Tomodachi - sejscc-home

Southeast
School
& Community
Center
SoutheastJapanese
Japanese
School
& Community
Center
14615
GridleyRd.
Rd. Norwalk
Norwalk CA
14615S.Gridley
CA 90650
90651-0434
Website:www.SEJSCC.org
www.SEJSCC.org 562.863.5996
562.863.5996
Website:
V ol um e 1 8, I s s ue 4
J u ly 2 0 13
N e w s l e tte r
友
達
Tomodachi
Tomodachi
Carnival is just around the corner (July 25th and 26th). For those who would like to
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Richard Shinomoto
Hi Everyone
May –June
J. Sugita
$100
R. Hanki
$100
T. Matsumura
$33
T. Mathes
M. Okimoto
$65
$300
M. Delanty
$500
I. Murakami
$200
In Memory Of Masako's 7th
G. Yoshiyama
$140
G. Stefenhagen
$100
T. Yokoyama
$1,000
G. Shibayama
$100
In Memory Of Maggie Konishi
Y. Fushimi
$20
G. Kawamura
$80
B. Yumori
$80
J. Ishii
$50
T. Watanabe
$50
C. Tanamachi
$100
P. Yonezawa
$40
Terminal Islanders
$100
G. Kawaguchi
$100
J. T. Murakami
$50
Thank you for your kind generosity and
continuing support.
I can't believe July is upon us already. Mark your calendars and come join us for our 50th Festival at the center. Ondo practice will be on Mondays and Thursdays from 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm starting
July 8th. Everybody is welcome to join in the fun and learn the dances. The Festival will be held on
Saturday July 27 at 3:00 pm and Sunday July 28th at 2:00 pm. We will have a drawing for door prizes at 7:30 pm on Sunday and you must be present to win. If you cannot be present, please inform
someone you know so they can accept the prize for you. You do not have to be present to win one of
the top 5 cash drawings. When filling out the information on the ticket stubs, PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY. There will be special guests at the festival along with plenty of food, games and demonstrations
by Kendo, Judo and Karate. Entertainment will include Na Wahine 'O Kawena Hawaiian Hula and
Kamaki's Maika'i Jammers. Bingo will start at 5:00 in the gym on Saturday and Sunday. Appearing on
the outdoor stage will be Karaoke singers, Taiko drummers and our special guest artist Minyo singer
Marissa Kosugi (July 27th at 5:00 pm). The festival is a good time to meet old friends and enjoy delicious food.
Due to limited space, senior, reserved, and handicapped parking is available on a first come
first serve basis within the grounds. All other parking will be outside in the neighborhood and Gerdes
Park area.
Mark your calendars. This year’s Pancake Breakfast and Holiday Boutique will be on the first
Saturday, October 5th. Pancake Breakfast will be from 7 - 11 am. The menu for the Hawaiian Style
breakfast will include Portuguese Sausage, Eggs with Rice and Pancakes. All proceeds for the breakfast benefit the Youth Sports Programs and Scholarship. Advanced tickets are not required. For more
information about the Pancake Breakfast, please contact Rich Tamaki at (562) 883-3383. The Holiday Boutique will be held from 8:00 am to 2:30 pm in the gym. For more information about the Holiday Boutique please contact Becky Shinomoto at (562) 926-8582. Everyone can enjoy breakfast
and get an early start on your Holiday shopping all in the same day.
Thank you for all your continued support throughout the year.
2013 RECOGNITION
AND
AWARDS DINNER
Lynn Chang
The annual Recognition and Awards Dinner was held on Sunday May 19th. All the clubs contributed
to our “island style” dinner and the culmination was truly a group effort. Additional thanks to the Kendo ladies who really outdid themselves with the beautiful fruit centerpieces and delicious inari sushi!
