Monthly Update - May 2009

Hey Nakayoshi! Time for another monthly update on all the fun we have coming up in May!

April was a busy month for many of us with the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival, Nakayoshi’s first hiking trip at Purisma Creek, and more volunteering at the San Jose Nikkei Matsuri, where we helped the West Valley JACL chapter raise over $1800 at their strawberry shortcake booth! We’re off to a strong start to the month of May already, as our first volunteer event was on May 2 at the Kristi Yamaguchi Children’s Day Festival at the JCCCNC in SF Japantown. Our awesome volunteers made and sold enough spam musubi’s to raise $300 for the JCCCNC’s childrens’ programs after splitting the profits. A huge thank you to all our volunteers who have come out and contributed their time and effort!

Even if you didn’t make it to everything last month, we still have a lot coming up during the rest of May! It’s not too late to get tickets to the SF Giants Japanese Heritage Night baseball game this Friday, and there’s another volunteering opportunity coming up at the SF Asian Heritage Street Celebration this Saturday in honor of API Heritage Month. We’re finishing out the month strong with another fun nighttime outing in SF’s Marina district. As always, let us know if you’re coming out by e-mailing us at nakayoshi.ncwnp@gmail.com or check the event listings at our Facebook group page!

In this update:
5/15/09 – JA Heritage Night w/the SF Giants
5/16/09 – 5th Annual Asian Heritage Street Celebration
5/29/09 - Nakayoshi Social Event: SF Marina District Crawl

Other Community Events in May:
5/17/09 – South San Francisco's Asian American Heritage Celebration
5/24/09 – Berkeley United Methodist Church 51st Annual Food Bazaar

Save These Dates – More information to come in Nakayoshi’s June Monthly Update!
6/7/09 – Nakayoshi’s 1st Birthday BBQ in Golden Gate Park!
6/20/09 – SF Mission District Crawl #2
6/27/09 - Volunteer @ SF JACL Chapter's Youth Fishing Derby
TBD – Nakayoshi Planning Retreat (July)
TBD – Napa Wine Tasting Trip (July)
8/22/09 – Tahoe Camping Trip

Friday, May 15: Japanese Heritage Night with the San Francisco Giants

Join us this Friday on May 15th at AT&T Park in San Francisco to celebrate Japanese Heritage Night with the Giants and watch infielder Travis Ishikawa take on the visiting NY Mets! Tickets are only $20, and include an authentic ceramic sake set with five free taste tests. A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales will also support the SF Hep B Free! Campaign. Also enjoy pre-game entertainment with your Nakayoshi friends in a special Japanese heritage section with hundreds of other Japanese Giants fans starting at 5:00 pm. Game start time is 7:15 pm.

Call (415) 972-2298 to buy your tickets, and tell them you're with Nakayoshi! Look out for the Nakayoshi table at the park before game time! Tickets are only $20!! Buy them ASAP!!!

UPDATE: Nakayoshi has a limited number of discounted tickets available for $15! E-mail us ASAP directly at nakayoshi.ncwnp@gmail.com for availability. Please note that discounted tickets do not include the promotional SF Giants ceramic sake set and taste tests.

For more information on this month’s social or how to get involved with the Social Committee, email nakayoshi.ncwnp@gmail.com

What: SF Giants Japanese Heritage Night
Date: Friday, May 15, 2009
Location: AT&T Park, San Francisco, CA
Time: Festivities start 5:00 pm, game starts 7:15 pm
Price: $20 w/sake set (call 415.972.2298 to order tix); $15 w/out sake set (e-mail nakayoshi.ncwnp@gmail.com for discounted ticket availability)

Saturday, May 16: Volunteer at 5th Annual SF Asian Heritage Street Celebration!

This year’s festival held in conjunction with API Heritage Month will be in San Francisco Civic Center outside the Asian Art Museum and the Little Saigon neighborhood. The festival is expecting over 100,000 people and will feature two stages, arts and crafts, food, karaoke, traditional and pop culture, import cars, Thai kickboxing, carnival rides and games, as well as free Hep B screenings with the SF Hep B Free campaign.

