Jul-Sep 2018

We are celebrating the 111th Anniversary of JAA-NY on Friday, November 30th at the Harvard Club at 35 West 44th Street. We are privileged to have the Japanese pianist Taka Kigawa as our musical guest. Please join us in support of the future of JAA.
Silent Auction donations are welcome.

One table
Platinum: $20,000
Gold: $15,000
Silver: $10,000
Bronze: $7,500
Individual: $500

Returning Japan and Dual Citizenship	Home Care in Japan	Advices for people who are planning to return to Japan
Best way to communicate with Doctor in USA	Healthy Eyes	Seminar for English pronunciation
Rhythmic Class with parents and children	JAMSNET World Symposium	Five Lectures from Japan by Lions
Tax Consultation	Consultation for will	NY Health Insurance Consultation
Home Care in NY	Dementia lecture	How to watch by English
Sogetu Ikebana	BON ODORI-dance	Demonstration of Urasenke Tea Ceremony

The 12th Autumn Health Fair was held from September 8th through October 7th at the JAA Community Center. JAA-NY co-sponsors this event with JAMSNET (Japanese Medical Support Network) and the Consulate General of Japan in New York and with the collaboration of many local experts. More than 2,100 participants attended 70 programs for all ages. The programs included workshops on social welfare, estate planning, health, nutrition, and safety, along with culture, herbal medicine and wellness.

We established the JAA Japan Flood Relief Fund on July 20th to support the rebuilding of the hardest hit areas of Hiroshima, Okayama, Ehime prefectures following heavy rain on July 6th.
On August 23rd at OKA restaurant, a fundraising event was held by JACC (Japanese American Community Coalition) and supported by the Consulate General of Japan in New York. Their generosity and efforts were able to raise more than $7,000 which will be distributed from the JAA Japan Flood Relief fund to support NPO organizations in Japan. JACC’s member organizations: JAA, HAA (Hoshuko Alumni Association), JETAANY (Japanese Exchange and Teaching Association Alumni Association of NY), JMSA (Japanese Medical Society of America), USJC (U.S.-Japan Council NY region), Japanese American Lions Club, JACL (Japanese American Citizens League of NY), and JAJA (Japanese Americans and Japanese in America). Many thanks to all of the organizations, donors and volunteers!

JAA Hokkaido Earthquake Relief Fund
On the early morning of September 6, Atsuma Cho in Hokkaido was hit by a magnitude 7 earthquake that triggered landslides. We established the JAA Hokkaido Earthquake Relief Fund with Hokkaido Yukari no kai.
We hope for a quick recovery!

（l to r）Mr. Hiromura, Mr. Watabe and Mt. Otsu	Mr. Urushihara placed second	Mr. Hamada placed third
Mr. Sato first-place raffle priz	Mr. Abe and Ms. Ishida	Super Seniors

The 25th JAA Charity Golf Tournament was held on October 1, 2018 at Harbor Links Golf Course in Long Island. The tournament began at 9:30AM under occasionally sunny and breezy weather. There were 72 participants.
The champion, Mr. Watabe Dan, received the JAA Champion Trophy and an ANA Business Class JFK-Tokyo round-trip ticket. Mr. Ken Urushihara placed second, and Mr. Seiichiro Hamada placed third. The Best Gross Score went to Mr. Makoto Sakamoto and Ms. Michelle Choy. Mr. Koji Sato won the first-place raffle prize of an ANA Business Class JFK-Tokyo round-trip ticket. The first prize of a U.S. Domestic Travel Ticket sponsored by IACE Travel went to Mr. Toshihiro Ambe. No one claimed the Hole In One prize of $10,000 this year. To conclude this fun and important event, Chairperson David Hiromura expressed appreciation to participants, sponsor companies, and individuals.
The $ 4,980 in raffle sales and part of the participation fee will be used for JAA’s activities.
Chairpersons: David Hiromura and Michi Tahara. Committee members: Kiyoshi Egawa, Kazuhisa Enokida, Keiko Ishida, Shige Ogata, Masaki Shimomura, and Casey Taniguchi.

