefront backs Effort to Engage Gun Dealers and Pharmacies on Suicide Prevention

Patty and David Yamashita

By Deborah Bach/UW News and Information For the North American Post

Patty Yamashita was a vivacious, sweet, high-energy woman who balanced a career as an IT manager with a steadfast dedication to her family. She worked long hours but was always home to put dinner on the table and read a bedtime story for her children.

“My mother was my hero,” said her son, David. “Usually a boy or man would say that their father showed them the way in terms of growing up and how to live and how to conduct yourself in the world, but my mom really showed that to me.”

But in July 2014, Patty, who had struggled with mental illness for several years, ended her life by overdosing on prescription medication.

“Never in a million years would we have guessed that she would make the decision she did,” said David, 29.

Patti Yamashita was one of 1,111 Washington residents who died by suicide that year. Nearly 70 percent of suicides in the state involve guns, poisonings and drug overdoses, and suicide prevention experts say many of those deaths happen in homes where guns and medications are not safely stored.

Forefront: Innovations in Suicide

Forefront co-founder Jennifer Stuber Photo by Enrique Garcia

Forefront

Prevention, based at the University of Washington School of Social Work, is working closely with Rep. Tina Orwall (D-Des Moines) on new legislation aimed at reducing these tragedies. The bill, which has support from gun owners, would engage firearms dealers and pharmacists to raise awareness about suicide and the need to restrict access to guns and prescription drugs for those at risk of attempting to kill themselves.

House Bill 2793 would:

•Create a Safe Homes Task Force led by the UW School of Social Work that would develop suicide prevention messages and trainings for gun dealers and owners, pharmacy schools and firearm safety educators

•Incorporate suicide prevention messaging into firearm safety brochures and safety training

•Require the state Department of Health to develop a “safe homes partner” certification for firearms dealers and offer tax credits for those who become certified

•Direct the Department of Fish & Wildlife to update safety brochures to include information about suicide awareness and prevention

•Test the effectiveness of combining suicide prevention training and distribution of secure storage devices and medication disposal kits in two Washington communities, one rural and one urban, with high suicide rates

Jennifer Stuber, Forefront’s cofounder and faculty director, said the legislation has support from numerous stakeholders, including the Seattle and King County public health department and the Washington State Pharmacy Association, and was developed in close consultation with the National Rifle Association and the Washington based Second Amendment Foundation. The buy-in from gun owners, she said, makes this legislation unique.

“Gun owners are excited about the bill, and they want to help with suicide prevention,” said Stuber, an associate professor at the UW School of Social Work. “The suicide prevention movement has needed this so desperately. This is a message that’s coming from the very people it needs to come from.”

Nearly 80 percent of firearm deaths in Washington state are suicides. In 2014, 49 percent of suicides in Washington involved firearms, while poisonings from prescription medications and other substances accounted for 19 percent.

“The consequences of suicide are devastating to families and the figures are alarming,” Orwall said in a release, noting that Washington’s suicide rate is 14 percent higher than the national average.

“But it is the nation’s most preventable form of death, and we all have a role in averting it by forming partnerships and working together to raise awareness and limit access to lethal means.”

Stuber, who lost her husband to firearm suicide in 2011, said the legislation is intended to target people at risk of suicide as well as other gun shop and pharmacy customers.

Customers would see educational messages displayed, and employees would be trained to talk with them about suicide risk and the importance of securely storing guns and prescription drugs.

“People think that the big risk of storing firearms safely is about someone breaking into your house and using them to commit crimes,” she said.

“But the very real risk is within your own home. If you’ve got kids in your home, if you’ve got someone who’s depressed in your home, if you’ve got someone who’s depressed visiting your home — those are the kinds of risks that people aren’t aware of.”

The bill, whose companion bill is sponsored by Sen. Joe Fain, R-Auburn, is scheduled to go before the House Judiciary Committee on Jan. 26. Forefront has helped support the passage of five other suicide prevention bills in the past four years that require training for mental health workers, doctors and nurses, and require middle and high schools to implement screening, training and suicide response plans.

Forefront volunteers will be speaking about the legislation at its third annual suicide prevention education day in Olympia on Jan. 25. More than 50 supporters, most of whom have been directly impacted by suicide, are expected to attend. The group will hold a ceremony on the front lawn of the state legislative building at 10:30 a.m. that will feature a temporary memorial with 1,111 mini tombstones representing the Washington residents who died by suicide in 2014.

Patty Yamashita, who loved animals and was a skilled cook and baker, grew up in Seattle’s Rainier Valley. Despite attending community college for just a few semesters, she built a successful career in the tech industry, working for companies including Nintendo and T-Mobile. She juggled work and family with seeming ease, but was an alcoholic who managed to hide her drinking from her family.

