An Olympic figure skating Gold Medalist and World Champion, Kristi Yamaguchi is a deep believer in youth programs. Though she is unable to attend this year due to a prior commitment, Kristi supports the Children’s Day Festival in Japantown as she believes in inspiring and embracing the hopes and dreams of children. “I am disappointed that my family and I won’t be able to attend this year’s festival. We had so much fun when we attended in 2007! I support the

JCCCNC’s efforts to help promote and educate families on the traditions of Children’s Day but most importantly because it gives children an opportunity to participate in the community and celebrate their youth,” said Yamaguchi.

The festival will provide an opportunity for youth to experience Japanese culture and celebrate Children’s Day, a national holiday of Japan. Children can participate in hands-on craft activities, snack on arare popcorn, spam musubi and other treats hosted by organizations such as Asobi Arts, Clarendon Elementary School, the California Highway Patrol, Christ United Presbyterian Church, the JCCCNC, JCCCNC Bambi Parent Group, Japanese Community Youth Council, Nichi Bei Times, Nakayoshi, Nihonmachi Little Friends, Pine United Methodist Church, Rosa Parks JBBP, Sakura of America, St. Ignatius High School and Xperience.

Throughout the day, special children’s entertainment will be provided by ABC Pre School, Gen Taiko/Clarendon Taiko, International Association of Taka Age, JCCCNC Hula, JCCCNC Ukulele Players, Kirakiraboshi Choir, Michiya Hanayagi Dance Group, Nikkei Student Union (UC Berkeley), San Francisco Kendo Association and SambAsia. Children can also meet anime characters like Sailor Moon courtesy of Mr. Tak Onishi and Japan Video and Media.

Traditional Boy’s Day (Tango no Sekku) and Girl’s Day (Hinamatsuri) doll exhibits will be on display from April 22nd to May 4th at the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC). Please call for more information if you would like to visit.

The event is supported by The Henri and Tomoye Takahashi Charitable Foundation, The San Francisco Japantown Foundation, Japan Airlines, Comcast and Union Bank of California. Event partners include the Consulate General of Japan, Sakura of America, Sanrio, Inc. and Viz Media.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information on the festival, contact the JCCCNC at (415) 567-5505, or visit the website at www.jcccnc.org.

Day of Remembrance is an annual observance that takes place in many communities throughout the United States to commemorate the signing of Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942 by President Franklin Roosevelt – ultimately leading to the incarceration of Japanese Americans on the West Coast in World War II. The DOR 2009 theme, “30th Anniversary of DOR in the Bay Area” – honors the early Day of Remembrance gatherings, which played a pivotal role in launching a broad, intergenerational, multi-ethnic community coalition to do broad public education and advocacy on the internment and related issues of civil liberties and human rights justice. As 2009 begins, we can see how that coalition and movement must continue its work, with greater urgency than ever

This year’s DOR will be MC’d by Carole Hayashino, one of the organizers of the historic 1979 DOR at Tanforan Shopping Center, site of the former Assembly Center in 1942. The keynote speaker will be U.S. Congressman Mike Honda, a sponsor of pending legislation to establish a Japanese Latin American redress commission which now enters its most critical phase in 2009. The new documentary short, “Out of Infamy: Michi Nishiura Weglyn” will recognize the extraordinary work of this author and her landmark work, Years of Infamy – The Story of America’s Concentration Camps (1976). Former SF Poet Laureate and Director of Glide Church, Janice Mirikitani will read her poetry.

The 2009 Clifford Uyeda Peace and Humanitarian Award will be presented to longtime community educator/activists Ernest and Chiz Iiyama. Mariko Nakanishi will give an update on the legislation for Japanese Latin American redress being introduced by Congressman Mike Honda and others. Attorney Banafsheh Akhlaghi will provide an overview of post 9/11 civil liberties and human rights. The traditional candle lighting ceremony will feature a diverse array of community volunteers and advocates, and include the music by Francis Wong (flute). An Interfaith Gathering and Procession will be led by the Japanese American Religious Federation from the theater to the Japanese Cultural and Community Center, where a reception will conclude the day.

The DOR Consortium includes (partial list) Asian Improv aRts, Asian Law Caucus, API Legal Outreach Japanese American Religious Federation, Jtown Arts, Japanese Community Youth Council, Japanese Cultural & Community Ctr of No. Calif., Japanese Peruvian Oral History Project, Campaign for Justice – Redress Now for Japanese Latin Americans, Center for Asian American Media (formerly NAATA) Nakayoshikai Young Professionals, National Coalition for Redress/Reparations (NCRR), National Japanese American Historical Society (NJAHS), Rosa Parks Elementary School JBBP, Tule Lake Committee, SF JACL.

The foundation’s 2008 competitive grants totaled $25,000 and were divided
among 12 organizations in varying amounts of $5,000 or less. The foundation
also approved $60,000 in special grants, made possible by an additional donation
from Jack Hirose, to three Japantown organizations: Nihonmachi Little Friends,
Kimochi, Inc. and Golden Gate Optimist Club.