25th JAA Charity Golf Tournament Special thanks to the following Sponsors
○ALL NIPPON AIRWAYS/ANA ○A. Ryuji Funakoshi Hair Salon ○Arysta LifeScience America Inc.
○Asahi Beer USA ○Benjamin Steakhouse ○Brother Int’l Corp. ○Castle Hotel & Spa
○Caddie’s Corner Golf, Inc. ○Central Trading ○Daiei Trading Co.
○East 53 St. Chiropractic Center ○Egawa International ○Furumoto Realty ○Hajime Restaurant ○Hatsuhana Restaurant ○IACE Travel ○Ito En (North America) ○Kintetsu Int’l Express (USA)
○Kitano New York ○Kyodo Trading ○Land of Plenty Chinese Restaurant ○Milbon USA ○MiNGLE
○Mitchell Wolf, L.Ac. ○New York Mutual Trading ○Nippan Daido USA ○NRS Logistics Inc.
○Nippon Restaurant ○Orient Corp. of America ○Sakura Shoji ○Salon Wave
○Sapporo Beer USA ○Shimomura, Masaki ○SOBA TOTTO ○Sushi-Den ○Sushi Seki
○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 ○Yakitori Totto ○Yomitime Inc. ○Y’s Publishing Co., Inc.

Nico Nico

Janks

Black Yankees

It rained on the first day of the JAA baseball season on Sunday, April 29, 2018, and there was rain on many weekends, extending the season to a long stretch of six months. The final game was played on Randall’s Island Field on September 30th, which became the first night game with illumination at 6pm. Nico Nico won its second consecutive title and 6th overall. The Janks placed second, and the Black Yankees finished third. On the day before the final game, Mr. Kato and Mr. Kasei worked hard from 3 p.m. until the lights turned off at 11 o’clock at night to dry the field. The awards ceremony took place after the finals, with Vice-Chairman Kasei as the MC. Dr. Kamal Ramani, a Vice President of JAA, made closing remarks on behalf of the organization.
We received support from many people and were able
to finish the event safely without any accidents.
JAA Sports Committee Chairman Shuji Kato says he is filled with gratitude and especially appreciates Mr. Kasei for his hard work.

Report on Fukushima
by high school students

On July 30 at JAA Hall, three high school students from Fukushima and Professor Naoshi Jinnno of Waseda University talked about the progress of reconstruction and the present condition of Fukushima. They visited universities in the East during their stay in the US. The students are the recipients of the 70th Anniversary Award of the Dr. Kanichi Asakawa Prize. Dr. Asakawa was born in Fukushima and became the first Japanese professor at Yale University.

Beyond Tomorrow Summer program

As the final event of the Beyond Tomorrow summer program, JAA held a presentation and a social gathering on August 22 at JAA Hall. Global Fund for Education Assistance selected 16 students to participate in "Beyond Tomorrow," a human resource development project to support young people living in difficult circumstances throughout Japan. The participants talked about their hardships and how they got the power to overcome them. In this program they were able to practice speaking English. They visited the White House, the Smithsonian, and the US Department of Labor in Washington, DC, and the 9/11 Memorial Museum, Children’s Aid Society, Children’s Rights, and UNICEF in New York from Aug.14th to 23rd. They were escorted by Mr. Satoru Murase of the Jiro Murase Memorial Scholarship Project, and astronaut Daniel Tani also participated.

The Summer Flea Market

The Summer Flea Market was held on August 5th at JAA Hall. Despite the heavy rain the morning, we raised about $ 7,000. Thank you to those who donated the goods, who visited us, who helped from setup to tidying up, and who cooked a delicious meal. Thank you for your cooperation and hard work. Our next Grand Bazaar will be on November 3rd.

JAA held the 3rd Tanabata Festival this year at Riverside Park on July 7, Tanabata Day. People wearing yukata joined residents who live around the park. Ms. Suki Ports and Ms. Julie Azuma brought a delicious pot luck. We decorated bamboo branches by writing wishes on origami and strips of paper. As it grew dark, people enjoyed the stars in the night sky with telescopes under the guidance of Mr. Stan Honda and Mr. Thomas Haeberle of the Amateur Astronomers Association of New York. It was great to see people of all ages there with Manhattan Borough President Ms. Gail Brewer so please join us for Tanabata next year!