In 2009, Patty underwent treatment for alcoholism, and shortly afterward was laid off. Over the next three years, as she applied for job after job, her mental health began to unravel, David said. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and depression and became increasingly unstable. She was having trouble managing her medications — forgetting them one day, taking a double dosage the next — so David and his father kept them locked up, carefully dispensing her daily dosages.

In early July 2014, David took his mother to a pharmacy to refill her prescriptions, then dropped her off and went golfing. He forgot to lock up her medications, not fully realizing the desperate state his mother was in. By the next morning, Patty lay in a hospital bed, unconscious. She died a day later with her family by her side.

David has been working with Forefront for a year and believes the proposed legislation could save lives by increasing awareness and facilitating conversation about mental illness and suicide.

“I think the stigma around suicide obscures the fact that recovery from mental illness does happen,” he said. “I wish my mom would have lived to know that.”

For more information, contact Forefront Communications Coordinator Sue Lockett John at suej@uw.edu or 206-919-9677.

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Need help? If you are feeling suicidal, call for help NOW. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-2738255

Nagomi Features Japan Food

Above left: Variety of creative foods parepard by Takeyuki Suetsugu are displayed. Bottom left: A bento box featuring nagaimo. Right: Takeyuki Suetsugu o f B i s t r o S a t s u m a demonstrates how to use nagaimo for home cooking. Photos by Maiya Gessling

By The North American Post Staff

Aomi Prefecture sponsored the Nagaimo (mountain yam) Food Festival at the Nagomi Tea House on Jan. 25 featuring a variety of dishes prepared by local chef Takeyuki Suetsugu of Bistro Satsuma in Gig Harbor.

“As we introduce various ideas of how to eat nagimo, I hope we can find new markets and new customers who have never tried this food,” said Masahiko Osanai, executive senior chief in the International Trade Division of the prefecture.

Monday’s menu included steamed soba with grated nagimo, yamabuki fried nagaimo, fusion pizza with nagaimo and bacon and kenchin steamed salmon and nagaimo

Awards Given to Recognize U.S.-Japan Supporters

Consul General Award Recipients, from left, Tetsuden Kashima, Tsuchino Forrester, Barbara Sanchez and Mr. and Mrs. Consul General Masahiro Omura. Photo courtesy of Consulate General of Japan in Seattle

By The North American Post Staff

Consul General Masahiro Omura held an annual New Year’s party at his official residence inviting hundreds of community leaders. He reviewed the local U.S.-Japan friendship activities of the last year and said he expected another flourishing community year for 2016.

Omura also presented four awards, one Foreign Minister Award to the Obon Society and the Consul General Award to Tsuchino Forrester, Tetsuden Kashima and Barbara Sanchez.

Obon Society, a non-profit organization by Rex and Keiko Ziak of Astoria, Ore., has actively assisted in the return of Japanese war flags, artifacts and memorial belongings to Japanese soldiers that were brought from battle fields to their relatives.

Last year, the activities were acknowledged by the Japanese government when the Ziaks visited Japan with U.S. veterans and met with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

“With the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, Obon Society’s work has been recognized as an important symbol of reconciliation, mutual understanding and friendship between our two countries,” the consulate states.

According to the Japanese consulate, the Foreign Minister’s Commendation in Honor of the 70th Anniversary of the End of the War has been awarded
to 28 individuals and 14 groups around the country “in recognition of their outstanding achievements in and contributions to the promotion of good relations between Japan and the United States.”

Omura honored Forrester, Kashima and Sanchez with the Consul General Awards to recognize their “outstanding achievements in and contributions to the promotion of good relations between Japan and the United States.”

Forrester has been involved with local Nikkei community organizations through her tireless efforts, monetary contributions and strong leadership over last 30 years. She led Kisaragikai from 1990 to 1998 transforming the group into a public service organization and helping to build Nikkei Manor. She is a founder of the Japanese International Marriage Friendship Club and is the co-president of Japanese Community Service of Seattle.

Kashima is a nationally recognized scholar and expert of Japanese American history and the incarceration experience. His research has raised awareness of an important part of history and promoted mutual understanding between the United States and Japan. He has led the annual Day of Remembrance event at the University of Washington and the cherry planting project on campus in 2014 to commemorate the centennial of the first Japanese cherry tree gift to the United States.

Sanchez has been involved with sister city activities to strengthen the friendship between Japan and the United States. “It is thanks to the hard
work and strong grassroots diplomacy on the part of people like Ms. Sanchez that the connection between Japan and Washington State continues to thrive,” the consulate states.

