Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Matcha Celebration at Samovar Tea Lounge


Tea companies DoMatcha and the Samovar Tea Lounge are partnering to host a celebration of matcha, a traditional Japanese green tea.

Matcha is the powdered green tea is used in the Japanese tea ceremony. Frothed to perfection with a bamboo whisk, high quality matcha has a sweet flavor with notes of seaweed and bittersweet chocolate. As news spreads of matcha's health benefits (it can have 12x the antioxidants of regular green tea!), people worldwide have begun to appreciate this jade green elixir and develop modern recipes like matcha lattes.

DoMatcha's Tea Master Handa can't wait to talk about his tea gardens in Uji, Japan, and share matcha with people in the Bay Area. You can sample matcha and tea lattes expertly prepared by Master Handa, pair your tea with luscious tea cakes made by a renowned pastry shop in Kyoto, and learn about the history, production, and future of matcha green tea. Door prizes include bamboo t-shirts and a gift basket of tea items that will take your tea drinking to a whole new level.

Join the celebration and experience matcha for yourself!

Where: Samovar Tea Lounge, Zen Valley location
When: Friday, October 9th, 3-5pm. Matcha talk 3:30-4:45
Cost: Free!

Monday, September 21, 2009

This Sunday - Tabemasho! Nakayoshi Sushi-Making Class at JCCCNC

Just a quick and friendly reminder that this Sunday is Nakayoshi's Sushi Class Fundraiser @ the JCCCNC - spaces are limited so sign up ASAP! Only $30 for JCCCNC Members/$40 for Non-Members (what a steal!) Other sushi classes range in the $100 range... so check it out!

Learn how to make your own delicious sushi! Nakayoshi's very own Graig and Sean Inaba will be instructing our second workshop hosted by the JCCCNC, where they will demonstrate and teach participants everything from making sushi vinegar to rolling traditional hosomaki rolls, hand/cone rolls, nigiri and Americanized sushi rolls!

Space is limited to the first 25 participants, so sign up ASAP! Price is $30 for JCCCNC members, $40 for general public, and includes all materials.A portion of the proceeds will also benefit Nakayoshi directly, so sign up to learn how to make your own sushi while supporting your favorite young professionals organization!

To sign up, contact the JCCCNC directly at (415) 567-5505 or e-mail programsevents@jcccnc.org

In case you missed it, check out our video highlighting the last sushi-making class we did at:




What: Tabemasho! Nakayoshi Sushi-Making Class at JCCCNC
When: Sunday, September 27, 2009Where: JCCCNC, 1840 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA 94115
Time: 1-4pm
Price: $30 JCCCNC members, $40 general public (materials provided)
RSVP: (415) 567-5505, programsevents@jcccnc.org

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Job Opportunities

Nakayoshi member Kai Mitsushio passed along some job opportunities at his company. Following is his message:

Esurance's Marketing department currently has 3 job openings for marketing analytics positions. We need some serious SQL / Excel junkies!

1 position on the Partner Revenue Team:2 positions on the Email and Website Analytics Team:
http://jobs-esurance.icims.com/jobs/3254/job
http://jobs-esurance.icims.com/jobs/3246/job

If you have any specific questions, feel free to contact me - I work closely with both teams. If you have any friends with killer marketing analytics skills, please pass along the info.

-Kai
kmitsushio@esurance.com

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Monthly Update - September 2009

Hello Nakayoshi members! Time for the September monthly update!

Thank you to everyone who came out to our events in August! We hope you've all been enjoying the monthly volunteer and social events we've been busy putting together for everyone! Since our last update, Nakayoshi had a blast camping and kayaking up at Tahoe, got down to business at our quarterly planning meeting, and cheered on as Ichiro collected his 2,000th major league hit against the Oakland A's at their Japanese Heritage Day game.

We have more great stuff coming your way the rest of this month, including volunteering at the JCCCNC's annual event, a happy hour networking mixer in conjunction with the Kearny Street Workshop's 11th Annual APAture festival featuring emerging API artists, and our next sushi-making class fundraiser at the JCCCNC taught by Nakayoshi's resident sushi chefs, Graig and Sean Inaba. For those of you interested in career development activities, help out our Career Development committee by giving us some feedback and filling out our quick survey! More details in the rest of the update below!