Nakayoshi is taking signups for the 3-6pm shift, and could use as many volunteers as possible to help out! E-mail us at nakayoshi.ncwnp@gmail.com if you can make the shift! Nakayoshi will also be at the JACL information booth all day starting at 11am. Stop by and say hi while you check out the rest of the festival! More information on the AHSC is at http://www.asianfairsf.com.

What: Volunteer at the 5th Annual SF Asian Heritage Street Celebration
Date: Saturday, May 16, 2009
Location: SF Civic Center (On Larkin, between Grove and Ellis)
Time: 3:00-6:00 pm

Friday, May 29: SF Marina District Crawl

It's been a while since our last neighborhood crawl, but not to worry, the social committee has heard your requests for another nighttime outing! This time we'll be hitting up SF's Marina district, starting the evening off at Gravity and seeing where the night takes us from there. Come on out with your posse for some (21+) Friday night fun with Nakayoshi! Let us know if you're in by RSVPing at nakayoshi.ncwnp@gmail.com.

What: SF Marina District Crawl
Date: Friday, May 29, 2009
Starting Location: Gravity, 3251 Scott St (between Lombard and Chestnut), San Francisco, CA 94123
Time: 9:00pm - 2:00am

Sunday, May 31: Monthly Planning Meeting

Nakayoshi's core committee meets on the last Sunday of every month in SF Japantown to plan out the great volunteer opportunities and fun social events we put on for you all. Want to get more involved? Have some ideas or feedback of your own? We could always use another pair of hands and fresh minds to help out our committees! Let us know if you're coming by e-mailing us at nakayoshi.ncwnp@gmail.com.

What: May Monthly Planning Meeting
Date: Sunday, May 31, 2009
Location: National JACL Headquarters, 1765 Sutter St., San Francisco, CA 94115
Time: 1:00pm-4:00pm

Other Community Events in May
Here are a couple other API and Japanese American community events you might catch some us at this month:

Sunday, May 17: South San Francisco Asian Heritage Month Celebration
Co-Sponsored by South San Francisco Asian Social Club and Friends of Parks and Recreation
12 noon-3:00pm @ Joseph Fernekes Community Center, Orange Park, South San Francisco (on Orange Avenue between Tennis Drive and Memorial Drive)
$8 for adults, $3 ages 12 and under; $5 after 1:00pm for adults
RSVP: (650) 255-9974

Sunday, May 24: Berkeley United Methodist Church 51st Annual Japanese American Food Bazaar
Futomaki and inari sushi, curry rice, udon, and other delicious Japanese American food!
12 noon-4:00pm @ Berkeley United Methodist Church
1710 Carleton Street (at McGee), Berkeley, CA

Hope to see you all around!

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 and website and http://www.nakayoshi.org, 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.

Tokyo Sonata / March '08 Social Event

Hello all!

We'll be attending the screening of "Tokyo Sonata" this Friday (the 13th) evening. Unfortunately, all tickets for the movie are sold out. BUT, we have our Social Event for March 2008 afterwards that's open to all! Here's the schedule for the night:

6:45pm - 8:45pm: "Tokyo Sonata" at Sundance Kabuki
8:45pm - 10:00pm: Mingle / Socialize
10:00pm - 11:00pm: ( Late) Dinner at Mum's
11:15pm - 1:15am: Karaoke at DoReMi

If you are planning to attend Dinner and/or Karaoke, please send an RSVP to nakayoshi.ncwnp@gmail.com so we know to expect you. Looking forward to seeing you all again and have a great rest of the week!

Join Nakayoshi for "Tokyo Sonata"

Buy your tickets now to see the San Francisco premiere of Tokyo Sonata with Nakayoshi on Friday, March 13th at 6:45 pm at the Sundance Kabuki Theaters!



The director Kiyoshi Kurosawa himself will be at the screening to answer any questions and for a discussion on the film. Tickets to most San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival (SFIAAFF) movies sell out, so reserve your seat early with Nakayoshi!

To purchase tickets, send an email to emily.leach@gmail.com with the # of tickets. Tickets are $10 each. We only have 15 seats total and will be distributed on a first come, first serve basis.

Please be prepared to arrive 15 minutes early to guarantee your seat (that would be at 6:30, folks). Since these shows do sell-out any open seats have their tickets released back to the rush line for purchasing.


