Sitting here on March 11th it's impossible not to think back to eleven years ago today. My kids were young and they could see how upset I was, sitting in front of the television all day and all night watching the horrendous aftermath of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Not since September 2001 had I felt so helpless. Yet somehow, time and again, we see tragedy bring out the best in people and that's where I chose to focus. The United States response, with Operation Tomodachi, was brilliantly executed by our government and military. Volunteers the world over traveled to Tohoku to help. Even here in Colorado, Japan America Society of Colorado led efforts to raise funds and have every dollar sent directly to the three hardest hit prefectures in the Tohoku region. This tragedy somehow managed to highlight the incredible U.S.-Japan friendship and the importance of that alliance. It's this friendship that our efforts at JASC bring to the forefront through our work and programs. Let's take a moment today to remember the 15,900 people in Japan who died that day and the 2,500+ who remain missing. And let's also remember to hold our friends close.

-Claudine Locascio
JASC Executive Director

JASC’s Junko Goodwin lead a visit to Montessori Peaks Academy to share JASC’s Japan in the Schools program with ALL their lower elementary students. The kids had so many questions to ask and were amazed to learn that Japanese students served the daily school lunches and were responsible for cleaning their own schools! The presentation ended with some hands-on origami folding! It was a joy to be there and Junko, our JiS Program Manager, clearly has a passion for connecting with kids.

Would you like to see a Japan-related program at your child’s school? Or maybe at a local university, community center or library near you? JASC can bring an outreach program designed for your specific audience from toddlers to seniors and everything in between! Contact us with your ideas and requests. We love doing this! General Inquiries: info@jascolorado.org

Yoko Watanabe, our Japan Outreach Initiative (JOI) Coordinator, visited Laredo Middle School in Aurora, CO recently. She shared and discussed modern Japanese culture with the students. Yoko introduced some famous, modern-day Japanese icons who worked hard to make their dreams come true. She then presented the students with ema (pictured above), on which to write their own dreams and share them. May their dreams come true!

Ema (絵馬) are typically small wooden wishing plaques which people purchase at temples and shrines to write their wishes on and dedicate to the gods. They are then tied or hung in a dedicated area within the temple/ shrine grounds.

節分 (Setsubun) literally means "seasonal division", referring to the day just before 立春 (Risshun), the first day of spring in the old Japanese calendar.

The main rituals during Setsubun are 豆まき (mamemaki) and eating 恵方巻 (ehoumaki). Mamemaki is the act of throwing roasted soybeans at demons in order to chase the bad spirits out of the home and usher in good luck while shouting "鬼は外!福は内” (Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!) or Devils out! Fortune in! After that, you eat the same number of soybeans as your current age- one bean for each year. Alternatively, some people use snacks other than soybeans and enjoy throwing and catching these instead.

Ehomaki is an uncut sushi roll and there are three rules for eating it:

1. Don't cut the roll into small pieces. You have to eat it whole.

2. Eat it facing the year's lucky direction.

3. Don't talk anything while eating.

If you don't follow these rules, you will lose all your good luck. Please be careful!

You can learn more about Setsubun and how to make Ehomaki by watching this video.

Although the Marshall Fire is no longer on the front page, many families and businesses that were impacted are still dealing with the losses they incurred and rebuilding their lives. We have some amazing JASC corporate members who operate in that area.

Misaki @ Superior sustained smoke damage to their restaurant and are busy working to reopen. We’ll be sure to let you know when they reopen so we can all support them by eating delicious food! (Someone’s got to do this type of delectable community support work…)

Trailhead Wealth Management is located in Louisville and luckily their staff, families and facilities were unharmed. They have a wonderful list of resources for those who are looking to donate money, time or items to those who were affected. Please check it out.

Montbell USA continues to support Marshall Fire victims through their Outdoor Gientai program and have now hosted two donations events handing out clothing and outdoor gear to those who needed it.

Check out our JASC Kaiwa Club Shinnenkai on ice this past Saturday! Thank you to all who came out for this fun day of sliding across the ice (not always on our feet) and speaking 日本語. The weather was perfect and the views were beautiful at Evergreen Lake. JASC is alternating between online Kaiwa Club (Japanese Conversation Club) sessions and in-person outdoor adventures. Bring your Japanese skills and join us online and/ or outside for our next one! JASC is a community because of our members! Thank you for being a part of it!

Hello and Happy New Year! あけましておめでとうございます！今年も宜しくお願い致します。I wanted to take a moment to thank you all for the incredible support you have provided to Japan America Society of Colorado during these past two difficult years. It seems just when we think things are getting back to "normal", we back-step yet again.

Over the course of the next few weeks (months?) we plan to be a little extra cautious with in-person meetings and events until our understanding of the latest wave of Covid is a bit better. Kaiwa Club is planning a fun 新年会 outing to go ice skating - hopefully a nice, safe, outdoor activity. Kaiwa Club itself will alternate meeting on Zoom and meeting in-person.