Have any comments, suggestions or questions? Want to RSVP or sign up for an event? Feel free to leave any comments on our blog at http://www.nakayoshi.org/, Facebook group page, or e-mail us at nakayoshi.ncwnp@gmail.com.

In this update:
Nakayoshi Career Development Membership Survey
9/19/09 - Volunteering at the JCCCNC's annual event, Tabemasho!

9/23/09 - APAture 2009 Happy Hour Networking Mixer
9/27/09 - Nakayoshi Sushi-Making Class

Save the date! Upcoming event in October
10/24/09 - Irrashai Nomikai New Member Mixer

More events to come!

Nakayoshi Career Development Membership Survey
As a young professionals organization, part of Nakayoshi's mission is to provide resources and programming focusing on personal and career development for our membership. To help us meet this goal of addressing your needs as young professionals, please take a couple quick minutes to fill out our online survey to help us assess what sort of career-related events and activities you all want to see us put together for you!

Check out the survey at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=2H4JHFqcnUQ5MxHEIGpJqQ_3d_3d

Interested in joining our career development committee? E-mail us at nakayoshi.ncwnp@gmail.com!

Saturday, September 19: Volunteer at JCCCNC's annual event, Tabemasho! (Let's Eat!)
The JCCCNC is hosting its annual event, Tabemasho (Let’s Eat!), on Saturday, September 19, 2009 at the JCCCNC on 1840 Sutter Street in San Francisco. This year’s event will celebrate 140 years of Japanese food in America and will honor the Japanese American food industry in America. The event will also introduce the community cookbook, Nikkei Potluck. Come help out with the rest of the Nakayoshi crew!

Nakayoshi will be providing volunteers for the event. There are 3 separate 3 hour shifts:
12:00PM-3:00PM - Set Up Shift (10 volunteers)
3:00PM-6:00PM - Decorating Shift (6 volunteers)
5:00PM-8:00PM - Program Volunteers (15 volunteers w/dresscode - Semi-formal dinner attire)

Please let us know if you are willing to help out with this great cause! We need sign ups soon so please let us know what shifts you'd like to volunteer!

Email us at nakayoshi.ncwnp@gmail.com with your name, telephone contact for the day of, and which shift you'd like. More information on the event at the JCCCNC's website at: http://www.jcccnc.org/events/dinner.htm

What: Volunteering at JCCCNC's annual event, Tabemasho! (Let's Eat!)
Date: Saturday, September 19, 2009
Location: JCCCNC, 1840 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA 94115
Time: Noon-3pm set up shift, 3-6pm decorating shift, 5-8pm program volunteers (semi-formal attire for program volunteers)

RSVP to volunteer on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=30593261168&ref=ts#/event.php?eid=149504265232

Wednesday, September 23: APAture Happy Hour Networking Mixer

Join Nakayoshi and members of 9 other Asian American professional organizations for an evening of networking and art at a networking happy hour for Kearny Street Workshop's 11th annual APAture Festival, featuring emerging Asian American artists. We'll be mixing it up and perusing festival artwork at the Goforaloop Gallery in San Francisco on Wednesday, September 23 from 6:30-8:30pm. Definitely come out with your friends for a little mingling and to check out some amazing artwork! Admission is FREE, cash bar at the gallery.

For more information on Kearny Street Workshop and the APAture Festival running from September 17-26, go to: http://www.kearnystreet.org/apature

What: APAture Happy Hour Networking Mixer
When: Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Where: Goforaloop Gallery, 1458 San Bruno Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94110
Time: 6:30-8:30pm
Price: FREE Admission, cash bar
RSVP on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=30593261168&ref=ts#/event.php?eid=129940627012


Sunday, September 27: Tabemasho! Nakayoshi Sushi-Making Class at JCCCNC
Learn how to make your own delicious sushi! Nakayoshi's very own Graig and Sean Inaba will be instructing our second workshop hosted by the JCCCNC, where they will demonstrate and teach participants everything from making sushi vinegar to rolling traditional hosomaki rolls, hand/cone rolls, nigiri and Americanized sushi rolls! Space is limited to the first 25 participants, so sign up ASAP! Price is $30 for JCCCNC members, $40 for general public, and includes all materials.