Fukushima Club Gathers for New Year

Seattle Fukushima Club held its annual New Year’s party at Four Seas Restaurant in the International District on Sunday; gathering about 60 attendees including members and representatives from other local prefecture clubs and the Japanese consulate. Despite a disappointing loss by the Seattle Seahawks, the attendees greeted each other happily and enjoyed the dinner and entertainment. Several members also reported on the Fukushima tour that the club organized last year and presented various photos of the adventure, including coastal towns where they could share evidence of the posttsunami reconstruction that they witnessed.

Photo by Shihou Sasaki/ The North American Post

Young Nikkei Stand Up as Future Role Model

Gabrielle Kazuko Gainor on stage at the 2014 Seattle Cherry Blossom & Japanese Cultural Festival. Photo courtesy of Gabrielle Kazuko Gainor

By Fumika Iwasaki The North American Post

Gabrielle Kazuko Gainor (Nomura) has been an energetic choreographer fighting for social justice and against stereotypes she faced as a youth. Being a Gosei (fifth generation Japanese American), she still has plenty of stories about her ancestors and their World War II experiences.

“In 1906, an earthquake occurred in San Francisco, and I know my Nomura side were carpenters, so after the earthquake they found there was work for them, so they came to the states and helped to rebuild the city,” she said. “So they, my great-great grandparents, came over, and my great grand parents were incarcerated during World War II in Heart Mountain in Wyoming, my ojichan (grandfather) was born in camp.”

Gainor, media relations manager of Seattle Opera and a member of the local chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League, said she is the first of her family to live in Seattle while most of her family history belongs to the Los Angeles community. She added that her family’s connections helps her see herself as a Japanese American.

“I think I’ve always been aware of being Japanese American,” she said. “I’m a mixed person, a Filipino, Irish American as well. But I grew up saying certain Japanese word around the house. My mother had me when she was young, so my grandfather was a really big part of raising me. He is Sansei (third generation Japanese American), but because his mom is a kibei who lived so much of her life in Japan, he is really connected to Japanese culture.

“In addition, my great grand mother gave me middle name, which is Kazuko,” she continued.

For Gainor, her grandfather made a great impact on not only identifying as a Japanese American but in regards to social justice. Beside World War II, she learned from him the importance of civil rights and social justice, sharing stories of a farm worker’s movement to support his Mexican neighborhood.

“Actually, he spoke Spanish as well as Japanese,” recalled Gainor of her grandfather.

She created a modern dance company called Relay Dance Collective that performs in Seattle with local dancers and choreographers. In 2014, she created the dance piece “Farewell Shikata ga nai” about Japanese American incarceration during World War II, with ballet and taiko drumming.

The play was featured at JACL Seattle chapter’s annual banquet, Seattle Cherry Blossom and Japanese Cultural Festival, Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month celebration and the Wing Luke Museum.

“It was a great opportunity to tie my background and dance together with my involvement in the Japanese American community,” she said.

Through dance, Gainor has recently been choreographing about stereotypes of different of people including Asian Hollywood stars.

“A lot of times Asian men in Hollywood are hunky and get the girl, like Jackie Chan, or they are ninjas or clown-like psychics,” she said. “I’m just sort of expounding on these stereotypes and how they affect us as a choreographer, and how we change with them. I want to make a statement there is more than being a Japanese person, a Japanese American person, an Asian person. I’m just constantly thinking about these issues because this is the way I experienced the world, and the way I am treated in society and the world as an Asian woman. I guess my goal is just to tell stories as an artist. These are just stories I know how to tell because of being Asian and Japanese.”

In Japanese, there is a proverb: Ko Young ha Oya no Senaka wo mite sodatsu. It means “Children grow as they look at the backs of their parents.” Young people really look to their elders. If you want to make a better future, it might be best to make yourself a role model.

Gainor said that art is a suitable way to express this and make an impact on society.

“It’s important for children to have role models…because a lot of us don’t,” she said. “And if we can inspire the next generation, that would be great.”

Kotoshogiku Takes Lead at New Year’s Sumo Tournament

Ozeki (second rank) Kotoshogiku has become the story of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament as he raises hopes of becoming the first Japanese sumo champion in ten years. Born in Fukuoka, the ozeki defeated Monogolian yokozuna (first rank) Kakuryu on Tuesday and yokozuna Hakuho, also Mongolian, on Wednesday.

The Japan Times says that Kotoshogiku “was fastest off the mark, slammed into Hakuho’s left shoulder, wrapped up his opponent’s arms and seized control.

” Kotoshogiku is now 11-0 for the tournament with four matches to go. His closest competition is Hakuho, 101, and yokozuna Harumafuji, 10-1. The tournament sold out for Wednesday and Thursday.