July 25: Ms. Megumi Sasaki, film director / producer, who produced "Okujirasama – Two Stories of Justice," gave a lecture. She decided to make this film after seeing the documentary film "The Cove," wanting to show the culture of dolphin hunting in Taiji, Japan. She discussed the circumstances and financing of filmmaking. The moderator was journalist Keiko Tsuyama.

September 5,: Mr. Satoshi Yoshida, Vice President of Cybozu Co., Ltd., a software company, gave a lecture on work style change and IT utilization examples. He also showed the company’s PR animation, which applies the insect society to the daily life of human society.

On September 11th volunteers from the Japanese American community served 150 breakfasts and 280 dinners to people in need at Food Bank of NYC. The community kitchen was decorated with many strings of paper cranes made by volunteers, who also gave cranes to the guests as gifts. If anyone over the age of 18 is interested in volunteering again at Food Bank, please visit their website:
https://www.foodbanknyc.org/volunteer

Mr. Robert John "Bobby" Valentine, former manager of the Chiba Lotte Marines and the NY Mets, received the Order of Rising Sun Award. The award ceremony was held on August 14 at the residence of Ambassador Reiichiro Takahashi.
Bobby V. has advanced the friendship between Japan and the United States through baseball, first by managing Japanese players with the Mets, then by contributing to many charitable activities, especially after 3/11 by contributing to earthquake disaster reconstruction. As part of JAA’s Great East Japan Earthquake Support Fund activities, he helped carry out our Japan-US baseball exchange project by taking
14 young baseball players from the US to Tohoku. In the summer of 2017, JAA, Bobby Valentine’s Sports Academy, and the Kizuna Foundation hosted ten talented young players, aged 12 to 15 from Ofunato City, for extensive baseball training and meaningful cross-cultural exchanges.

Ms. Michiyo Noda, the Executive Director of JAA, called for donations of historical documents of old Japanese-Japanese American society. As of today, JAA has received valuable books from Mr. Toshiro Okamoto, Mr. Kenjiro Sasaki, and Ms. Aileen Yamaguchi.
Ms. Hanako Wada began cataloging JAA’s archives collection. Please donate documents, books and photos related to the history of Japanese and Japanese Americans. For those who are interested in history, please help JAA.

The JAA Committee on Aging Issues conducted a survey on the aging issues of Japanese and Japanese Americans living in the Metropolitan New York area and its suburbs with a focus on home care from Sept. 7 to Oct. 7. JAA received 604 answers to 1,400 questionnaires that were distributed via mail and email. This survey is a joint research project with professor Itsuko Toyama of Momoyama Gakuin University. The results of the questionnaire will be summarized as a report around next spring. This survey was supported by JAA, the New York Buddhist Church, the Japanese American United Church, JAMSNET, JAJA, New York Mixed Chorus, Pittsburgh Japan Society, Japanese Association of Greater Philadelphia, Japanese Christian Church of Pittsburgh, Princeton Japanese Association, New York & New Jersey Japanese Weekend schools, Japanese Children’s Society, and individuals. The collection rate was around 40%. Thank you for your cooperation.

●$ 1,200.00 was donated from The 13th Kenjinkai Charity Golf Tournament, which was held on May 19 this year.

●$3,000.00 was donated from The 18th ANA Senior Charity Golf Tournament, which was held in June.
JAA greatly appreciates your generous support!

July 12："Tanabata Keirokai"
The menu was "Sanshoku-don, potato salad, clear soup, ice cream." There was a performance by the Iwaki band. The seniors decorated strips of paper with their wishes to hang on a bamboo branch.

July 26: "The Unagi Keirokai"
Seniors enjoyed our most popular menu, "eel lunch box, vinegared cucumber, clear soup, coffee jelly". Mr. Kuni Mikami held a jazz concert, and the Iwaki Band performed. We also celebrated the July birthdays.