Organizations receiving competitive grants include:

Bay Area Day of Remembrance – $1,000 for Day of Remembrance 2009 – Carrying
the Light for Justice will include a film presentation, cultural performances,
keynote speaker, and a candle lighting ceremony at the Sundance Kabuki Theatre
(pending), a procession through Japantown to the Japanese Cultural and Community
Center of Northern California, concluding with an interfaith gathering and reception.

California Japanese American Community Leadership Council – $4,000 to support
scholarship and program related expenses for two participants of the 2009 Nikkei
Community Internship (NCI) Program. Each intern will support and increase their
understanding of the work of community organizations in San Francisco’s
Japantown.

Cherry Blossom Alumnae – $1,500 for the 2nd Annual Cherry Blossom Alumnae Conference
in 2009, “What It Means to Be a Japanese American Woman Today,” a
gathering of Japanese American women. The Cherry Blossom Alumnae organization
seeks to give back to the Japanese American community through volunteerism,
education, cultural appreciation, leadership and financial support.

Cherry Blossom Festival – $4,000 to support keeping as many of the Cherry Blossom
Festival’s exhibit and demonstration spaces in Japantown venues and to help
defray operating expenses such as costs associated with street closures.

Genryu Arts (Gen Taiko) – $1,000 to support the O-Matsuri Project, an arts
training program for high school youth in August 2009 culminating in the 2010
Oshogatsu Festival Celebration at the Japanese Cultural and Community Center
of Northern California. Through the program, high school youth will learn performance
works integrating taiko drumming and dance and prepare a public culminating
performance at the Oshogatsu Festival.

Japanese American Citizens League – $1,500 to support 2009 Project Community,
a program that seeks to educate college-bound high school students from the
Bay Area on the importance of community and identity, and how these issues are
historically vital to understanding Japantown and how it will be affected in
the future.

Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California – $4,000 to support
the Center’s 17th Annual Kodomo No Hi (Children’s Day) Festival and School Visit
Program in its efforts to share with a more diverse audience.

Michiya Hanayagi Japanese Dance Studio – $1,000 to support the studio’s 51st
classical dance recital in Spring 2009.

National Japanese American Historical Society – $1,000 to support the Digital
Storytelling Youth Arts and Heritage Program that actively involves youth in
Japantown cultural and historic preservation and interpretation, disseminates
information on Japantown history through digital stories about community members
and historic moments and trains youth in communication skills including public
speaking, writing, editing and video production.

Nihonmachi Merchants Association – $1,000 to support the association’s ongoing
efforts to increase the number of visitors to Japantown as well as to ensure
the economic viability of the community through various events and activities.

San Francisco Mishibana-Kai of Nihon Minyo Buyo Renmei – $4,000 to support
the production of a 15th anniversary celebration of Mishibana-Kai with a traditional
Japanese dance performance in Japantown and other culturally based performances,
including but not limited to koto (traditional stringed musical instrument)
and karaoke (singing), to share, preserve and introduce aspects of Japanese
culture.

X-Perience – $1,000 to support the production of the “My Japantown”
pamphlet, a compilation of things to do, places to visit, foods and shopping
tips — all from the viewpoint of middle school-aged children who have grown
up being part of the Japantown community.

This was the foundation’s second disbursement of awards since being founded
in December 2006. The grants were provided to nonprofit groups with cultural,
community and educational activities that the Foundation determined best promote
and support San Francisco’s Japantown.

The foundation was formed through generous initial endowments by Kintetsu Enterprises
of America, Jack Hirose, Hats and Amey Aizawa, Union Bank of California and
Minami Tamaki LLP, which is also doing the foundation’s pro bono legal
work.

The organization is dedicated to preserving and honoring Japantown’s history,
to welcoming and serving its residents, visitors, businesses, congregations
and community organizations, and to supporting the growth and development of
the community. In particular, the foundation supports activities that reflect
the Japanese American experience, and activities that engage Japanese of all
generations and all experiences in America.

The Foundation board is comprised of: Hats Aizawa; Bob Hamaguchi; Richard Hashimoto,
Japantown Merchants Association; Jack Hirose; Keith Kamisugi; Eiji Miwa; Sandy
Mori, Japantown Task Force, Inc.; Jon Osaki; Allen Okamoto, Sakura Matsuri,
Inc.; Donald K. Tamaki, Minami Tamaki LLP (board president); and June-Ko Nakagawa,
Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Northern California. Deputy Consul General Hideyuki
Mitsuoka of the Consulate General of Japan serves as an advisory member.

The foundation welcomes additional grants and donations. Donations to the Foundation
can be made online on this site or made payable to “San Francisco Japantown
Foundation” and addressed to San Francisco Japantown Foundation, c/o Minami
Tamaki LLP, 360 Post Street, 8th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94108.