About Tokyo Sonata (from the 2009 SFIAAFF website):

Winner of the Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival, Kiyoshi Kurosawa's latest film finds the filmmaker departing from the supernatural terrain of his recent string of horror films to present a piercing, devastating family drama. Like Yasujiro Ozu and Mikio Naruse, whose influences are evident in both style and theme, Kurosawa examines a modern Japanese family against the backdrop of a changing world, in this case a crumbling social fabric and an uncertain geopolitical landscape.

Check out the film's official website in Japanese or English.

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Don't forget you can also sign up to volunteer with Nakayoshi at the SFIAAFF!

For any questions, please email nakayoshi.ncwnp@gmail.com.

Nakayoshi Bi-weekly Update No. 3 - November 7, 2008

Hey kids, it's time for another update on Nakayoshi's upcoming events and activities in November! There are still a couple spots open for the Sushi-making class this Sunday as well as for the Nakayoshi Gokon dinner/mixer next Thursday for you single people, so e-mail us ASAP to RSVP. We also have another fun night out coming up on the 21st, this time to cruise around the Mission district in San Francisco. Don't forget to buy your tickets to the Warriors game on 12/12! Read below for details on all this and more. Hope we see you around this month!

In this update (new events in bold):
11/9/08 - Tabemasho! Nakayoshi Cooking Class Series: Sushi
11/13/08 - Nakayoshi Gokon (Singles Mixer)
11/21/08 - Monthly Social Mixer - SF Mission District
11/23/08 - Monthly Meeting
12/6/08 - SF JACL Spaghetti Crab Feed Benefit
12/12/08 Golden State Warriors Asian American Heritage Night

Sunday, November 9, 2008: Tabemasho! Nakayoshi Cooking Class Series - Food: Sushi


There are still a few open spots at our cooking class! Come on out this Sunday to learn the process of basic sushi-making, from preparing sushi rice to rolling techniques for that perfect and delicious hand roll! The class will be taught by Nakayoshi members Graig and Sean Inaba, with 12 years of professional experience of sushi-making instruction between the two of them. All materials and supplies will be provided by Nakayoshi. Space for this event is limited to the first 20 paid participants, so contact us ASAP to ensure a spot in the class! Price: $40 general public, $35 for JACL members (make checks payable to "NCWNP JACL")

Location: Japanese Cultural and Community Center of California (JCCCNC), Issei Memorial Hall, 1840 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA
Time: 1:30pm-4:30pm

Thursday, November 13, 2008: Nakayoshi Gokon (Singles Mixer)

There's still space for one more lucky lady and two single guys at the Nakayoshi Gokon! Come get to know other singles over food and drinks in a fun and relaxed setting. RSVP to nakayoshi.ncwnp@gmail.com (be sure to include any dietary limitations). Single folks only!

What: A Konpa or Gokon is a Japanese gathering over drinks and food and could be described as a group blind date.
When: Thursday, November 13th, 6:30 pm
Where: San Francisco's New Pisco Latin Lounge (warning: website has embedded music) 1817 Market St. @ Octavia (map)
Why: Meet some new people and make some new friends (and potentially more!).
Cost: $20-$30 (price TBA) which will include food and drinks.

Friday, November 21, 2008: Nakayoshi Monthly Social Mixer - SF Mission District

If you missed out on last month's North Beach crawl, don't worry, we're doing it again! Bring your friends and join the rest of the Nakayoshi crew for another monthly nighttime prowl, this time in the Mission district in San Francisco! We'll be meeting at 9pm at Kilowatt on 16th Street, and move on to other spots and late-night burrito joints from there. The event is open to anyone 21+. E-mail nakayoshi.ncwnp@gmail.com if you're coming, have questions, or if requesting a particular place in the area for us to drop by.

Location: Start at Kilowatt 3160 16th Street (between Guerrero and Albion St.), San Francisco, CA map
16th Street BART Station nearby
Time: 9:00 pm

Sunday, November 23rd, 2008: Nakayoshi Monthly Meeting

Have ideas for fun activities Nakayoshi should be doing? Have a cause or issue you think we should get involved with? Come out and tell us at our next meeting! Please note the change in our usual meeting date/time this month, due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Meetings are usually held on the last Sunday of every month from 1:00pm-4:00pm at the National JACL Headquarters building in San Francisco Japantown.