A portion of the proceeds will also benefit Nakayoshi directly, so sign up to learn how to make your own sushi while supporting your favorite young professionals organization!

To sign up, contact the JCCCNC directly at (415) 567-5505 or e-mail programsevents@jcccnc.org

In case you missed it, check out our video highlighting the last sushi-making class we did at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yui5CRSCjyI&feature=channel_page

What: Tabemasho! Nakayoshi Sushi-Making Class at JCCCNC
When: Sunday, September 27, 2009
Where: JCCCNC, 1840 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA 94115
Time: 1-4pm
Price: $30 JCCCNC members, $40 general public (materials provided)

RSVP: (415) 567-5505, programsevents@jcccnc.org

Save the date! Upcoming October event:
Saturday, October 24, 2009: Irrashai Nomikai New Member Mixer
Haven't made it out to one of our events yet? Haven't come out in a while? Our Irrashai (welcome!) Nomikai New Member Mixer is the perfect chance for new and old Nakayoshi members to come out and get to know the rest of our regulars in a relaxed social setting over food and drinks. More details and other events to come!

Of course there's no reason to wait until the new member mixer to start coming out to our events! We're always happy to see you come out, get involved with Nakayoshi and the community, and have a great time with the rest of your Nakayoshi friends! Remember to e-mail us or RSVP on Facebook if you're coming out, and join our Facebook group if you haven't already! See you soon!

All Nakayoshi events are free and open to anyone unless otherwise noted. Feel free to forward this message along to your friends or anyone interested. Not on the Nakayoshi e-mail list? Click here to subscribe. Have questions? Want to sign up or RSVP for an event? E-mail Nakayoshi at nakayoshi.ncwnp@gmail.com. For additional information and updates, be sure to check the Nakayoshi blog or find our group page on Facebook! Nakayoshi is a program sponsored by the Northern California Western Nevada Pacific District of the Japanese American Citizens League.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

APAture 2009 Networking Mixer with Kearny Street Workshop

Join Nakayoshi at:

An Evening of Art and Networking
APAture Happy Hour Mixer with Kearny Street Workshop


Wednesday, September 23, 2009
6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Goforaloop Gallery
1458 San Bruno Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94110
FREE Admission. Cash Bar.

RSVP on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=129940627012

Co-Sponsored by Asian American Professional Organizations, including:
  • Asia Society - Young Professionals Group
  • Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area (AABA)
  • Asian Business League of San Francisco (ABL-SF)
  • Indonesian Professionals Association (IPA)
  • Nakayoshi Young Professionals
  • National Association of Asian American Professionals - San Francisco (NAAAP-SF)
  • Network of Indian Professionals - San Francisco Bay Area (NetIP SFBA)
  • ORIENTED.COM
  • South Asian Bar Association - Northern California (SABA-NC)
  • Young Filipino Professionals Association (YFPA)
APAture 2009: A Spotlight on Asian pacific American Art
September 17-26, 2009

Kearny Street Workshop's APAture is an annual multidisciplinary arts festival showcasing the work of emerging Asian Pacific America (APA) artists. APAture's mission is to provide artists with an early experience presenting their work at a large event; to build audiences for emerging APA artists; to strengthen the sense of community among our young artists; and to raise awareness of the existence of and diversity within the APA arts community. APAture values community-building, ethnic and artistic diversity, and collaboration across ethnic and disciplinary lines.

For more information, visit: http://www.kearnystreet.org/apature

Kearny Street Workshop
Kearny Street Workshop is the oldest Asian Pacific American multidisciplinary arts organization in the United States. Our mission is to produce, present, and promote art that empowers APA artists and communities.

Hope we see you there!

