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Upcoming Events | Past Events Past Events November 15th Meishi Mixer JASC's Fall Meishi mixer took place at the Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant in Broomfield Colorado. About 30 people attended, and the group was a nice mix of members and non-members. Local author and media expert Gil Asakawa gave a very interesting talk on the emergence and importance of social media which encouraged much conversation on how social media tools are affecting local businesses and Japan/Colorado relationships. Everyone enjoyed the evening (and the food!) very much, and as always, the conversations and connections continued (and will continue) well past the event's end. We hope you can join us at the next one!
October 26th and 27th Renewable Energy Program The Consulate General of Japan at Denver, along with JASC, hosted, Japan’s Energy Future Crossroads, on October 26th in Denver and October 27th in Fort Collins. Dan Bihn was the keynote speaker for both programs. Dan, a JASC member and energy engineer-journalist, recently visited Fukushima, as well as other parts of Japan, to study the presence of smart energy in the wake of the March 11th Eastern Japan Great Earthquake Disaster. Joining Dan were the following expert panelists: Bill Ritter, Former Governor of the State of Colorado, Director, Center for the New Energy Economy, and Senior Scholar, CSU School of Global Environmental Sustainability; Hiromoto Oyama, Deputy Consul General of Japan at Denver; Tom Binet, Director, Trade & Investment for the Asia-Pacific of the Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade; and Hiroto Ito, Chief Operating Officer of American Zephyr. The Denver program was facilitated by Tom Dougherty of Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons. Dr. Bryan Willson, CSU Professor and Director of the Clean Energy Supercluster, facilitated the Fort Collins program. Both the Denver program, which was held at Grand Hyatt, and the Fort Collins program, hosted at the energy-efficient Innosphere, were attended by 50 guests. Thank you to everyone who participated in the program—especially to the Japanese Consulate!
October 15th Harvest Moon JASC had nearly 500 members and friends turn up for its first ever Harvest Moon Festival. The event, which was held on October 15th at the stunning Eron Johnson Antiques Warehouse, was a free celebration of all things Japan, and we had a variety of vendors present throughout the day: Pacific Mercantile, Gimme Anime, Ciro’s Loft, DecorAsian, KOZO Fine Art Materials, Vintage Renewal, Vintage Kimono, Harold Sasaki and Tom Harvey. In addition, we had demonstrative and informative tables by Denver Botanic Gardens, the JET Programme, Rocky Mountain Bonsai Society and Sogetsu Colorado Branch. Guests were able to purchase obento by Sushi Den, which were a real hit! A huge thanks to the volunteers who made the event possible, as well as to Eron Johnson for hosting! We hope to see you all at next year’s Harvest Moon Festival!
September 1st Luncheon On Thursday, September 1st, JASC, along with the World Trade Center Denver, hosted a talk on exporting to Japan. The talk was lead by Phil Seng, President & CEO of the U.S. Meat Export Federation, who shared his experiences with USMEF during the BSE crisis—and how differences in Japanese and US culture came into play in the aftermath. Mr. Seng offered a candid look into the intricacies of international trade, and how a mutual understanding of cultures between countries involved is crucial. Nearly 50 JASC & WTC members and friends attended the informal luncheon, which took place in the World Trade Center. Participants represented a variety of industries—from exporting and importing, to agriculture, to engineering and more. JASC strives to host programs like this regularly for its members. If you have a program pitch for JASC, please send it to info@jascolorado.org.
