a mixed plate of Japanese American news and culture
Since the first Festival, the Mihara family — owners of Paper Tree, a paper specialty store — have offered free origami instruction as part of the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival. The Mihara sisters, Linda and Vicky, have fond memories of teaching children to fold paper at the Festival — starting when they were kids [...]
Traditional Japanese Music and Dance Odori (Dance) Ensohza Minyoshu at Crissy Field Center, Presidio, SF Schedule: Sun. (twice a month), 5-7 p.m. Cost: Sessions are free. Students must make a commitment to joining the performance group, which entails costume costs and other occasional fees for training with master teachers. Contact: info@enzohza.org. Training in Japanese folk dance [...]
2011 Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival Co-Grand Marshal Keiko Fukuda photo courtesy of Yuriko Gamo Romer Despite being the highest ranking female judo master in the world, Keiko Fukuda is relentlessly modest. This year, at age 98, she was honored at the National Japanese American Historical Society awards dinner, and has been selected as [...]
Since the early 1970s, George Yamasaki Jr. has been the voice of the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival Parade. As emcee, Yamasaki narrates the Parade action as it runs its course — and has had plenty of experience thinking on his feet as floats stall or the order of participants changes without notice. Yamasaki, who [...]
The five women participating in the 2011 Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival (NCCBF) Queen Program greeted media and community members for the first time as Queen candidates in San Francisco’s Japantown on March 12. Tamiko Escalante, Richelle Chiemi Farley, Jeddie Narumi Kawahatsu, Lauren Sachi Kawawaki and Kaori Saito introduced themselves and revealed what they will [...]
The 2011 Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival announced that applications are available for their 24th annual scholarship program for graduating seniors of Japanese descent in Northern California. Applicants must have a minimum grade point average of 2.5 on a scale of 4.0 at an accredited high school. Applicants should be actively involved in her or [...]
The Nichi Bei Weekly is looking for photo submissions to be considered in the 2011 Nichi Bei Weekly Guide to the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival. People may submit photos of their favorite Festival memory, along with the following: • a photo title • photographer’s name, city of residence, phone number, and e-mail address • [...]
The Nichi Bei Weekly‘s annual Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival Guide, published on April 1, offers bilingual coverage of one of the region’s most important and popular cultural events. We print 30,000 copies and distribute them around the greater Sacramento, San Francisco, South Bay and East Bay areas. A unique advertising opportunity, the guide includes [...]
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