Location: National JACL Headquarters, 1765 Sutter St., San Francisco, CA 94115 map
Time: 1:00pm-4:00pm

Saturday, December 6th, 2008: SF JACL Spaghetti Crab Feed Benefit for Campaign for Justice: Redress Now for Japanese Latin American Internees

Join Nakayoshi as we volunteer at the San Francisco JACL chapter's annual Spaghetti Crab Feed on Saturday, December 6th, 2008 from 5:00 to 8:00pm at the Christ United Presbyterian Church in Japantown. The SF JACL will be donating a portion of the proceeds to the Campaign for Justice, an organization committed to gaining redress to the remaining Japanese internees who were taken from Latin America and placed in US internment camps during WWII, but did not receive the full redress that other Japanese Americans internment camp internees received. Volunteers will assist with setup and cleanup of the event, as well as help prepare and serve food and drinks. Past beneficiaries from the SF JACL's annual Spaghetti Crabfeed include the American Friends Service Committee and the Nikkei Community Internship.

Don't feel like volunteering? You can still support by buying tickets to the event and having a delicious crab/spaghetti dinner for $20/person! E-mail us at nakayoshi.ncwnp@gmail.com if you're interested in volunteering or purchasing tickets. To learn more about the Campaign for Justice and the plight of Japanese Latin American internees, go to: http://www.campaignforjusticejla.org/

When: Saturday, December 6, 2008
Where: Christ United Presbyterian Church, 1700 Sutter Street (At intersection of Sutter and Laguna in SF Japantown), San Francisco, CA
Time: 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm (volunteer shifts start earlier and are available throughout the day)
Cost: $20/ticket, $10 for children under 12

Friday, December 12, 2008: Golden State Warriors Asian American Heritage Night

For all you ballers and fans out there, come watch an NBA game at the (ROAR)acle Arena as Yao Ming and the Houston Rockets step up to the Warriors for Asian American Heritage Night with the Golden State Warriors! Tickets to the Golden State Warriors Asian American Heritage Night will also include a commemorative t-shirt and access to an exclusive pre-game mixer! Nakayoshi will receive $5 for every ticket sold, so come out to support your team and Nakayoshi!

Purchase tickets at the special $40 rate for Nakayoshi online at Ticketmaster at https://oss.ticketmaster.com/html/go.htmI?l=EN&t=warriors&o=8444506&g=716 and enter special offer code nakayoshi, then create an account or login with your existing Ticketmaster account to purchase tickets. Have questions? Contact Nakayoshi member Emily Leach at emily [dot] leach [at] gmail [dot] com for additional information.

Price: $40/ticket (purchase online here, special offer code: nakayoshi).
Location: Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA
Time: 7:30 pm

All 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 at http://www.nakayoshi-jacl.blogspot.com/ or find us on Facebook!

Nakayoshi Bi-weekly Update No. 2 - October 15, 2008

Nakayoshi Bi-weekly Update No. 2 - October 15, 2008

Nakayoshi is implementing a biweekly update on upcoming Nakayoshi events that we will send every two weeks to all members of our e-mail list, Facebook group, and post on the Nakayoshi Blog at http://nakayoshi-jacl.blogspot.com/.

Hey Nakayoshi members! Here's the second bi-weekly update for the month of October. Our North Beach Crawl social event is coming up this Friday, so be sure to bring your (21+) friends for a fun night out on the town! Check out our volunteering opportunity if you're free on Halloween, and mark your calendars for our upcoming events in November and December, including the start of our cooking class series, group dating, and a Warriors NBA game!

In this update (new events in bold):
10/17/08 - North Beach Crawl
10/18/08 - Sansei Live! Volunteer Event
10/26/08 - Nakayoshi Monthly Meeting
10/31/08 - Trick or Vote Volunteer Event
11/9/08 - Nakayoshi Cooking Class Series: Sushi
11/13/08 - Nakayoshi Gokon (Group Blind Date)
12/12/08 - Golden State Warriors Asian American Heritage Night

REMINDER: CA mail-in voter registration deadline is Oct. 20, 2008. Go to http://www.maps.google.com/vote for voter registration information.

October Events
View Nakayoshi's online event calendar here.