Historic Panama Hotel on Sale

Panama Hotel is located on the corner of 6th Avenue South and South Main Street.Photo by Shihou Sasaki/ The North American Post

By The North American Post Staff

The historic Panama Hotel has recently come on sale after about 30-years of management by Jan Johnson who has tried to preserve the site, reported KPLU last week.

Listed as a National Histroric Landmark building in 2006 and as a National Treasure as the first site in Seattle by the National Trust last year, the Panama Hotel was built in 1910 by Japanese architect Saburo Ozasa and has been a key site for the Japanese community at the corner of 6th Avenue South and South Main Street.

While there are huge legacies and value in the building including the historical materials and last remaining sento (public bathhouse) in the country, the future of its management will be a difficult challenge between preservation and businesses.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation states last year that the organziation will collaborate with Johnson “and Historic Seattle to find a new steward, while honoring the legacies of Johnson and previous owner Takashi Hori.”

Japan Removes Swastikas from Tourist Maps

By Maiya Gessling The North American Post

In its bid to make itself more accessible to tourists as the Rugby

World Cup and Tokyo Summer

Summer Olympics approach, Japan’s tourist maps are being overhauled to mixed reception. Most notably, the symbol used to represent Buddhist temples, which closely resembles Nazi Germany’s swastika though it has a much older history of its own, will be replaced by a three-story pagoda.

the change has drawn controversy, as the swastika-like symbol originated in Sanskrit and has been associated with Buddhism for centuries. Head of the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, Takayuki Nakamura, told the Japan Times, “Some say we should change symbols for Japanese-language maps at this opportunity, while others say the traditional symbols should stay…It will take a while before any changes are made, as we need to co-ordinate with related government agencies.”

Other changes include the symbols for police station, hotel, post office, church and hospital.

The Last Living Asahi: Kaye Kaminishi and His Life in Baseball, Part 2

First pitch at a Shin Asahi exhibition game, October 2014..

By Howard Shimokura For The North American Post

Kaye’s baseball career did not just end with the disbanding of the Vancouver Asahi. Kaye and his mother were evacuated to East Lillooet, one of the first self-supporting internment camps. Internees in self-supporting camps received no government support. For the first year, life was very hard, as the internees had to build their own homes and households in very primitive camp conditions. Camp internees were restricted from entering the town of Lillooet, which was across the Fraser River. The bridge across the river was the only link to Lillooet and the internees required a permit to cross the bridge.

Soon after he arrived in the East Lillooet internment camp, Kaye organized a softball team among the residents of the camp and was looking for more opportunities to play. The RCMP detachment in Lillooet was responsible for ensuring that the regulations of the BC Security Commission were upheld. RCMP officers often visited the internment camp to check on camp conditions. On one of these visits, Kaye approached an officer to propose that the East Lillooet softball team play a Lillooet team in an exhibition match. The officer thought that this was a good idea and gladly accepted the challenge.

Exhibition games between the Japanese and a team in Lillooet opened up interactions between the two distinct communities. The merchants in Lillooet were excited by the new opportunities that the Japanese afforded. Until then, Lillooet was a dying community. The Japanese had cash to spend. So the game of baseball created a bridge to a new social and economic relationship that benefitted everyone.

At the end of the war and internment, at age 25, Kaye was anxious to get on with his life and continue playing baseball. He moved to Kamloops where he found employment and a church baseball team to play for. He was the only Japanese person on the team. He played third base in Kamloops for several years, first with the Kamloops CYO in the Interior League, then the Elks in the Okanagan Valley League. After his playing days ended in 1954, he coached young players in Little League, then retired from baseball entirely. For Kaye, baseball took a backseat to life and raising a family.

As Kaye tells it, the resurrection of the Asahi story began with the 1992 publication of Pat Adachi’s excellent book Asahi: A Legend in Baseball, which was a tribute to the team and its people: the founders, players, coaches and managers. The Asahi story, a tribute to overcoming adversity in the face of the racial and economic discrimination that an ethnic group encountered on a daily basis at the time, captured the imagination of many. Jari Osborne, a National Film Board film maker, produced the movie Sleeping Tigers: The Asahi Baseball Story, which premiered at the Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre in 2003. A nomination to Canada’s Baseball Hall of Fame spearheaded by a group in Toronto, including Pat Adachi, led to the team’s induction into the Hall of Fame in 2003. Grace Eiko Thomson curated the 2005 NNMCC exhibit called Leveling the Playing Field: Legacy of Vancouver’s Asahi Baseball Team, an exhibit that also toured Canada. The team was inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 2005. Journalists in Japan took a strong interest in the story and wrote newspaper and magazine articles as well as books in Japanese for an audience who had little or no knowledge about the Asahi, but who were captivated by the story of overcoming adversity. In 2014, a Japanese film studio released the movie Vancouver Asahi, a fictionalized period drama based on the Asahi story. This film premiered at the 2014 Vancouver International Film Festival and won its People’s Choice award.