We sold a record of almost 300 tickets and it was nice to see so many old and new friends of the
Center come out to support our Fundraiser. Roger Hirai, Mary Iwami, and Yumi & Takashi Kushi were
presented with Outstanding Service Awards by President Richard Shinomoto. In addition, Cerritos
Mayor Bruce Barrows presented City of Cerritos Community Service Awards and Norwalk Vice-Mayor
Marcel Rodarte and Norwalk Councilmember Cheri Kelley presented Norwalk Community Spotlight
Awards to the four awardees. A longtime friend of the Center, former Norwalk Mayor Gordon Stefenhagen, and new supporter Cerritos Councilmember Carol Chen, were also in attendance.
Congratulations to all our high school senior scholarship award recipients: Koichi and Toyo Nerio
Scholarship Awards recipients Dylan Hirata, Lauren Hong and Daniel Shishino; Norwalk Youth Sports
Scholarship Awards recipients Lauren Hong, Taylor Lewis, Daniel Shishino and Keilani Trias; and
Judo Scholarship Award recipient Andrew Griffith.
Many thanks to the Master of Ceremony Toshi Teramoto and all the performers. The talented
Kamaki and Vic opened up the program and we then enjoyed performances by Hikari Taiko, Na Wahine ‘O Kawena, Hawaiian Hula, Akebono Karaoke Club and Ayame Kai Classical Dance Club. Our
youngest performers to showcase their talent were Laurin Tiangco and Alex Bannykh, who thrilled the
audience with their Ballroom Dancing. We look forward to seeing you all next year!
Page 2
Tomodachi
KO
HIKARI TAIKO
Mary Jane Mayeda
NORWALK JUDO
Bingo nite on May 4th was a nice turnout. Thank you to Hikari members for helping out in the kitchen preparing dinner and setting up.
The Center Awards & Recognition Nite turned out to be a huge success.
Record breaking attendance I heard. Thank you to Hikari members
who helped out on Saturday to prepare some of the food. Also to the
performing members who gave the opening performance.
We have been very busy this summer with performances and workshops for children. We taught a 4 week workshop for the 1st thru
5th graders at an elementary school. This summer we are starting a
childrens workshop for 7 to 14 weeks only. Camp Hanabi is another
taiko workshop in July.
Beginning of June was a performance for the Long Beach Unity festival, big concert at the Mission Playhouse Theater in Pasadena (Silk
& Thunder), Martial Arts Awards Nite in Costa Mesa Hilton Hotel and
corporate event in the City of Industry Pacific Palms Resort hotel.
Also a special cheering on performance for the Special Olympics at
Lanterman State Hospital in Pomona.
Preparations for the upcoming cultural festival are now being worked
on. Busy making the kazari’s, happi coats and getting ready for
odori practice and class performances.
Please come out to learn Japanese dancing. Practice starts July 8th
at 7:30pm. Every Monday and Thursday till the 25th.
By June Uyekawa
Summer is finally here ! Let the tournaments continue…
We’re just rolling along to the next tournament…
The 2013 West Coast Invitational Judo Championships were
held on May 19th at Westminster High School. We represented with 10 competitors and 9 came home with medals.
Congratulations to the following judoka:
Conor Uyekawa: 1st place; Stefanie Varela: 1st; Kay Sugahara: 1st; Albert Lee: 1st place and 2nd place in the second
division; Godwin Obele: 1st; Kris Witowich: 1st; Andres
Boppell: 3rd place; Ren Uyehara,Desmond Wong, Weston
Uyekawa: 3rd.
The Heart Judo Tournament in Baldwin Park on June 2nd
proved to be another fruitful tournament for those judoka
who competed. A high five to Andres Boppell: 3rd place;
Billy Matsubara: 2nd place; (Showcased 2 ippons for his
dad); Joshua Chen: 2nd place.
Congratulations to those judoka for representing Norwalk
Judo.
Before you could blink an eye, the Barstow Judo Tournament
was held the following weekend in Barstow. Woot Woot to
the following dedicated judoka who made the trip: Andres
Boppell: 3rd place; Kay Sugahara: 2nd; Ismael Sakez: 3rd.
(Welcome back Ish…we missed you).
As the judoka were busy bringing home medals, Kuni Fukuma was busy having Baby no#2 ! Emily Yui Fukuma was
born on June 3rd, 2013, 6 lbs., 11 oz---baby and mom are
doing fine…needless to say so is dad, he’s back at practice
in full swing !