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Upcoming Japantown Better Neighborhood Plan Meeting

If you're concerned about the future of San Francisco's Japantown, please join us next Wednesday, September 9, 2009 at a community meeting to discuss the Japantown Better Neighborhood Plan. The draft neighborhood development plan that was released to the public this past May and June was met by much criticism and concern from the community, and was ultimately rejected by the San Francisco Planning Commission. At this point the community meeting will go over the current status of the plan for the neighborhood and also discuss how the community can have a greater voice and involvement in the planning process. More information is below:

Japantown Better Neighborhood Plan
Community Meeting

Wednesday September 9, 2009
7:00 to 9:00 PM
Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California
1840 Sutter Street


Learn about the status of the Japantown Plan and how to get involved in making it responsive to community needs! The Japantown Better Neighborhood Plan Organizing Committee is hosting this community meeting to share information on the status of the plan and to develop effective steps to incorporate community input into the process.

The agenda for this meeting will include:

  • Summarizing the Draft Plan.
  • Reviewing the Planning Commission Resolution approved on June 25.
  • An update on the Planning Department’s proposed workplan and funding for the next 12-months of the plan process.
  • Getting the community involved in reviewing and improving the Draft Plan.
  • General questions.
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Below is also a message from Paul Osaki, Executive Director of the JCCCNC regarding the upcoming meeting:

Thanks to all of you who wrote letters, e-mails, made calls, voiced your concerns and testified at the San Francisco Planning Commission Hearings in May and June what was considered a foregone conclusion by political insiders, the San Francisco Planning Commission unanimously rejected any endorsement of the draft Japantown Better Neighborhoods Plan and instead only voted to acknowledge the work done to date. This was described by many as HUGE VICTORY for the community and that we would not accept a bad plan or simply go away. What was thought to be a small minority of unhappy community activists turned out to be a huge majority of concerned community members of all ages and from throughout the state. I also believe by the comments made by the Planning Commissioners at the final hearing that actually once they had the chance to read the plan, that they came to their own conclusion that the plan was really not ready to go to the next phase of an Environmental Impact Review (EIR).

By the resolution merely acknowledging the work completed to date means that the planning effort is NOT over. Thanks to Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi efforts, the San Francisco Planning Department has agreed to extend our planning timeline for another year and as well included a ½ staff to assist with revising, changing and or alternating the plan as the community sees fit. (Pending final approval by the Board of Supervisors in Sept, 2009)

This means that WE ALL have to STAY ACTIVE and become MORE involved than never before, if we want this plan to truly fulfill the goals of helping us preserve and revitalize our historic Japantown. (We will not get another chance) If the plans fail this time around, it’s because WE failed the community, the generations that came before us and the generations that will follow us. There is a community meeting scheduled to update the community and to get your input about the direction the planning effort should take and also about changing/improving the Japantown community steering committee. YOUR INPUT IS IMPORTANT!
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Please join Nakayoshi and other community members at this meeting. It is crucial that we stay informed of the issues directly affecting our community.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

"What It Means To Be a Japanese American Woman"


Cherry Blossom Alumnae (CBA), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, is hosting the 2nd annual CBA conference with the theme, “What It Means To Be a Japanese American Woman.” The CBA conference will be held on Saturday, October 10, 2009 from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm at the Hotel Kabuki in Japantown, 1625 Post Street in San Francisco.


The main speaker for the conference is Janice Mirikitani, Founding President of Glide Foundation, as well as noted poet and author. Other speakers include:


  • Sandy Mori, Development Director at Kimochi
  • A panel of successful Japanese American businesswomen, including:
    • Ellen Kiyomizu, owner of Scorch and Kimochi board member
    • Sarah Sasaki, Deputy Chief of Staff in Corporate Relations at PG&E Corporation, and the 2005 Cherry Blossom Queen
    • Amy Schoemehl, Manager/Trafficking and Global Outsourcing at Google, and the 2000 Cherry Blossom Queen

There will also be a special breakout session for participants to express their own views on the conference theme. Lunch is included at the event.


Registration cost for the event: early bird special is $30 for Adults/$25 for Students if registering for the conference by September 26, 2009. After September 26, the registration cost is $35 for Adults/$30 for Students. Registration forms can be obtained by contacting Tina Hamada-Wong at tina@structive.com or (650) 619-0613. Seating is limited, and the organizers expect the event to be sold out.


This event is open to the public. Please note that while the theme is focused on Japanese American women, men are also encouraged to attend the event. The San Francisco Japantown Foundation awarded CBA a grant for this event.