While the resurrection of the Asahi story was happening in Canada, Kaye recalls a similar story about captivating audiences in Japan. In the summer of 1992, shortly after Pat Adachi published her book, Kaye and his wife were on a Gray Line tour bus touring Vancouver, showing relatives from Japan the sights of Vancouver. When the bus passed Oppenheimer Park, Kaye told his relatives that the Asahi played baseball on that field. Another tourist from Japan on the bus overheard the conversation and very excitedly approached Kaye to find out more. Mr. Norio Goto, who was a media announcer with the Japanese professional baseball team the Nagoya Chumichi Dragons, was that tourist. Mr. Goto was so enthralled by the Asahi story that he returned to Japan to organize a project to tell the Asahi story to the Japanese audience. Two years later he and a 5-person film crew returned to Canada to research the history of the Asahi baseball team and film interviews with Kaye, other former Asahi players, and Pat Adachi. The resulting film, which described the Asahi in the context of the history of the Japanese in Canada, was shown in prime time to a wide Japanese audience. Mr. Goto also wrote a book, The Vancouver Asahi Monogatari (Story), which was published in 2010. In 2014, a manga series of 5 issues called The Vancouver Asahi Story was published. Kaye and Mr. Goto remain strong friends to this day.

Several baseball teams playing today have honored the Asahi as a role model for overcoming racial and economic discrimination and a metaphor for living in today’s diverse society. On May 15, 2002, the Asahi and four of its original players were honored before a Blue Jays game at Toronto’s Skydome. On more than one occasion, most recently on August 10, 2015, the Vancouver Canadians have honoured the team and asked Kaye to throw the ceremonial first pitch at Nat Bailey Stadium in Vancouver where a large wall mural of the Asahi is on display. Signage honouring the team is also on display at Oppenheimer Park.

Formation of the Canadian Nikkei Youth Baseball Club is another legacy inspired by the Asahi baseball story. Consisting of 200 members and 80 players making up five Shin (new) Asahi teams, in five age categories from age nine to adult, they play Asahi-style baseball in exhibition and tournament play in the greater Vancouver area every summer. As an honorary founding member of the club, Kaye is an inspiration to the young players who come from diverse backgrounds and have a common interest: playing baseball.

These events have brought the Asahi back to life and Kaye could not be more delighted.

Kaye Kaminishi with a plaque at Oppenheimer Park

Kaye, as the last living Asahi team member, continues to be asked for interviews. He is humbled by all the attention. “This all happened over 70 years ago. I was just a kid who was good enough to be selected to play for the Asahi. I think I was the youngest on the team, and I played for only two seasons. My career with the Asahi was over before I was 20,” he says, with more than a touch of bewilderment in his voice.

Kaye often reflects on his good fortune to have been chosen to play for the Asahi and for his good health that has enabled him to participate in the many events honouring the team since the publication of Pat Adachi’s book. He says that he is often overcome by an overwhelming sense of the pride that he imagines his parents, the ancestors of the Asahi players and the entire Japanese community must be feeling now. He is also saddened that his parents and the parents of Asahi players are not able to share in the limelight of the Asahi story’s retelling.

Until a few years ago, Kaye played competitive level badminton. He participated in the BC Senior Games for more than 20 years. With his partner Herb Pendell from Salmon Arm, BC, they captured first place in the men’s doubles category for 10 consecutive years from 1971 to 1980. In 1995, he and his partner won second place in men’s doubles at the All American Senior Games tournament in San Antonio Texas. In a recent interview about his participation in the BC Games he said, “I’ve got about 25 medals,” pointing to a display on a wall in his home in Kamloops. “I used to play singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. Now I just play men’s doubles. I’m taking it easy.”

“Sports has been really good to me.”

Photos are courtesy of Haward Shimokura.

Editor’s note: This is the second part of the article, which was originally published in Nikkei Images, Volume 20 number 3 (Fall 2015), by the Nikkei National Museum and Culture Center (NNMCC) in Burnaby, BC. The writer enjoys researching and writing about the history of Nikkei in Canada. He serves on the Editorial Committee of Nikkei Images. Currently, he chairs the Tashme Historical Project (THP) that is compiling a detailed history of the Tashme Internment Camp, Canada’s largest, established during World War II. In 2016, THP will launch a website of its findings. Howard lives in Vancouver BC.