As seen in our photos, we were fortunate enough to host
Gardena Judo Dojo on Friday evening, June 21st for an interclub shiai that proved to be both competitive and enjoyable
for all. Now this is the way to kick off the summer season,
Look out for the Norwalk Judo Booth during Obon, it looks to
be a hot, hot Summer !
CALENDAR
Operating Bd Mtg-1st Wed Monthly 7pm
Center Bd Mtg-2nd Wed Monthy 6:30pm
July 8-12
8-25
13
27-28
29
Aug
3
24
Sep
7
7
5
Oct
5
5
12
Camp Hanabi
9 am-3 p
Ondo Practice Mon/Th
7:30 p
Monthly Bingo
6:30 p
50th Cultural Festival and Ondo
Center clean-up
6:00 p
Monthly Bingo
Monthly Ballroom dancing
6:30 p
7:00 p
First Day of Japanese School 8:45 a
Monthly Bingo
6:30 p
Pancake Breakfast
7:00 a
Holiday Boutique
Monthly Bingo
Gakuen Undokai
8:00 a
6:30 p
9:00 a
July 13 Host: Judo
Reminder...
Serving Beef Stew
BINGO
Aug 3 Host: Na Wahine ‘O Kawena
6:30 pm
First Saturday
Serving Kalua Pork
Of the month
Dinner served at 6 pm
Come join us!
and Ukulele
“Tomodachi”, 14615 Gridley Rd.,
Norwalk CA 90650.
Tel: 562,863-5996. Published
6 times annually by the
Southeast Japanese School and
Community Center.
A no
charge newsletter informing all
participants of activities on a one
per household basis. Bulk Mail
Postage Paid at Norwalk, CA.
Editor: Mary Iwami; Advertising
& Mailing: Mary Iwami, Mas
Onoda, Gakuen PTA and Norwalk Nikkei Seniors.
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Tomodachi
NORWALK YOUTH SPORTS
By Ngoc Tram Vu
Blue Diamonds Shine
The NYS Blue Diamonds won the championships in the 4th
Grade Girls Silver Division during both the South Bay FOR Tournament and the Tigers Tournament this past May. The girls had
been working very hard to improve their skills, and it was exciting
to see all the hard work payoff. After one of their wins during the
Tigers Tournament, Blue Diamonds Head Coach Alex Caceres
treated the team to shaved ice. What better way to celebrate a
sweet victory!
NYS Blue Angels: More Than Just Basketball
Being a part of a team can mean so many different things to different people. For two members of the Norwalk Blue Angels,
team is family:
“The Blue Angels is not only a basketball team, they are like my
own family. They are all very supportive and are always there for
one another. Not only do we bond on the court but outside of
basketball as well. We are good friends.
The Blue Angels and I have been through so much together...especially for me and my teammate Kristin. We both lost our
dads to cancer. After my dad passed away, I did not know what
to do anymore. Luckily, my team was there for both me and my
family. They helped me to be positive and stay strong. I don't
know what would have happened to me if the team were not
there to help and support me. I know that they all tried to step in
and help in any way they could. Their love and support was so
very much appreciated. I couldn't ask for any other team than
the one I have.”
-Allyson Hayakawa
“My Blue Angels team is more than just about basketball. We’re
one big family, an extended family that takes care of each other
through ups and downs. We play hard, we have fun, we help
each other, and we help the community. It’s important to reach
out to others and stay connected as a team.
The 2013-14 SEYO season marks the 7th team year for the Blue
Angels. In 2008, my dad, Keith Tsujimoto passed away while
fighting cancer. He watched me play my first season, taking pictures and cheering me on at every game. The following year,
another great dad and Blue Angels fan, Ken Hayakawa, passed
away from cancer. It was a difficult year since both fathers loved
watching their daughters play basketball and tried to watch every
game. But Coach Glenn and Coach Ben and all the dads and
moms helped us make it through.