August 6th Luncheon 2011 marks the 25th anniversary of the sister-state relationship between Colorado and Yamagata Prefecture. In recognition of two and-a-half decades of exchange, a delegation from Yamagata Prefecture visited Colorado for a series of programs and events—including a luncheon hosted by JASC on Saturday, August 6 2011. The luncheon, which was held at the Brown Palace Hotel, also featured His Excellency Ichiro Fujisaki, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the United States of America. Ambassador Fujisaki served as keynote speaker for the program. Over 150 JASC members and friends attended the luncheon, which began with a group of students from the Dewa Shonai International Exchange Program performing the Hanagasa Odori, a traditional Yamagata folk dance. First on the stage were Mr. Morgan Smith and Dr. James Terada, former chairs of the Colorado-Yamagata Friendship Committee who spoke of the establishment of the sister-state relationship. Next on stage were representatives from the State of Colorado: Mr. David Thomson, Director of Global Business Development for the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade; and the Honorable Frank McNulty, Speaker of the House for the State of Colorado. Mr. Thomson read a message from Governor Hickenlooper, who was unable to attend. Following the Colorado representatives were two very special guests representing Yamagata: Mr. Takashi Takahashi, Vice Governor of Yamagata Prefecture; and the Honorable Kozo Taira, Chairperson of the Yamagata Prefectural Assembly. Through the help of an interpreter, both representatives spoke of the importance of the relationship between Colorado and Yamagata, while also expressing their gratitude to JASC for raising funds for the Tohoku (northeastern) region. Following a sake barrel opening ceremony (after which Yamagata sake was served to all the guests), Ambassador Fujisaki took to the stage for his speech, entitled, “Japan, Where we are Going,” which discussed the aftermath of the March 11th disaster and where Japan is headed in its efforts to rebuild. Ambassador Fujisaki distributed handouts to each guest, which included before and after images from various locations in the Tohoku region—where the earthquake and tsunami struck. The luncheon finished with gifts exchanged between Vice Governor Takahashi and Chairperson Taira and the State of Colorado and Japan America Society of Colorado. Japan America Society of Colorado felt honored to host this luncheon, and thanks everyone who attended and sponsored the event. Special thanks to JASC President Shinobu Yoshitomi, Senior Vice President Dick Clark and Executive Committee member Isao Kamitani for all they did leading up to, and during, the event. We are also incredibly grateful to the Yamagata Delegation and Ambassador Fujisaki for flying to Colorado to make this luncheon a success.
July 18th Golf Tournament On Monday, July 18th, JASC, along with the Japanese Firms Association of Colorado, hosted the 23rd Annual Consul General of Japan Charity Golf Tournament. We had 92 golfers participate and, despite the intense heat, a great time was had by all.
Thank you to all the donors for this year’s raffle—especially Delta Air Lines for donating such a fantastic grand prize! The evening culminated with an announcement of the winning foursomes, listed below: Third Place: Second Place: First Place: Congratulations to all of the winners! Thank you to all of the sponsors, donors and players for making this year’s event such a success! We look forward to seeing you all next year! For pictures of the event, please see the following page. More pictures are available online, at http://fotografcanim.smugmug.com/. Thank you to Fotograf Canim for capturing the event!
May 24th Luncheon JASC hosted a Support-the-Recovery Luncheon on Tuesday, May 24th at the Grand Hyatt in Downtown Denver. Governor John Hickenlooper welcomed 150 guests, and went on to talk about the importance of Japan to the people of Colorado. In addition, Governor Hickenlooper pledged a $2,500 donation for the JASC Japan Relief Fund. JASC Senior Vice President Dick Clark then presented Governor Hickenlooper with a bonsai as a way of saying thank you for his support of the JASC Japan Relief fund since its establishment . Following Governor Hickenlooper was then Acting Consul General of Japan, the Honorable Fumiyoshi Kashima, who provided an update on the Tohoku (northeastern) region of Japan following March 11th. The program also featured a video message from James Zumwalt, Deputy Chief of Mission from the US Embassy in Tokyo. The focus of the program was the panel discussion, which featured expert panelists Sally Covington, Deputy Manager of DIA; Ganpat Mani, President of ConverDyn; and David Wald, seismologist from the National Earthquake Information Center. The panelists (pictured, left) covered the impact on local business, radiation issues and a detailed explanation of the 9.0 earthquake which led to the devastating tsunami, respectively. One of the ways JASC helped, in addition to its Japan Relief Fund, was to ask local schools to string together 1,000 cranes—a symbol of hope and peace to the Japanese. Eileen Heath, retired teacher from Tavelli Elementary School, was on hand at the event to present the cranes her third-grade classroom prepared (pictured, right). Adding to the list of informative speakers was Joe Schuele, Director of Communications for the US Meat Export Federation. Joe was present to talk about the ways that USMEF has reached out to the people of the Tohoku region to help them recover and rebuild. Funds raised at the luncheon will help support the ongoing cultural, educational and outreach efforts of the Japan America Society of Colorado. Our mission is as important as ever, and we thank all of the sponsors, speakers and guests of the luncheon for taking time to be present for the event—at which even more money was raised for the Japan Relief Fund, through donation envelopes placed on tables. The JASC Japan Relief Fund has received over $120,000 in donations since it was created on March 11, 2011, and we thank all of the generous donors for reaching out to help our friends in Japan.