Friday, October 17 Social Event: Nakayoshi North Beach Crawl
Join Nakayoshi as we traipse around San Francisco's North Beach district and sample the area's lively night life. The evening will start off casually at the San Francisco Brewing Co. on Columbus at 9:00pm, then we'll move on and see where the night takes us! Dress to anticipate meeting possible dress codes. The event is open to anyone 21+. E-mail nakayoshi.ncwnp@gmail.com if you're coming, have questions, or if requesting a particular spot in the area for us to drop by.

Location: Start at San Francisco Brewing Co., 155 Columbus (cross street: Jackson), San Francisco, CA 94133 map
Time: 9:00pm

Saturday, October 18 Volunteer Event: Sansei Live!
- Volunteer Sign-ups CLOSED
Thank you to those who signed up to volunteer! Nakayoshi will be volunteering at the 25th Annual Sansei Live!, an annual benefit that supports Kimochi, Inc., an organization that provides various programs and assistive services to senior citizens in San Francisco Japantown.

Location: Presidio Officer's Club, 50 Moraga Ave, San Francisco, CA 94129 map
Time: 5:30pm-11:30pm (actual volunteer shift info to be e-mailed to volunteers)

Sunday, October 26 Nakayoshi Monthly Meeting
As always, we'd love to see new and old faces at our monthly meetings to give us feedback and help us plan future Nakayoshi events and activities! Meetings are held on the last Sunday of every month from 1:00pm-4:00pm at the National JACL Headquarters building in San Francisco Japantown.

Location: National JACL Headquarters, 1765 Sutter St., San Francisco, CA 94115 map
Time: 1:00pm-4:00pm

Friday, October 31 Volunteer Event: Trick or Vote!
Nakayoshi members will be helping out Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice (ACRJ) put on their afterparty in Oakland for the high school students who participate in their Trick or Vote event. Volunteers will be organizing games and activities for the party. For more information on the event, click here. To get involved please contact Amanda Wake at amanda [at] reproductivejustice [dot] org or 510-434-7900 x302.

Location: East Side Arts Alliance, 2277 International Blvd. at 23rd Ave, Oakland, CA map
Time: 7:00-9:00pm

November Events: Save these dates!

Sunday, November 9 - Tabemasho! (Let's Eat!) Nakayoshi's Cooking Class Series Kick Off
Food Topic: Sushi
Come out to mingle with other Nakayoshi members and learn the process of basic sushi-making, from preparing sushi rice to rolling techniques for that perfect and delicious hand roll! The class will be taught by Nakayoshi members Graig and Sean Inaba, with 12 years of professional experience of sushi-making instruction between the two of them. All materials and supplies will be provided by Nakayoshi. Space for this event is limited to the first 20 paid participants, so contact us ASAP to ensure a spot in the class!

Price: $40 general public, $35 for JACL members (make checks payable to "NCWNP JACL")
Location: Japanese Cultural and Community Center of California (JCCCNC), Issei Memorial Hall, 1840 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA
Time: 1:30pm-4:30pm

Nakayoshi Gokon!
Who: First 5 ladies and 5 fellas to RSVP to nakayoshi.ncwnp@gmail.com (be sure to include any dietary limitations). Single folks only!
What: A Konpa or Gokon is a Japanese gathering over drinks and food and could be described as a group blind date.
When: Thursday, November 13th, 6:30 pm
Where: San Francisco's New Pisco Latin Lounge (warning: website has embedded music)
1817 Market St. @ Octavia (map)
Why: Meet some new people and make some new friends (and potentially more!).
Cost: $20-$30 (price TBA) which will include food and drinks

Looking forward to some good grub and good times!

Other dates and events:
Saturday, November 15 - Nakayoshi Thanksgiving Potluck
Friday, November 21 - Nakayoshi Social Event
Sunday, November 23 - Nakayoshi Monthly Meeting

December Events:

Friday, December 12 - Golden State Warriors Asian American Heritage Night
Are you a basketball fan? Want to go to an NBA game? Come watch our boys on the Warriors take on Yao Ming and the Houston Rockets and help raise money for Nakayoshi at the same time! Tickets to the Golden State Warriors Asian American heritage night will also include a commemorative t-shirt and access to an exclusive pre-game mixer!