Helping the community is another great way for us to help others
and stay connected as a team. Each year, we look for special
projects that we can do together like donating toys to a Children’s
Hospital, making a grand feast for a needy family at Thanksgiving, and preparing hygiene kits for the homeless at Christmas. I
love helping those who are less fortunate. The WHOLE team enjoys helping others, and we have fun putting it all together.
I love being a Blue Angel! We treasure the time that we have
together as one big family. We’ll always treasure this in our hearts
as one life long memory and opportunity.”
-Kristin Tsujimoto
Southeast Japanese School & Community Center Activities List
If you are interested in any of the activities at the Center, please contact the person listed below
Southeast Gakuen: Kimie Matsumoto 562 926.2536
Hikari Taiko: Mary J ane Mayeda 562 924.1454
Shuji (Calligraphy):
“
“
“
Ikebana (Flower Arrgmt): Ogawa Sensei 714 893.1245
Japanese Classical Dance: Akemi J ensen 562 691.2764
Norwalk Nikkei Seniors: Toby Fusato 562 .860.7368
Guitar Class: Yuji Hata 562 695.1908
Norwalk Karaoke Club: Ed Kor in 714.870.1013
Norwalk Youth Sports: Rich Tamaki r ytamaki@yahoo.com
Na Wahine ‘O Kawena: Karen Toyoshiba 562 863-5996
Kendo: J ean Kodama Sensei email: norwalkkendo@gmail.com
Hawaiian Karaoke Club: Leslie Goshi 323 722.7229
Karate: Brock Nishimur a 714 826.9128
Ukulele Class: Kamaki Keawe 714-928-7157
Judo: Bill Matsubara 562 483 9374
Norwalk Dance Club: Edna Kurihara 714 847.1173
Tomodachi
Page 4
NORWALK KARAOKE
NORWALK DANCECLUB
The Norwalk Karaoke Club members celebrated a very special
80th birthday for George Nageyama, a man who sponsored our
Tokuishi sensei when he came to the U.S. as a young man. The
event was held at Mr. Nageyama’s beautiful home in Monterey
Park on April 6. A colorful multi-colored 1,000 piece paper
crane decorative art piece made by members of the Norwalk
Karaoke Club and the Nisei karaoke club was presented to the
honoree. A delicious luncheon was served as well as performances by Tokuishi sensei and several karaoke members .
Members were hard at work at the recently held Recognition
Night dinner on May 19. Yuriko Sawataki and Chieko Kim performed during the entertainment portion of the program and Ed
Korin and Betty Oshiro were hard at work at the registration
table with help from member spouse Richard Oye. Thanks to
Jim Niiro, Carrie Nakatani and Lynn Chang for providing the
easy-to-follow Attendance Sheet in advance making it easier at
check in time.
The menu for the Norwalk Karaoke Club/Odori group sponsored
Bingo Nite on June 1 was changed for the first time in many
years. The new menu of Broccoli and Beef and Chili Rice with
sides appeared to be well accepted by those in attendance.
Thanks to members who performed during intermission. Special thanks are extended to member spouses, Yayoko Korin and
Ming Real for their help and also to Tom Yokoyama who worked
hard as MC with assistance by George Real. Betty Oshiro coordinated the event.
The Norwalk Karaoke Club has been plagued recently with
equipment breakdowns on both the tape and CD players.
Thanks to Ed Korin and George Real’s efforts to insure that all
the members can keep singing!
NIKKEI SENIORS
Connie Ciranna
NDC April Western Round-up – April 27, 2013
We, 60 dancers in all, followed Sheriff Yuso Kurihara’s orders to
get out on the floor & dance to his music. But Helen Hikiji had better things to do, like getting George Hishikawa, Kenny Yukimasa,
Harriet Yamada, & Peter Fong, to prepare our Round-up snack.
While Kenny was preparing the hotdogs, warming up the Chili, &
Peter was creating the “Quinoa Salad”, that won him the blue ribbon
at a fund raiser, the rest of the kitchen crew was putting potato
chips & a small chocolate brownie on the plates. After all that tasty
food, our special Line Dance teacher, Edna Kurihara, led the group
for the “Electric Slide”, “Black Velvet”, & the “Circle Waltz”. We
thank Helen along with her kitchen crew, & all those who attended .
