Jul.-Sep. 2016

JAPAN Disaster Relief Fund

JAA donated $50,000 to The Tono Magokoro Net, which is a Tono City disaster relief volunteer network established by mainly Tono citizens in an effort to support the Iwate Prefecture Seaboard disaster area (Otsuchi, Kamaishi, Ofunato and Rikuzen Takata) hit by the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011. Also JAA donated $5,000 to NECT and $4,000 to the Japanese Children Society (New York Ikuei Gakunen) to create cultural exchange programs for Japanese students in Tohoku.

JAA Kyushu Earthquake Relief Fund

Six months after the earthquakes in areas of Kumamoto and Oita, the amount of the JAA Kyushu Earthquake Relief Fund has now reached $85,000.
A concert titled "Ako and Takarazuka OG and Friends" was held on September 8th, and proceeds of $3,000 were added to the Fund.
To select the appropriate recipients, JAA is contacting NPO organizations in Kumamoto and Oita where some people still live away from their damaged homes and fear continued earthquakes.

Will & others by Helen Irie, Esq. and Reiko Takikawa Esq.	Coaching of Communication by Ms. Yoshiko Kurisu	U.S. Social Security Benefit by Mr. Toru Hayama	Medicare Basics by Mrs. Mizue Katayama, JASSI
Numerical Logic Puzzle by Mr. Tetsuya Miyamoto	Japanese Archery Demonstration	Individual Consultation on Japanese Pension by Mr. S. Ishikawa	Movie "Sea Disaster 1890" by Lions Club
Connection between healthy foods, teeth and toes	Exercise by Mr. Shinichiro Okada, Medical Therapist	Dual Nationality by Ms. Keiko Shiozaki  (former immigration Bureau Officeial)	Dr. Sato Method
Yoga	Calligraphy	Parents & Kids by Ms. Yuko Velsey	Discussion for Expectant Moms & Dads by Dr. Maki Kano
Flower Arrangement by Hazue Tamura	Long Term Care Insurance by Mr. Lee Kang Su	Tea Ceremony	Yoga
Rakugo by Sanyuteiryuraku	Workshop for Dementia by Caravan Mates	Dementia Disease by Dr. Emma Saito	Isabella Geriatric Center visiting

The 10th Annual Senior "Month" was held from Sept. 8th to Oct. 9th at JAA Community Center. This event was developed by the JAA Committee on Aging Issues and co-sponsored by JAMSNET (Japanese Medical Support Network) with support from the Consulate General of Japan in New York and with the cooperation of local experts. 1,900 people participated in about 70 of the programs for all ages. Last year we had 1,400 participants in 60 programs. During the 10th year of this initiative, we have increased interest in our Senior Month in the community. Programs included Individual Consultation on Pension & Living in Japan by Mr. Shunji Ichikawa, Living Alone & How to Enjoy Your Golden Years by Susan J. Onuma, Esq., U.S. Social Security Benefits by Mr. Toru Hayama, Long Term Care Insurance by Mr. Lee Kang Su, Medicare Basics by Ms. Mizue Katayama of JASSI, Visiting Isabella Geriatric Center, Healthy Food and Healthy Teeth and Healthy Toes by Dr. Kumiko Suzuki, Preventing Dementia: Life Style, Food and Exercise by Mr. Shinichiro Okada, Ms. Keiko Sakagami and Caravan Mates and Dr. Emma Saito, Discussion : How to Care for Someone with Dementia by Taeko Nakashima, Ph.D., Community Café by Ms. Keiko Sakagami, Discussion for Expectant Moms & Dads by Dr. Maki Kano and Ms. Kumiko Seki, Play Date with Parents & Kids by Ms. Yuko Velsey, and Workshop of Coaching by Ms. Yoshiko Kurisu. In addition, there were workshops on activities to encourage the enjoyment of daily living and good health such as Tea Ceremony, Flower Arrangement, Rakugo, Calligraphy, Chorus, Yoga, Taichi and Movies. During the screening of the Lions Club movie Sea Disaster 1890, organized by the Japan-Turkey cooperation, many people became emotional.

(l to r) Mr. Hiromura, Mr. Hayakawa and Mr. Otsu	Mr. Kudo	Mr. Sakashita
Grand senior	(l to r) Mr. Otsu and Mr. Kudo	(l to r) Ms. Ishida and Mr. Iimura

The 23rd Charity Golf Tournament was held on Monday, September 19, 2016, at Haworth Country Club, 5 Lake Shore Drive, Haworth, NJ. Despite rainy conditions, play began at 9:30AM with 80 participants. The winner was Mr. Frank Hayakawa, who received an ANA Executive Class NY-Tokyo round trip ticket from Mr. Yoshiharu Otsu of All Nippon Airlines. Mr. Masami Kudo placed 2nd and Mr. Hidenori Sakashita placed 3rd. The Best Gross went to Mr. Yohei Takada and Ms. Kayo Suzuki. Mr. Masami Kudo won the first raffle prize of ANA Business Class NY-Tokyo round trip ticket. No one claimed the Hole In One prize of $10,000 this year. This tournament is a very important fund raising event. Please see the names of the donors below.; thank you very much for your support!