March & April 2011: Japan Relief Fundraising Events Since our fundraising began for our Japan Relief Fund, we have been overwhelmed by the incredible generosity of others. Individual and corporate donors—some familiar with JASC, others learning of us for the first time—dug deep to contribute to the fund which, as of May 16, 2011, has raised over $85,000 for the people of Tohoku. Schools and girl scout troops have organized bake sales and collections, families have requested donations in lieu of birthday gifts, companies have set up matching funds—in addition to donating large sums separately—and individuals with limited funds have given what they can. All of these acts have added up to more than $85,000—100% of which will go to Japan. In addition, two large events were held to raise money for JASC: Ganbare Japan by Sushi Zanmai, and The Power of Solidarity, spearheaded by the Asian Pacific Development Center. Ganbare Japan took place on Sunday, April 10th, and raised over $17,000 for the JASC Japan Relief Fund. Sushi Zanmai organized the entire event, which took place on the Boulder Courthouse Lawn and which featured a variety of performers—including Denver Taiko and sales booths. In addition, Sushi Zanmai donated an incredible amount of delicious Japanese food, which was purchased by donation. Hundreds of members of the Japanese and local community attended and participated in the event, and Japan America Society of Colorado is incredibly grateful to the people of Sushi Zanmai and all volunteers and performers who donated a lot of time, energy and resources to ensure the event’s success. 
On Saturday, April 16th at Abraham Lincoln High School, the Asian Pacific Development Center and 17 other partnering Asian American Pacific Islander (API) organizations hosted a benefit concert for Japan, Power of Solidarity. The three-hour benefit concert featured various local artists representing the diverse Denver API community including Wendy Woo, Jack Hadley, Mirai Daiko and Masakazu Ito, an internationally-known classical guitarist. The event was very successful, raising over $30,000—which was evenly distributed to three organizations, including JASC. In addition to the aforementioned events, JASC was selected as the recipient of funds raised at the March 31, 2011 concert by award-winning pianist, Nobuyuku Tsujii. Over $900 was contributed to JASC, thanks to the help of volunteer Kayo Kayo Takahata-Awad, and following the concert Dilek Eccles, JASC Executive Director, was able to meet with Mr. Tsujii (pictured), whose agent also donated to the fund!
Our donation efforts will finish at the end of May, so if you still wish to donate, you have time. Japan America Society would like to thank everyone who has contributed to our Japan Relief Fund—whether by donating time, money or energy. Your efforts will enable us to send a very substantial donation to Tohoku.
APRIL 16 2011: Japan Cup Otsukare-sama to over 100 students from high schools and universities across the region who participated in this year’s Japan Cup. On April 16th, students, teachers, parents and friends, and JASC volunteers gathered at the University of Denver for the 2011 Japan Cup. The event, which was sponsored in part for DU's new Center for World Languages and Cultures, started at 9:15 in the morning, with the preliminary rounds for students—who were divided into four levels based on experience: 1, 2, 3 & 4. In total, we had 36 teams compete on the day, and ten different schools were represented. Throughout the day, leading up to the finals, we had a number of cultural activities for everyone: Ulo Tamm taught the game of go; Mamiko Ikeda showed students how to write Japanese calligraphy; and Barbara Gardner of Boulder Folders and Dee Lynch taught modular origami, and how to fold cranes. The Final Rounds began at 12:15 in Davis Auditorium where the top three teams of each level competed for first place. Acting Consul General of Japan Fumiyoshi Kashima gave the opening speech to the students, and JASC Executive Committee member T.R. Reid (pictured, below) acted as Master of Ceremonies. 