NDC “SOUTH OF THE BORDER” SOCIAL – 05/25/13
Hola! What a delightful evening to see 71 dancers from GVNC,
Langley, & NDC, dancing to Yuso Kurihara’s music, and enjoying the
delicious “South of the Border” food! Again, Helen Hikiji, took
charge of the feast. With the help of George Ishikawa, Harriet
Yamada, Anne Lowe, Shinji Seki, & Connie Ciranna, they filled each
plate with shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes (donated by Edna
Yurihara), refried beans, and 2 Taquitos. Helen H. provided the
pieces of watermelon, chips, grated cheese, & salsa. Thank you,
Helen, Edna & helpers! To celebrate Yuso & Edna’s 53rd wedding
anniversary, Edna donated a Champagne glass filled with M&M’s for
each table. Thank you, Edna! Needless to say, Edna’s line dances,
Rumba Rose & Salsa Line Dance, fit the occasion perfectly!
Pictured below is our “Western Round-up” Dance.
Toby Fusato
Congratulations to Outstanding Volunteer recipient, Mary Iwami.
We are fortunate to have Mary as a long-standing member of
the Nikkei Seniors .... she contributes a tremendous amount of
time and love into this club .... we truly love her!
The Seniors will be enjoying the Father's Day luncheon at the
TOFU HOUSE in Cerritos. Other upcoming events for the Seniors
will be their annual picnic and a one-day trip to the Indian Casino. They are all very busy preparing for their Arts and
Craft/Rummage Sale Booth for the 50th Anniversary Cultural
Festival.
Southeast Japanese School and Community Center
50th Anniversary Cultural Festival and Ondo
Limited number of T-Shirts will be available
for sale at the Festival
SEJSCC Logo
Happi Coats
Also for sale at the Festival
Adult sizes $20
Child size $15
Tomodachi
Page 5
GAKUEN NEWS
Kimie Matsumoto
NORWALK KENDO DOJO
Japanese School is currently holding student registration for fall. We still
have room for new students so if you know of someone interested in enrolling
let them know. Our kindergarten class is for 4 and 5 year olds. Call the school
or come in on any Saturday before our school ends on Festival day July 28th.
On May 18, all students participated in the speech presentation. Many parents and
grandparents came to hear our
students say speeches in Japanese. All students received
trophies for their efforts. Special thanks to Ernie Nishii for
arranging the first ever Skype
conversation with a Japanese
School in Gifu Prefecture. Because of the time difference,
we could not schedule the session during class time. It was
wonderful to see our students speak in Japanese with confidence.
The Star Festival is celebrated on July 7th in Japan. This year, the students
will help make the large Tanabata kazari to display during our Cultural Festival.
Students wrote their wishes and tied them to the bamboo limbs. The students
learned about the meaning of “Tanabata” during the monthly culture presentation.
The second annual Camp Hanabi will begin July 8th for one week. We have
a large number of participants this year.
A very special farewell goes to our long time kindergarten teacher, Momoko
Berg. This will be her last year at the Gakuen. We will miss her and we wish
her well.
Final examination is scheduled for June 29th with report cards going home
on July 20th. July 20th is the awards assembly and the last day of school.
Students with perfect and near perfect attendance for the year will receive
wards and a gift from the PTA. During the last hour of school, students will
clean their classrooms and will be treated to a pizza party by the PTA. Have a
great summer and see you in September. School will start on Sept. 7. If you
have not already turned in your registration for the fall, please do so ASAP.
The Southern California Kendo Federation (SCKF) spring
shinsa (promotional examination) was held 5/4 at University of La Verne. Congratulations to everyone who
passed their ranking exams: Choi Daniel (5kyu), Kim
Jun Bae (5kyu), Kim Soung Bae (3kyu), Ji Daniel (2kyu),
Lim Steve (2kyu), Kim Christie (1kyu), Trost Jeffrey
(1kyu), Hahn Danielle (1dan), Yoon Courtney (1dan), Fu
Linda (2dan), Yoon Brian (3dan), and an extra big congratulations to Hamamura Yu, who passed 4dan. Omedeto, Hamamura sensei!