Purchase tickets at the special $40 rate for Nakayoshi online at Ticketmaster at https://oss.ticketmaster.com/html/go.htmI?l=EN&t=warriors&o=8444506&g=716 and enter special offer code nakayoshi, then create an account or login with your existing Ticketmaster account to purchase tickets. Have questions? Contact Nakayoshi member Emily Leach at emily [dot] leach [at] gmail [dot] com for additional information.

Price: $40/ticket (purchase online here, special offer code nakayoshi).
Location: Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA
Time: 7:30pm

All 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 at http://www.nakayoshi-jacl.blogspot.com/

Nakayoshi Bi-weekly Update No. 1 - Oct 2, 2008

Nakayoshi Bi-weekly Update No. 1 - October 2, 2008

Nakayoshi is implementing a biweekly update on upcoming Nakayoshi events that we will send every two weeks to all members of our e-mail list, Facebook group, and post on the Nakayoshi Blog at http://nakayoshi-jacl.blogspot.com/.

Hey Nakayoshi members! We've come out of our planning meeting this past Sunday with a bunch of stuff for you guys this month. We've put together a couple volunteer opportunities for you, and be sure to make it out to this month's social event, Nakayoshi's night out in North Beach in San Francisco! See you guys out there!

October Events
View Nakayoshi's online event calendar here.

Friday, October 17
Social Event: Nakayoshi North Beach Crawl
Join Nakayoshi as we traipse around San Francisco's North Beach district and sample the area's lively night life. The evening will start off casually at the San Francisco Brewing Co. on Columbus at 9:00pm, then we'll move on and see where the night takes us! Dress to anticipate meeting possible dress codes. The event is open to anyone 21+. E-mail nakayoshi.ncwnp@gmail.com if you're coming, have questions, or if requesting a particular spot in the area for us to drop by.

Location: Start at San Francisco Brewing Co., 155 Columbus (cross street: Jackson), San Francisco, CA 94133 map
Time: 9:00pm

Saturday, October 18
Volunteer Event: Sansei Live!


Join Nakayoshi as we help out at the 25th Annual Sansei Live! event. The event is an annual benefit that supports Kimochi, Inc., an organization that provides various programs and assistive services to senior citizens in San Francisco Japantown. The event will feature hors d'oeuvres, drinks and live music from the Kimochi All-Star Band, Full Circle, DJ John Jow and Kimochi Seniors. Artwork created by the Seniors will be on display. Sansei Live! will also feature culinary demonstrations, emceed by chef Ming Adler.

Location: Presidio Officer's Club, 50 Moraga Ave, San Francisco, CA 94129 map
Time: 4:00pm-Midnight (actual volunteer shifts TBD)

Sunday October 26
Nakayoshi Monthly Meeting
Come hang out with the Nakayoshi Core Committee, give feedback and help us plan future Nakayoshi events and activities! Meetings are held on the last Sunday of every month from 1:00pm-4:00pm at the National JACL Headquarters building in San Francisco Japantown.

Location: National JACL Headquarters, 1765 Sutter St., San Francisco, CA 94115 map
Time: 1:00pm-4:00pm

Friday, October 31
Volunteer Event: Trick or Vote!
Nakayoshi members will be helping out Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice (ACRJ) put on their afterparty in Oakland for the high school students who participate in their Trick or Vote event. Here's more information on the event from the ACRJ website (http://www.reproductivejustice.org/):

ACRJ is joining the nation wide Trick or Vote day of action on Halloween 2008 to educate voters on Proposition 4, the Parental Notification Initiative, and other ballot initiatives that affect reproductive justice and that young people care about. ACRJ’s Youth Organizer and Election Team will mobilize youth organizations from the Bay Area to use Trick or Vote as a way to inform their neighborhoods and communities. Although most youth can not yet vote themselves, this event will demonstrate how they can still make a difference in the November elections by mobilizing those who can vote against ballot initiatives that negatively affect their lives. This event is a fun, engaging, and creative way for youth to plug into get-out-the-vote work. For more information click here. To get involved please contact Amanda Wake at amanda [at] reproductivejustice [dot] org or 510-434-7900 x302.

Location: Oakland (exact location TBD)
Time: TBD

November Events: Save these dates!