Yumiko Asano, Tomomi Matsuzawa, Rie Seaver and Katsuya Yanagida judged the final rounds, which were moderated by Shingo Ishida, Nami Larson, Kathy Ajisaka and Masako Hasegawa. JASC is very grateful to all the aforementioned, as well as the CJLEA Question-Making Committee (Setsu Kawada, Masako Beecken, Mike Kleinkopf, Andre Martinez, Hisako Schibli, Saori Nyholm Seta, and Miwako Winters). The committee spent countless hours creating and compiling all of the day’s questions, and without all of their time and energy the event would not be possible. Thank you as well to all of the other fantastic volunteers, for spending the entire day at DU to ensure the event was a true success: Carlos Acosta, Kathleen Ajisaka, Kumiko Amada, Danielle Blakely, Alaina Ferguson, Barbara Gardner, Jared Hayes, Masako Hasegawa, Yoshiko Herrmann, Kathleen Homan, Jessi Huynh, Mamiko Ikeda, Cathy Ishida, Shingo Ishida, Jordan Kennedy, Tamami Kimura, Nami Larson, Dee Lynch, Andre Martinez, Mike Micucci, Hiromi Mochizuki, Min Mochizuki, Scott Mulligan, Andrea Jean Ornelas, Donna Ries, Rie Seaver, Brandon Kyle Shelton, Hiroko Takeyama, Ulo Tamm, Anne Thibault, Barbara Van de Berg, Elizabeth Vonne, Jessyca Wilcox, Jon Wilkerson, and Anna Winters. Finally, a very big CONGRATULATIONS to the winning teams! Level One: First Place: Robin Dickey, Matt Laughlin & Carol Rahjes from Laredo Middle School Second Place: Kate Mooney and Haley Slaugh from Boulder High School Third Place: Kaylee Zimmerman, Michael Dalton & Matthew Culley from Bear Creek High School Level Two: First Place: Ben Price and Julia Hartig from Boulder High School Second Place: Kessy Legard, Katelyn Clorite & Sydney Mandel from Boulder High School Third Place: Miranda Yang and Amanda Hillshafer from Eaglecrest High School Level Three: First Place: Phillip Georgis and Meg Wanek from Boulder High School Second Place: Lauren Brown, Mason Seymore & Jenny Cheung from Bear Creek High School Third Place: Nancy Le, Grant Ochoa & Bo Seo from Bear Creek High School Level Four: First Place: Daniel Alvarez, Lauren Slattery & Alison Barclay from Colorado State University Second Place: Sarah Romer, Jason LeBlanc & Hanna Atkins from Colorado State University Third Place: Craig Hirokawa, Jenna Newman & Linda Le from University of Denver
SEPTEMBER 21 2010: 1st Meishi Mixer JASC's first meishi mixer took place on September 21st, 2010, at Breckenridge Brewery. Thirty-five people attended. It was a great mix of Japanese and non-Japanese people, and JASC members and non-members. Everyone was having such a great time that, although the invitations said the event would end at 8 p.m., many stayed until 8:45 p.m. Yuko Higashiyama of Hayashibara International Inc., won the drawing for a $25 gift-certificate from Breckenridge Brewery!Pictures of this event are coming soon! We hope that you will join us for the next meishi mixer in November! JULY 19 2010: 22nd Annual Consul General of Japan Charity Golf Tournament The 22nd Annual Consul General of Japan Charity Golf Tournament took place on Monday, July 19th, at Meridian Golf Club in Englewood.A record-breaking 92 golfers signed up to participate, and the tournament was our most successful yet. The tournament kicked off at 1:00, with the 23 foursomes playing in a Scotch Scramble format. Several prize holes were placed around the course: longest drive, closest to pin & hole-in-one. ANA donated the hole-in-one prize of one, round-trip business-class flight to Japan. While a few golfers came close, no one was successful at winning the ticket.