Upcoming events include Junior Nationals 6/23 in Las
Vegas, SCKF Individual Championships 6/30 in Torrance, and Pacific Northwest Kendo Federation Women’s Taikai 7/13 in Seattle (Yoon Courtney is one of five
women sponsored by SCKF to attend). Keep up the
good work, everyone!
Norwalk Kendo Dojo practices Mondays from 7:00 to
8:30 pm and Fridays from 7:30 to 10:00 pm. We also
practice iaido from 9 to 10:30 pm on Mondays. New
members are welcome; beginners are accepted at the
start of each odd month. Please see our website at
http://www.eanet.com/norwalk for information about
Norwalk Kendo Dojo, including upcoming and past
events as well as how to join, or send email to norwalkkendo@gmail.com.
Norwalk Youth Sports
CHAR SIU BAO
Pre-Order Form
Norwalk Youth Sports is now taking pre-orders for baked and/or steamed Char Siu Bao by the dozen for pick-up at the
Southeast Japanese School & Community Center Cultural Festival on July 27th-28th, 2013.
SPECIAL PRE-ORDER PRICE: $16.00 per Dozen (A limited number of Char Siu Bao will be for sale at the Cultural
Festival. AT FESTIVAL:
$18.00 per Dozen ($1.50 Each)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (Deadline for Orders Fri. July 12) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I would like to order (at $16 per dozen):
_____Dozen STEAMED Buns
____Dozen BAKED Buns
For pick-up on: ____ Sat., July 27th (3pm - 7pm)
____ Sun., July 28th (2pm – 6pm)
Name: _____________________________
Please make check payable to:
Address: ___________________________
Mail to: Norwalk Youth Sports
City: ______________ Phone: __________
Total Amount Enclosed: _______ Check # ______
Total Amount Enclosed: ________ Check Number: ________
NYS
c/o Caroline Hirai
7541 Keith Circle
La Palma, CA 90623
Tomodachi
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Page 7
Southeast Japanese School & Community Center
“Tomodachi” A Bimonthly Newsletter
July 2013
Norwalk CA 90650
NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit No. 109
Norwalk CA 90650
Southeast Japanese School and Community Center
http://www.sejscc.org/school/main.htm
14615 S. Gridley Road · Norwalk, CA 90650
Now enrolling
Student For Fall 2013
Coming Soon ….. our SEJSCC’s
FALL SEMESTER STARTS SEPT. 7TH
Classes for kindergarten to adults
Tuition $55.00 per month
plus SEJSCC membership dues
This program is open to everyone regardless of
race or religion.
CULTURAL FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
Saturday
Sunday
3:00pm Festival Begins
2:00 pm Festival Begins
3:30 Karate Demonstration
2:15
3:30 E Mele Hana (outdoor)
3:00 Ukulele
4:00 Kendo Demonstration
3:30 Classical Japanese Dance
4:30 Latin Ballroom Dance
3:30 Gakuen Students (outdoor)
4:30 Karaoke Show (outdoor)
4:00 Hawaiian Show
5:00 Minyo Fusion (outdoor)
4:30 Karaoke Show (outdoor)
5:00 Bingo Games
5:00 Bingo Games
5:30 Judo Demonstration(Dojo) 5:15
50th Anniversary
Cultural Festival and Ondo
JULY 27– 28
Sat. and Sun.
*Cultural Arts Displays
*Raffle Prizes
*Martial Arts Demonstrations
*Boutique
*Great Foods
*Plant Sale
*Games
*Ondo
*Entertainment (Special guest artist, Minyo singer, Marissa Kosugi)
Ondo Dance Practice begins July 8th 7:30 pm
Hawaiian Delights(outdoor)
Hikari Taiko, Soran Bushi
6:00 Hikari Taiko, Soran Bushi
6:00 Ondo Dancing
7:00 Ondo Dancing
7:30 Raffle Drawings
We hope you will again support our big event.
Check the entertainment schedule to the left.