Disclaimer: Articles written by contributors do not necessarily express views held by The North American Post. Comments on the articles can be sent to info@ napost.com.

“Hana’s Suitcase” to be Performed in Seattle

By The North American Post Staff

Seattle Children’s Theatre is presenting “Hana’s Suitcase” from Jan. 21 – Feb. 7, a play about the true stories of two extraordinary young women: Hana Brady, a young Jewish girl during World War II who was killed at Auschwitz and Fumiko Ishioka, a Japanese educator intent on sharing the history of the Holocaust with her students. The two are connected by the suitcase Hana traveled with during the war. In 2000, the suitcase was shipped to Ishioka as an artifact that could be used to humanize the events of World War II for Ishioka’s students. The suitcase’s arrival sparked a quest that has led Ishioka around the world to share Hana’s story.

The play has not been produced professionally in the United States since 2008, and this production is being led by the Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation.

“This Seattle production will be a catalyst for conversations around pressing issues that we face in our communities,” said Sheri Biller, president of the Biller Family Foundation. “The play, with its themes of tenacity, resilience and hope, will have an impact that reaches far beyond the stage, especially if we can engage our youngest citizens in these topics.”

More information can be found at www.sct.org.

Tak Kubota of JACL Requests Suspension of Anti-Japanese Film Broadcast in 1958

Original Issue Date: Jan. 13, 1958 Translated by The North American Post Staff

Japanese Americans will not feel good if they find any anti-Japanese statements or movie screenings filmed during World War II, especially around this time, since U.S.Japan relations have improved.

Tak Kubota, president of Japanese American Citizens League Seattle Chapter requested that KTNT Channel 11 in Tacoma suspend the broadcast of “Across the Pacific” at 10:35 p.m. on Jan. 14.

The spy movie featuring Humphrey Bogart was filmed during World War II with a story about Japanese spies exploring the Panama Canal. The National JACL has already requested that 480 TV stations around the country suspend this kind of anti-Japanese propaganda programs and films that could lead viewers to misunderstand Japanese Americans.

KTNT received the request, but the film was scheduled due to a transition in program directors.

KTNT issued a sincere apology to Kubota via mail and phone, but the schedule could not be changed at the last minute. Both reached an agreement that KTNT will acknowledge their mistake before the program begins tomorrow.

Seattle Symphony to Present Celebrate Asia Concert

By The North American Post Staff

Seattle Symphony will present its eighth annual Celebrate Asia concert on Jan. 31 with guest conductor Jingdong Cai, chair of Orchestral Studies at Stanford University. The concert will open with Richard Rodgers’ Overture to The King and I, followed by In Hutongs of Peking by Aaron Avshalomov, a piece portraying the narrow alleyways that were once the heart of life in Beijing. The program then features the world premiere of Bai Chuan Fu Hai, the winning composition of this year’s Celebrate Asia Composition Competition, by Shao Zheng.

Iranian composer Alireza Motevaseli’s Fantasia for Santoor and Accordion also receives its world premiere performance during the concert, featuring local santoor player Anjali Joshi and accordion player Murl Allen Sanders. The first half of the concert concludes with Starry Sky by Xiaogang Ye, which was premiered at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, featuring local pianist Charlie Albright.

The second half of the concert will feature Tan Dun’s Passacaglia: Secret of Wind and Birds and a series of Korean and Chinese folk songs.

Pre-concert activities will begin in the Samuel & Althea Stroum Grand Lobby at 3 p.m. Performers include Bellevue Children’s Academy Choir, Kinnaly (Lao Children’s Dance Group), Karoun Dance Ensemble (Persian), and Northwest Kung Fu and Fitness (Chinese Lion Dance). The celebration concludes with postconcert activities in the Grand Lobby with a performance by CHIKIRI and the School of Taiko and Bollywood dancing led by Rhythms of India. Admission to both pre- and post-concert activities are included with concert ticket.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.seattlesymphony.org.

The Art of Music

By Deems Tsutakawa For The North American Post

There is a book by A. B. Spellman called “Four Lives in the Bebop Business,” which is an in-depth look at the lives of jazz musicians Cecil Taylor, Ornette Coleman, Herbie Nichol and Jackie McLean. I personally found the story of the late great Ornette Coleman to be of particular interest.

Having seen Mr. Coleman perform live and having also listened to many of his recordings, I found it prudent to read up on the legendary sax player extraordinaire. Ornette’s style of cutting edge avant-garde jazz had me baffled for years until I read the excellent writings of Mr. Spellman. His insight clarified what the ‘outside’ sax musician was trying to say. To describe Coleman’s music as harsh and frantic could easily be construed as an understatement. Although I don’t subscribe to this particular musical genre or buy these types of albums anymore, I definitely have a lot of respect for his accomplishments.