Prior to, and during, the tournament, Mulligans were on sale to give golfers the option to have “do-over” shots. Many golfers took up the offer, and the sale of Mulligans raised over $1,000! Despite weather forecasts predicting the usual summer thunderstorms, golfers were able to enjoy a full-day of rain-free play. The last foursomes finished at around 5:30, and at 6:00 everyone gathered in a tent (sponsored by InsideJapan Tours) for the evening reception, which was sponsored by DIA. Magician Richard Nakata gave an excellent and mind-boggling performance, and Restaurant Japon provided a wide array of food for everyone to enjoy—including sushi and sashimi made with fish donated by True World Foods. All Coors drinks were donated by Bill Waters and Molson Coors. Bill Waters, co-chair of the tournament, acted as emcee for the evening. Consul General of Japan Kazuaki Kubo also spoke during the reception, sharing some interesting facts about the game of golf. Towards the end of the evening, former JASC Board member Chris Wootten carried out a live auction, which raised over $1,500 for the tournament! Delta Air Lines were also present for the reception. Delta very generously donated two roundtrip tickets to Japan from Denver for the annual raffle. Michiko Murakami, from Delta, was on hand for the drawing. Murakami-san drew three raffle tickets for the various prizes on offer. The anticipation in the room could be felt as she handed the winning ticket to emcee Bill Waters, who then announced the winner: T.R. Reid! (Pictured below)
T.R., also a long-time Board member of the JASC, exclaimed, "Yatta (finally)!" as he accepted his prize, adding that he has been buying tickets for the JASC raffle for over twenty years. Congratulations to T.R., as well as the other winners of the raffle: Miyoko Kamitani won an overnight stay at the Isle Casino in Blackhawk, plus a gift certificate for their steakhouse; Adam Dubas won a hamper from Maui Tropical Soaps and two certificates for treatments at Governor's Park Chiropractic. Finally, the winners were announced, and it was first-time entrants Chris Brooks, Adam Dubas, Mike Eller & Joey Kinney from KPMG who grabbed first place (pictured below). Consul General Kubo was on hand to present them with the main trophy, on which their names will be engraved. Each winner also got an individual trophy to take home.
The Consul General of Japan Charity Golf Tournament benefits the JASC as well as the Japanese Firms Association of Colorado. Money raised goes towards educational programs, and the event would not be possible without the support of players and corporate sponsors. JASC would like to thank the following volunteers for donating their time and energy to ensure the day flowed smoothly: Kumiko Amada, Rachel Baertlein, Sherry Cree, Alaina Ferguson, Andre Gilbert, Kazuyo Hanson, Jennifer & Jessi Huynh, Kathryn Kavanagh, Mike Kelley, David McCrosky, Masao Michiwaki, Hiromi Mochizuki, Kay Mochizuki, Minoru Mochizuki, Peggy Moore, Takeshi Muro, Suzue Sato & Rie Seaver. Otsukare-sama deshita! We look forward to seeing you all at next year's tournament! Thank you to the following sponsors for enabling the JASC and JFA to have our most successful tournamentin recent years:
JULY 7 2010: Calligraphy Workshop JASC members have a diverse background, with many offering special talents in various aspects of Japanese culture. We hope to utilize this as much as we can, by offering our members a diverse range of workshops & demonstrations. Such was the case on Wednesday, July 7th, when master of shodo(Japanese calligraphy), Ms. Taeko Miura, lead a one-off calligraphy workshop for JASC members. The class kicked off with Miura-Sensei presenting the various styles, and lengthy history, of shodo. Afterwards, the 15 JASC Members present were given the opportunity to practice. The Consulate General of Japan at Denver supplied kits, which included brushes and ink, for all the participants.
Miura-Sensei went around to provide feedback and instruction for everyone, before moving onto various kanji for participants to try.
An accomplished master of calligraphy, Miura-Sensei had long dreamt of teaching the art of shodo to American students. Finally, on July 7th, she was able to make that dream a reality--while giving JASC members a rare treat! APRIL 10 2010: Japan Cup Nearly 100 high school and college students from across the state and Wyoming gathered at Colorado Heights University in Denver to test each other's Japanese language skills. JASC's annual Japan Cup was enjoyed by students, volunteers, teachers and parents alike. Consul General Kubo of the Consulate General of Japan at Denver attended the event and gave a very warm welcome to students at the beginning of the final round; Mr. Kubo was also there to present winning students with their prizes and certificates at the end. Pictures of the event, taken by dedicated JASC volunteer Dan Bihn, can be found on Dan's website. Here are a couple of photos: one of Consul General Kubo with the winning College Level teams, and one of all the Japan Cup finalists!