Sunday, November 9 - Nakayoshi Sushi-making Class
Saturday, November 15 - Nakayoshi Thanksgiving Potluck/Bowling Night
Friday, November 21 - Nakayoshi Social
Sunday, November 23 - Nakayoshi Monthly Meeting

All 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 at http://www.nakayoshi-jacl.blogspot.com/

September Events

Wow… September is a pretty busy month for Nakayoshi! Those of you in our Facebook group have been sent invitations to our events, but for everyone else, here’s what we have going on:

9/13/08: Volunteering at JCCCNC’s Annual Event, “Salute to a Vision”

Nakayoshi will be joining other volunteers at the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California’s annual fundraising event on Saturday, September 13th at the Westin St. Francis Hotel in Union Square, San Francisco. The event will commemorate the JCCCNC’s Executive Director Paul Osaki for his 30 years of service to the community and 20 years as a leader at the JCCCNC. Unfortunately we have already finalized our list of volunteers for the event. Thank you very much for everyone who is volunteering! We’ll see you on Saturday!


9/20/08: National AIDS Memorial Grove Cleanup

Join Nakayoshi and the San Francisco chapter of the JACL as we help clean up the National AIDS Memorial Grove in Golden Gate Park on Saturday, September 20th from 9:00am to 1:00pm.

The AIDS Memorial Grove is located at the intersection of Bowling Green and Middle Drive East. Make sure you come in clothes you don’t mind getting a little dirty! Please RSVP at nakayoshi.ncwnp@gmail.com to let us know if you’re coming.

More information on the National AIDS Memorial Grove, including directions, is available at: www.aidsmemorial.org



9/20/08: Oakland A’s Japanese Heritage Day

Are you a baseball fan? Watch Kurt Suzuki and the Oakand A's play against Ichiro Suzuki and Kenji Johjima of the Seattle Mariners as they celebrate Japanese Heritage Day. On-field pre-game including traditional taiko drummers and the San Francisco 2008 Cherry Blossom Queen. Tickets are $30 each. $6 for each sold ticket will benefit Japanese American communities, youth baseball, bay area Parks and Recreation and Education. Game time is 1:05pm.

Due to low response from our members, Nakayoshi will not be attending the game. If you still are interested in going to the game on your own, you have until Friday, September 12th to order your tickets. Ticket order forms for the game can be downloaded from the JCCCNC here.


9/27/08: Karaoke Social at Gamba in Cupertino

Karaoke… I heard somewhere that it means tone-deaf in Japanese. But then I looked it up and Wikipedia tells me that it means “empty orchestra.” Who knew? In any case, if you love to sing and are looking for a fun night out, come with Nakayoshi to Gamba in Cupertino on Saturday, September 27th at 8:30pm. You will definitely: a) be amazed by how talented some of your fellow Nakayoshi members are; b) woo that Nakayoshi hottie with your smoldering rendition of the cheesiest love ballad you know; or c) look back on the experience years later, laugh awkwardly and hope nobody else really remembers how you just missed those high notes.

Time/Date: 8:30pm, Saturday 9/27/08
Location: Gamba
10990 N. Blaney, Cupertino, CA 95014
In Oakmont Square (On Homestead Rd., between De Anza and Wolf)

RSVP at nakayoshi.ncwnp@gmail.com
Let us know if you are interested in carpooling.

We’ll see you guys out there!

Goh Nakamura Album Release Recap

Ok, so this was over a week ago, but better late than never. For those of you who missed it, last Wednesday's album release show at Cafe du Nord for Goh Nakamura's new album Ulysses was a rockin' good time with the Nakayoshi crew. Seriously. Legendary.

Opening acts Michelle Amador and Scrabbel started things off nicely, with Goh and co. finishing the night off with a solid set of his characteristic strumming and crooning. Goh played a lot of the songs on his new album, which I was sure to pick up a copy of (as well as his previous album and one of Scrabbel's to boot). The set also featured Goh demonstrating his linguistic skills by telling the crowd his Japanese sucks (in Japanese!!!), and did any of you Radiohead fans catch him quoting "High and Dry" toward the end of the set? Nice.

Thanks again to Kurt Kurasaki for hooking it up with tickets to the show! I'm not sure what was more enjoyable, the show, or some of your favorite Nakayoshi folks unwinding at the bar on a Wednesday night. Gooood times. Look below for the incriminating photos, and be sure to stay tuned for Nakayoshi's next night out!