At least ten of our member families were affected by the fires in Louisville and Superior being displaced by evacuation. Having checked in with each of them, they all appear to have had their homes spared and their families are safe. One of our dear friends and loyal volunteers has lost her home and we are in touch and ready to help if needed. We have since learned of two other Japanese families who have lost homes and we are also in touch with them and ready to help once they know more about their needs. This community of Japan America Society of Colorado is very special. Whether it is connections for your business or your family, the network of resources we have is vast and I truly thank each and every one of you for being here with us.

I have been looking through our online Membership Directory in recent days and noticed many of you have updated your profiles with photos, business cards, descriptions of services, and more interesting facts to help us get to know you better. I love learning more about you all! If you have not done so, I encourage you to login and update your own profile. It really is wonderful to see the wide range of people that we have within our small yet mighty 日米協会。

I plan to continue our "Member Spotlights" this year. If you haven't been already and you'd like to volunteer to be featured, please reach out to me! I will focus on highlighting our member companies this year, along with new members as they join.

We are working on quite a few events for 2022 and hopefully by March we'll be rolling with some new and interesting topics that allow you to learn and connect. As always, if you have a program idea that you'd like to share or help launch, please reach out! Our organization is as strong as our members.

Sincerely,

Claudine Locascio
Executive Director

明けましておめでとうございます！The lovely and talented Alissa Berdahl submitted the winning nengajo design! We got so many submissions we had to open another category for Youth, to which the winning prize went to Austen Maybee (age 14). We loved seeing the creativity in our community and will definitely host this contest in future years. Thank you all for your submissions!

Alissa Berdahl, Winning Design (Adult)
You can see more of Alissa’s work on Instagram: @berdahrt

Austen Maybee (age 14), Winning Design (Youth)

JASC is holding its 1st ever Nengajo Contest! In keeping with Japanese tradition, JASC sends a New Years Card out to all our members, supporters and friends on January 1st. This year, we'd like to get some help from our community. A winning design will be chosen and that nengajo will be sent out to our JASC community on behalf of JASC with credit awarded to the artist for the design. The artist will receive a one year JASC Family Level Membership ($75 value) and a $30 gift card to Pacific Mercantile at Sakura Square!

• Deadline: December 19, 2021

• Must:

  • be original artwork

  • include some form of the standard Japanese New Year greeting: 明けましておめでとうございます。

  • include the zodiac animal of 2022 (the year of the tiger!)

  • be submitted in its original format and PDF, JPG or PNG

• Submissions (and questions) should be sent to: info@jascolorado.org

We can't wait to see what you've got! Happy designing!

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Just as holiday greetings or cards are exchanged in the West, nengajo, or New Years postcards are exchanged in Japan. Nowadays, although many nengajo are digitially sent, the Japan Post still delivers about 4 billion each New Years Day. In keeping with the Japanese cultural value of timeliness, nengajo are delivered ON New Years Day- not a second before or after. Click here to read more about the history of this cultural tradition.

It is our pleasure to inform you that JASC is now accepting applications for the Rikai Scholarship for spring 2022 study abroad programs. If you are interested in applying or sharing this opportunity with others, please find more details on our Rikai Scholarship webpage. The application deadline for all materials is Nov. 30, 2021.

JASC had over 50 people come make onigiri at our Onigiri Onegai! event in support of Table for Two’s Onigiri Action campaign. We had so much fun creating the most adorable onigiri (many of them Halloween-themed) you have ever seen. And we had even more fun devouring them! Under the excellent tutelage of Yuta Okkotsu (owner of “Gonigiri”) we learned how to shape these adorable morsels of deliciousness. No instruction was needed to eat them. This event sold out and we did get several emails requesting more events like this. We hear you!! Thank you for the feedback!

Did you know that JASC offers a Japan in the Schools program as part of our mission to connect Colorado and Japan through educational means? This is a FREE program offered to classrooms throughout Colorado by our wonderful team member, Junko Goodwin. JiS for elementary students has been around for some time, but Junko has expanded this program adding some original creative content allowing us to reach out to students at all levels. We are so happy to be able to visit classrooms in person again and are also able to do completely remote or hybrid presentations also. If you are an educator or want to bring this program to your child’s classroom, please contact us! お待ちしております。

Thank you to all those who joined us on Riverdale Dunes Golf Course last week for a great day of fundraising and golfing! We had incredibly beautiful weather, incredibly delicious food (thanks to Miki Hashimoto of Tokio) and an incredible amount of fun between sake tastings, J-pop dancing and swinging those clubs. All proceeds from this event and the raffle support Japanese education programs in Colorado including study abroad scholarships, school visits and the Japanese School of Denver. Thank you to our sponsors and golfers for making this year a sucess. And a big….

Congratulations to our 2021 Raffle Winners!