Over the past few decades of performing my style of piano music, I have on many occasions found it both meaningful and a “luxury” to get paid to play original off-beat funky music. It seems that most of the good paying piano jobs on the market require that the musician play songs that are popular and recognizable to the masses.

Professional pianists in my shoes hone their craft of providing quality sounds that everyday folks can relate to while incorporating their own style of phrasing, rhythms and melodic phrases. These types of performances can be very gratifying in that I always play the famous songs in my own way with my personal spin on every tune.

In the final analysis, the ultimate joy to me is playing my own original compositions. As the great Isamu Noguchi once said, “true art rejuvenates the spirit.”

The more I play the more I find this to be absolutely ideal.

[Editor’s Note] Deems Tsutakawa is a local Sansei musician. He can be reached at deemst@ deemsmusic.com.

Hank Aaron Receives Order of the Rising Sun

Hank Aaron, an American baseball legend, was recognized by Japan last Thursday with the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, presented to him at the home of Japan’s consul general in Atlanta, Takashi Shinozuka.

Aaron, now 81 years old, was honored for his friendship with Japanese home run leader Sadaharu Oh with whom he founded the World Children’s Baseball Fair some 25 years ago. Held each summer, the program is a week of clinics that brings together children from around the world.

Songs of Hope to Hold Final Performance

BY The North American Post Staff

Songs of Hope, the local ensemble that was formed in March 2012 in support of recovery efforts for the Great East Japan Earthquake, has announced its final performance for Sunday, March 13 at Willows Preparatory School in Redmond. ]

The theme for the concert is “Songs of Hope: Hand in Hand – Into the Future” and it will include “Hana wa Saku” (Flowers Will Bloom) and “Gunjo” (Azure).

The choir is open to volunteers for the Chorus of Hope, ages 12 and up, and the Children’s Choir, ages 5-11. Optional sectional rehearsals will be held in on Saturdays in February at Megumi Preschool, Japanese Baptist Church and Rock of the Ages Lutheran Brethren Church. Full rehearsals on March 5, 6 and 12 at Japanese Baptist Church and Willows Preparatory School are required.

For more information or to register visit www.songsofhope.info or email songs_of_hope@ymail.com.

Discussion on Japan’s Sustainability

UCLA Professor and Architect Hitoshi Abe, left, Takeyuki Nakagawa of Mitsubishi Environmental Affairs, center, and UW Lecturer Andrea Arai joined the Jan. 14 panel discussion at the University of Washington. The event was a part of the 2015-2016 Mitsubishi Corporation Lecture Series to discuss Japan’s sustainability and the current situation after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in 2011. Abe also gave a keynote lecture on Jan. 13.

(Photo by Shihou Sasaki/ The North American Post)

2016 New Year Haiku

By Ken Sato For The North American Post

Year of the Monkey,                                (Saru no Toshi,

Even though monkey falls from tree,        Ki kara ochite mo,

It has smile on face!                               Warai gao!)

NAPost Japan Tour Infomation Session to be Held on Feb. 11

An information session will be held on Thursday, Feb. 11 for those interested in learning more about the 2016 Japan Group Tour hosted by the Hokubei Hochi Foundation and The North American Post.

The session will be from 6 – 7 p.m. at Nagomi Tea House, 519 6th Ave. S. (corner of 6th and South King) in Seattle.

This year’s exciting tour will be Sept. 10 – Sept. 22, 11 nights/13 days (including two travel days) and will include Tokyo, Takayama, Shirakawa, Kanazawa, Kyoto, Hiroshima and Hyogo Prefecture.

Space is limited and to secure best pricing, tour sign-ups will close soon.

Please RSVP for the info session to: elaine@hokubeihochi.org or call (206) 519-5461.

KP

By Deems Tsutakawa For The North American Post

Golf like many sports is a funny game. In baseball, the symbol for a strikeout is the letter K even though the term strikeout starts with an S.

When playing tennis you win one point and your score is 15, two points is 30, three points is 45, and zero is called love. Go figure. There is a side bet game in golf called “KP” wherein on a short hole, par three, the player that hits their ball closest to the hole wins.

The odd thing about KP is that word “closest” starts with the letter C. Upon consulting the internet on this subject I found that there is no legitimate or solid explanation for this other than it is a colloquialism of the sport.

In 2002, we had a big and fun Tsutakawa Family Reunion in Sunnyvale, California near San Jose. Over one hundred and fifty relatives came from all over the United States and many from Japan too. It was during the summer with great weather, sightseeing, foods, wines, swimming and golf.