JASC wishes to thank all of those who made the event possible: Consualte General of Japan at Denver; Dan Bihn; Japon2Go; KOZO Art Store, Denver; manga de Japanese; Michael O'Keefe; Nan Desu Kan; Pacific Mercantile Company; Rocky Mountain Promotional Products and Sogetsu Colorado Branch. In addition, it goes without saying that the CJLEA Question-Making Committee, the many dedicated volunteers and the fabulous cultural presenters contributed grately to the event. Also, thank you to the sponsors of the event: Japan Foundation Los Angeles; Japanese Firms Association of Colorado & Yakult USA. Finally, JASC wishes to congratulate the winners of the 2010 Japan Cup: High School Level 2: First Place: Racher Crowner, Scott Thompson & John Fulmer from Eaglecrest High School High School Level 3: First Place: Tucker Burgin, Gabe Yavuz & Amy Gibson of Boulder High SchoolSecond Place: Wilmer Davis, Jessica Fabrizius & Gage Callies of Kelly Walsh High School Third Place: Emma Moholt, Mustapha Major & Britanny Grace of Smoky Hill High School High School Level 4: First Place:Robert Hansen, Matt Green & Nina Sotkin of Boulder High School College Level First Place: Graham Large, Daniel Way & Ethan Luke of Colorado State University
FEBRUARY 5 2010: Kimono Event Nearly 70 guests gathered at the Denver branch of DecorAsian for an informative and entertaining evening on the history and modern use of Kimono and Obi. A special thanks to Rusty Staff, DecorAsian's owner, for letting us use his store as a venue. Also, the evening would not have been possible without the expertise of Vintage Kimono's Janine Thormann and DecorAsian's Mami Yamamoto. Mikasaen Tea was provided for free to guests by owner Kazumi; Mari Takeda and Su Ryong Kim provided excellent examples of Japanese interior design incorporating Japanese textiles. Several pictures from the event can be found on our Facebook page. JANUARY 17 2010: Sumo Shinnenkai This was a fun afternoon, and around 35 JASC members attended to learn more about Sumo while watching segments of the January tournament. At the end, we held a kami zumo(paper sumo) tournament! Pictures are available on Facebook. OCTOBER 2009 Fall Banquet: 15 October A huge thank you to all of you, from the corporate sponsors and our members, to the volunteers and the employees at the DCPA for making our annual fall banquet such a success. Dick Clark, current Counselor to the President, and past President of the JASC, put in countless hours organizing this event, as did then Interim Executive Director, Rie Seaver. A huge thank you is due to both of them, as well as everyone else on the JASC board. Governor Ritter was unfortunately unable to attend the event, due to an unfortunate circumstance which arose days before. Don Marostica, Colorado’s Director of Economic Development, stepped in at the last minute to deliver an inspiring and informative talk on the opportunities that lie ahead between Japan and Colorado. JASC welcomed a number of generous corporate sponsors to the event, without whom the evening would not have been nearly as successful as it was. Our silent auction was a hit, and we extend our thanks again to the many generous donors. The evening ended with a live auction by Chris Wootten. A group of talented women, known collectively as the JASC quilters, put in more than 500 hours to make a gorgeous Sashiko quilt, which sold for $1,700 and was donated to JASC President Bob Sakata and his family. We are incredibly grateful for the time and love that went into this beautiful piece. Dan Bihn, a longtime friend of JASC, photographed the event. To view his images, please visit his website: http://photos.danbihn.com/jasc_dinner_2009 Thank you again to everyone; we look forward to seeing you, and many more, at next year’s banquet! Kabuki Lecture: 24 October On October 24th, 800 people gathered at the University of Denver’s Newman Center. The purpose of the gathering: to witness a rare, intimate Kabuki performance and lecture. The event--presented by Japan Foundation and Shochiku co., Ltd. and sponsored by PENTAX, Denver Tofu, Pacific Mercantile and JASC--gave audience members a rare glimpse into the work that goes on behind the scenes of one of Japan’s oldest performing arts. Two renowned Kabuki actors, Kyozo Nakamura and Matanosuke Nakamura, performed two traditional dances: Sagi Musume (The Heron Maiden) and Shakkyo (Lion Dance). Both performances showcased the brilliant costumes and makeup of Kabuki, as well as the unique instrumental and vocal music involved. During Sagi Musume, the audience watched in awe as Kyozo transformed himself into a woman, demonstrating the skill involved with onnagata (female roles played by male actors in Kabuki). A special thanks to the Consulate General Kazuaki Kubo and Deputy Consul General, Fumiyoshi Kashima, who helped make the evening such a success.
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