Champion: RADIATORS

2nd Place: BEES

3rd Place:OREGA

The championship game was held on Sunday, August 21st at Central Park North Meadow. The Radiators beat the Bees 10-0 to win its second consecutive title. It was a very exciting game!
An awards presentation and closing ceremony followed the games with Deputy Consul-General Koji Abe and Consul Hayato Ishizuka of the Consulate General of Japan, JAA Vice Presidents Mr. Katsuo Takeda and Ms. Suki T. Ports, and Sports Committee Co-Chairman Mr. Shuji Kato among others.

The following awards were presented:
Champion: RADIATORS
2nd Place: BEES
3rd Place:OREGA
MVP : John Xhan（Radiators）
Best Pitcher: TakaHiguchi (Batman)
Most RBI : John Xhan (Radiators), Kasei Chen (Junks),
Nozomi Yoshinaka (Batman), Keita Sakimura (Niko Niko)
Most Home Runs (3): Keita Sakimura (Niko Niko)

JAA Sprit Awards were awarded to Mr. Kasei Chen and Certificates of Appreciation to Yomitime, NY Shukan Seitatsu Press and Mr. Iyasu Nagata (Dumboos).

With the support of the committee and officials, the tournament was a success. Thank you very much.
Shuji Kato, Co-chair of Sports Committee

The 7th Japanese Heritage Day was held at Yankee Stadium on September 6th, 2016. The National Anthem was performed by The Men’s Glee Club of New York. Inside the stadium, Ms. Toshiko Kobayashi of Origami Therapy Association demonstrated origami models and taught fans how to fold. JAA President, Ms. Susan Onuma, coordinated this event with assistance from volunteers Ms. Kobayashi, Ms. Eunah Kim, Ms. Ping Rong Chen, Mr. Tatsuo Yasuda, Ms. Yuki Kaneshige, and Mr. George Hirose.

Great energy and enthusiasm from Young Professionals made the first "JA Summer Mixer" a success! Hosted on July 21st by JAA and HAA (Hoshuko Alumni Association) with USJC (US-Japan Council), it was a chance for younger Japanese and JAs to gather together and to learn about opportunities at our organizations to network, enjoy Japanese culture and give back to the local community. Please spread the word and stay tuned for news of our upcoming "near-monthly" events, which will include networking mixers and cross-cultural activities (think Japanese festivals! art tours! movie nights!), as well as volunteering. A big thank you to Susan, Gary, Suki, Julie and Noda-san for their very youthful support!

By Jasmine Wilson and Yuki Kaneshige
Co-Chairs of JAA’s Young Professionals Committee

The Summer Flea Market

We raised $7,000 from this year’s Summer Flea Market. JAA deeply appreciates the volunteers’ dedication.

JAA Japanese Business Women Committee

On September 7th, Ms. Keiko Tsuyama, a journalist who is following Presidential candidate Mr. Donald Trump, spoke about this year’s Presidential race and educational gaps in U.S.A.

Ms. Kyoko Hunter scrubbed and cleaned more than 100 chairs during the summer when fewer activities were held in JAA Hall. She used her own hand steam cleaner and wiped clean each chair. Thank you very much!

Our member Mr. Kunio Iizuka’s art works commemorating the 120th birthday of Kenji Miyazawa were donated to Hanamaki City in Japan through Ms. Mariko Sasaki of N.Y. Iwate Kenjinkai.

JAA received
☆ $10,000 from Mr. Shigeo Kida
☆$28,000 from Mitsui USA Foundation
$25,000 for Keirokai and Apple Kids programs and
$3,000 for JAA Committee on Aging Issues.
☆$20,000 from Delta Air Lines
$5,000 for JAA-Delta Air Lines Scholarship and
$15,000 for Website updates/Oral history project
☆$4,260 from the late Mr. Nobumasa Yoshizawa
☆$1,580 from All Prefectures Golf Tournament

Donations to JAA A Committee on Aging Issues
☆$3,200 from ANA NY Senior-Kai
☆ $ 3,500 from JAMSNET
☆$500 from NY Japanese-American Lions Club
☆$500 from Hoshuko Oyano Kai