My uncle Richard is an expert on the Napa Valley wineries. We rented two busses with drivers for us to spend the day exploring the legendary vineyards and taste the nectar of the Gods. It was a wonderful experience, and I hope to do it again sometime.

At the two golf tournaments, we had about twenty players for each day and one KP competition for each golf course. On the second day my wife Jean won the closest to the pin event beating out all the men and other female golfers on a 125 yard par three. Her straight on tee shot ended up just nine feet from the hole and she received a sleeve of golf balls for her accomplishment.

The other tourney held at a different course had a 160 yard par three. I pulled my tee shot far left but it just managed to stay on the green.

I told my cousins, “Don’t bother to measure how close it is,” but they decided to walk it off anyways.

Now when it comes to KP’s the winner is almost always within ten feet of the hole and never more than twenty. My ball was almost 100 feet from the flagstick, and I never considered that it had a chance.

That evening at the dinner banquet my uncle announces that on the KP event only one player hit the green today. I still have the golf towel with the course logo that was my big prize.

[Editor’s Note] Deems Tsutakawa is a local Sansei musician. He can be reached at deemst@ deemsmusic.com.

Seattle Betsuin New Year’s Party Smash!

By Satoru Ichikawa For the North American Post

The Seattle Betsuin New Year’s Party was held on Sunday, and the auditorium was filled to capacity with members, guests and community representatives. The event included the installation of new church officers and various affiliated organizations of the temple while Rev. Don Castro administered the oath of office. Alan Hoshino is the new Temple President for 2016-2017.

Members 80 years and over were honored as Ritsuko Kawahara, kitchen chairperson, was given a special recognition plaque for her many years of service preparing menus for various church functions.

After lunch, entertainment followed with the loud beats of the Matsuri Taiko Drums, Seattle Betsuin Ukulele Band, the Betsuin Choir and other performers.

シアトル別院仏教会の恒例の新年会が10日、会館体育館で開かれた。会員、家族関係者に加え、 地元日系団体の代表者が出席。会場は満員の賑わいを見せた。昼食後には教会所属の太鼓団、ウ クレレグループ、合唱団などによる舞台演奏が披露され、ラッフル抽選などで盛り上がりを見せた。 80歳以上の高齢者が表彰されたほか、長年にわたりイベントなどで食事班長として婦人会ら裏方 を支えてきた川原律子さんが讃えられた。新たな会員役員も紹介され、2016年の始まりを祝う にふさわしいイベントとなった。   (英文記事、写真提供 = サトル・イチカワ)

Welcome to Uwajimaya Seattle Concierge Demo

Okonomiyaki -- 4 Servings

By Robert Giulietti For the North American Post

Ingredients

Okonomiyaki Batter Mix

2 cups            Otafuku Okonomiyaki Flour (Grocery Special $2.99)

1 ½ cup         Water (Grocery Aisle 7A)

4 cups           Shredded Cabbage (Produce Dept)

4 pc              Green Onion (Produce Dept)

1 cup            Grated Naga Imo / Japanese style mountain potato (Produce                     Dept)

4 eggs          Eggs (Grocery Aisle 11A)

1 cup           Tenkasu / Tempura flakes (Grocery Aisle 6A)

16 pc           Sliced Pork Belly (Meat Dept)

Garnish

Otafuku Okonomi Sauce (Grocery Special $3.99)

Japanese Style Mayonnaise (Grocery Aisle 4A)

Katsuobushi / Bonito Flakes (Grocery Aisle 6A)

Aonori / Seaweed powder (Grocery Aisle 6A)

Kizami Shoga / red pickled ginger (Grocery Aisle 1A)

1 tsp           Vegetable oil (Grocery Aisle 4A)

Prepare batter: Mix Flour and water in a large bowl until flour completely dissolves. In another bowl, mix cabbage, green onion, naga imo, eggs and tenkasu. Mix with the flour/water batter right before grilling.

Grill Okonomiyaki: Heat pan and add oil until barely smoking, add the batter mixture and vegetables and make an eight inch flat pancake about an inch thick. Adjust heat as necessary. As the bottom becomes cooked, layer the top of the pancake with thinly sliced pork belly (or other chosen sliced meat) then cover and allow to cook for two minutes. Flip so the pork side becomes cooked for about 2-3 minutes. Flip once more after the pork side is completely cooked so that the pork side is on top.

[Editor’s Note] This is a joint project with the Uwajimaya Seattle. The writer usually appears at the store for cooking demo with this recipe on Friday. He can be reached at robertgiulietti@ uwajimaya.com.