Happy birthday for July

August16th: "The Summer Keirokai"
The menu was "Bento Box" from BentOn and "Clear soup, ice cream" prepared by JAA volunteers. The Iwaki Band played and held a birthday party for the people who were born in August.

Happy birthday for August

September13th "Grand Keirokai"
There were 160 participants including the lunch delivery and volunteers at this Keirokai as a part of the JAA Autumn Health Fair. The menu was "Makunancho Bento, Clear soup, Mizu Yokan." People enjoyed nostalgic songs with the performance of the Iwaki Band.

September 27th: "Second Keirokai"
The menu was "Chirashi Sushi, Eggplant & Green with Miso, Clear soup, Ice Cream." There was a party for September birthdays, with nostalgic songs from the Iwaki Band, and participants danced the Tokyo Ondo and Tanko Bushi led by Mr. Kevin Mooney.

Happy birthday for September

Obituary

・Mr. Koji Ichida passed away on June 25th at a hospital in Tokyo. He was 81 years old. Mr. Ichida was born in Kyoto at a well-established kimono merchandiser and after graduating from the Art and Film Department of Nihon University. He worked at the Seibu Department Store in Paris as an antiques buyer. After returning to Japan, he continued to work at Seibu, and in 1973 he took a job in New York for US Art and Antique. In 1987 Koji opened an antiques shop on East 56th Street in New York. He wrote many books such as "Introduction to Painting and Antiques" and "Arts and Antiques of America." He served on the JAA Board of Directors from 1978 to 2013. Mr. Ichida is survived by his wife, Mrs. Seiko Oshima Ichida, three children, and grandchildren. His memorial service will be held at JAA Hall on November 15th after luncheon for seniors.

・Mr. Toshiteru Tada was passed away on June 28, 2018 at Bayside Nursing Home. He was 82 years old. He served as JAA Board Director from 1994 to 2017.

・Mr. George Mukai passed away on August 1 at the Veterans Home in Oxford, NY. He was 98 years old.
His memorial service was held at the Japanese American United Church on September 18. Please see below for more about George.

・Mr. Sho Shirakawa passed away on August 9th. He was 87 years old. He had a stroke 27 years ago, but by dedicated nursing care from his wife, Mrs. Rie Shirakawa, he enjoyed his life. Mrs. Shirakawa has volunteered for many years at the JAA’s Keirokai and Bazaar.

George T. Mukai (98 years old)
(Dec. 10, 1919-Aug. 1, 2018)

George Taizo Mukai was born in San Diego County,　California, in 1919. He spent most of his formative years on the family farm in Spring Valley. It was at school that George was first exposed to great classical painting and developed his love for art, which became his lifelong passion. George enlisted in the Army shortly before Pearl Harbor and was inducted soon after December 7, 1941. His father had already been sent to a federal prison in New Mexico, and his mother and family were soon interned at Poston, AZ.

In 1944, with the formation of the Japanese American 442 Infantry Regimental Combat Team, which now included the original 100th Battalion from Hawaii, George served as a sergeant in Company M. The group valiantly fought their way up the boot of Italy, was shipped to France and eventually, against all odds, rescued the "Lost Battalion."

After the surrender of Germany in May 1945, George used a two-week leave to travel through the cities of Italy, taking in its art and culture, seeing great paintings.

With the surrender of Japan on August 15, his family returned to Spring Valley farm, which had been looked after by their loyal neighbors, the Crowningshield family.

George studied art in California on the G.I. bill, after which he arrived in New York in 1951 to continue studies at the Art Students League. During classes at the League, he met his future employer. Mr. Leo Gould, a dealer in antique Chinese art, who hired George to help him and shared his studio with him. George shared his art and life with Eugenia Okoshi Mukai until her passing in 2008 at Isabella. He spent his last years lovingly and expertly cared for at the NY State Veterans Home in Oxford.

At age 91, George traveled to Washington, D.C. for the 2011 Congressional Gold Medal, awarded to the Nisei 442nd RCT/100th Infantry Battalion and the Military Intelligence Service.

George passed away on August 1, 2018. He is survived by his brother Henry of Los Angeles, 18 inspired nephews and nieces and their children, and beloved friends of all ages.