23rd JAA Charity Golf Tournament
Special thanks to the following Sponsors

ALL NIPPON AIRWAYS/ANA
Anglebrook Golf Club, Ryuji Funakoshi Hair Salon, Arysta LifeScience America Inc.,
Asahi Beer USA, AZUSA Japanese Restaurant, Benjamin Steakhouse,
Castle Hotel & Spa, Caddie’s Corner Golf, Inc. Canaletto Restaurant, Daiei Trading Co.
East 53 St. Chiropractic Center, Egawa International, Fujita, Tetsuya, Furumoto Realty,
Hajime Restaurant, Hatsuhana Restaurant, Haworth Country Club, IACE Travel,
Ito En (North America), KAORU MC Corp. Kitano New York,
Land of Plenty Chinese Restaurant, Momotaro Beauty Salon, Milbon USA,
MiNGLE Beauty Salon, Mitchell Wolf, L.Ac., Nippan Daido USA, NRS Logistics Inc.,
Oguri, Kirk, Ono, Katsumi, Orient Corp. of America, Prince Hotel , Saito, Koji,
Sakura Shoji, Salon Wave, Sapporo Beer USA, Shizuka New York, SOBA TOTTO,
Sushi-Den Japanese Restaurant, Sushi Tsushima, Takada Yohei, Takaokaya,
Tao Consultants, T.I.C. Inc. (Hasaki & Sobaya) , Tokyu Hotels, Trend Pot NY (Japion),
Windels Marx Lane & Mittendrof, LLP, Wismettac Asian Foods
Yamada Yasuhisa, Yomitime Inc.

JAA really appreciates their continued support. Thank you very much!

9. 11 volunteers @Xavier Mission in Chelsea

Dear Volunteers,

Thank you for spending a good part of your Sunday volunteering at Xavier Mission on the 15th anniversary of 9/11. Together we served about 1,200 people, and the staff there said we were one of the most efficient volunteer teams they’d ever encountered.
Volunteers came from the Consulate, JAA, USJC, JAJA, JETAA, Japan Society (thanks, Anna!) and JaNet. And our day of service may have represented what all our organizations are striving for: to help those in need, whether it be by providing consular or social services, Japanese cultural events, connections between Japanese and Americans, or food, the sharing of which is perhaps the most basic and enjoyable communal act that brings people together.

We will be volunteering again, perhaps later this year, but definitely on March 11th, a Saturday, and hope that you can join us again.
Thank you for contributing your energy and good spirits, and please enjoy the photos as a reminder of the day.

Sincerely,
Yuki Kaneshige & "Tom" Horiki
Japanese Consulate General in New York,
Japan Information Center

Keirokai – Luncheon for Seniors
July 7: For the Tanabata Keirokai, Chirashi Sushi, fried chicken, clear soup and ice cream were on the menu. The bamboo twigs which were brought by Ms. Hiroko Onoyama from Ms. Junko Snyder’s garden were decorated with many colorful small papers containing wishes. Ms. Kyoko Ohnishi led people in an exercise using Japanese dance movements, and the Iwaki Band played the nice music as well.

July 21: Mid-Summer Keirokai One of the seniors’ favorite menus, Unagino Kabayaki lunch boxes (Broiled Eel over rice), was served along with vineyard cucumber, soup and sweet Jelly. After Kuni Mikami’s Jazz mini concert, Reverend Earl Ikeda from the N.Y. Buddhist Church joined Iwaki Band and sang a Hawaiian song. Lunch coupons to the Nippon Club were presented to the five seniors who were born in July by Your Special Birthday Foundation.

Happy birthday for July

JAA member Tsukiko Kimura passed away from cancer on August 31, 2016. She was 80 years old. She was born in Tokyo in 1936 and came to the U.S. and married the artist Reiji Kimura in 1956. She studied at Art Institute League and then worked at Yamaichi Securities. She was a chief editor of the Haiku booklet "Hakobune" and volunteered to teach crafts, origami and knitting in her neighborhood.

Vol.76

Mr. Kiyoshi Nasu
100 years old

He was born on April 24th, 1916 in Watsonville, Los Angeles. His Okayama-born father was a translator specializing in the fishing industry, and his mother was born in Tokyo. He grew up in Terminal Island, CA, and moved to Japan when he was 6 years old. The following year, 1923, the Tokyo area was destroyed by the Great Kanto Earthquake, forcing Kiyoshi’s family to move to Hyogo Prefecture.
Kiyoshi enlisted after he graduated from Kwansei Gakuin College and spent one year in Manchuria, China, during World War II.

After WWⅡ, Kiyoshi was hired by Mainichi News Paper Company as an English translator and became a correspondent and eventually editor in New York and Washington D.C. He once interviewed Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida.

Now retired, Kiyoshi lives in New York and works as a commentator on diplomatic relationships. He enjoys his daily walk, and he and his wife love to spend time with their grandchildren.