• Grand Prize: Two international round trip tickets on United Airlines
  Ticket # 1401 - Bob Frankmore

• 2nd Prize: Two domestic round trip tickets on United Airlines
  Ticket # 1440 - Herman L. White

• 3rd Prize: A stay at Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort
  Ticket # 532 - Jason Baker

• 4th Prize: United Airlines flight simulator experience for four
  Ticket # 326 - Sandi Moilanen

• 5th Prize: $500 gift card to Big O Tires donated by Sumitomo Corporation of Americas
  Ticket # 92 - Isamu Hashimoto

JASC’s Junko Goodwin with Tagawa Gardens’ Lauren having a great time on camera!

JASC’s Junko Goodwin joined Lauren at Tagawa Gardens this past month to bring a fun and lively online workshop focused on Japanese gardens and aesthetics to our community. The program culminated with how to create your own kokedama (moss ball) at home. Support our event partner by purchasing a prepared DIY kit from Tagawa Gardens ($40). Alternatively, you can purchase materials on your own from any garden supply store. Click here for the materials list. Once you have your materials, view the kokedama workshop video on JASC’s YouTube channel and try out your green thumb at home!

As you may know, Japan America Society of Colorado is one of 38 societies who are part of the National Association of Japan America Societies (NAJAS). This week, from Aug. 31 - Sept. 2 JASC is honored to be hosting the NAJAS Annual Meeting. Attendees will include Executive Directors and Board representatives from 30 Japan America Societies from around the country and virtual participation from other U.S. societies and partner societies in Japan. This is a way for all JAS to connect and learn from one another. The meeting will open with a live, virtual Keynote Address via Zoom from Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the United States, Tomita Koji. His talk will be followed by in-person talks from Congresswoman Diana DeGette (Denver-1), and former Tokyo Bureau Chief of the Washington Post and current JASC Board Member T.R. Reid. Other distinguished speakers will include Joseph Young, former Charge d'Affaires, U.S. Embassy in Tokyo and Ambassadors Masafumi Ishii and Kurt Tong on the topic of Geopolitical Strategy. Presentations will be offered by the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission, Japan Foundation, and Sasakawa Peace Foundation. All of this shared knowledge is re-invested right here at Japan America Society of Colorado as we use what we learn to provide quality programs for our members and gain access to new speakers for future events. We are excited to welcome our national partners to Denver!

Yoko Watanabe has joined JASC from Japan and will be with us for 2 full years. We are SO EXCITED to have her with us! She arrived in August through the Japan Outreach Initiative Program. A joint initiative of The Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership and Laurasian Institution, the JOI Program brings volunteer Japanese coordinators to regions of the U.S. where Japanese culture has been less accessible. Get to know Yoko below!

Hello everyone! I’m Yoko, the coordinator for the Japan Outreach Initiative (JOI). I will work for Japan America Society of Colorado for 2 years to increase opportunities for cultural exchange. I really like sports and belonged to a Judo club for 6 years during childhood.

I graduated with a degree in education from Teikyo University and got a teacher license. But I also have an interest in business, so after graduating, I worked as sales for a global logistics company conducting global business. I had the opportunity to take a short-term study abroad to New York City. I love dance, creating kids' clothes and wearing Kimono! I’m also interested in environmental issues. Hopefully, we can enjoy exchanging cultures and discussing these issues. I look forward to seeing you soon.

E: yoko@jascolorado.org  |  Instagram: yoko_japancolorado

In the start of August, JASC will have a new staff member arriving from Japan. She will join our team for 2 years on a full time basis! This lovely lady will be serving some of our farther out Colorado communities and we want to help her get there. If you have a car that you are considering selling, please contact us! We are looking to purchase a vehicle that is safe to drive in all Colorado weather conditions and will make it up through our Rocky Mountains without trouble. JASC’s budget is $5000 or less.

On a similar note, did you know that JASC also has a car donation program? You can support JASC by donating an unwanted car!
Click here to learn more.

Team Nichi-Bei-GO at the CODA Regatta

The JASC Dragon Boat team, Nichi-Bei-GO, had a fun-filled start to the season out on Mann-Nyholt Lake in Adam’s County this past Saturday. With just a few sprinkles to keep things cool, the team paddled in 3 races along with a tug-o-war competition on the water. Most of our paddlers were novices, so we did a quick workshop on land and then moved into the boat to learn and practice how to paddle. We paddled our hearts out, smiled, laughed, got wet and in general had a fantastic day. It was a joy to mingle and paddle with other teams and engage with the Dragon Boat community. A big thanks to CODA (Colorado Dragon Boat Alliance) for organizing the regatta and for all the support they have lent us as we grow our team this year. We are looking forward to more smiles on the water this summer season!

Our Kaiwa Club (Japanese Conversation Group) met in-person for the first time in a long time on Saturday, June 12! The feeling of reuniting was palpable as conversations erupted, smiles soared and laughs filled the air. The group of nearly 30 gathered under the trees in downtown Denver’s Washington Park. We are so happy to be returning to some safe in-person gatherings. We are so happy to be with our members and community- it’s what is at our core. If you missed us as much as we missed you, come out for our Summer Gala: A Celebration of Excellence, our Dragon Boat Team, and/ or our Golf Tournament. Stay tuned as we create more opportunities to connect!