May 4

JET alum sake expert John Gauntner to lecture at Japan Society Sake Tasting next Tuesday

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JET alum John Gauntner (aka “The Sake Guy”) will be lecturing on “Hot or cold?” at Japan Society of New York’s Annual Sake Tasting next Tuesday, May 10 at 6:30pm.  John is considered the leading non-Japanese expert on sake in the world.

May 3

WIT Life #165: 自粛

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WITLife is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.

Recently in my work interpreting for Japanese groups and in casual conversations with Japanese friends, certain expressions keep popping up.   In my mind, they have become a sort of post-disaster vocabulary, phrases which are unique in their relevance to the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami which hit Japan on March 11.  I would like to discuss one of those words, 自粛 (jishuku), which means self-control or voluntary restraint.

Immediately after the disaster, 自粛 referred to people holding back from going out and enjoying themselves as usual, in order to show respect to the victims and people in the disaster area.  Nomikai were postponed, vacations were canceled and people forced themselves to put on somber faces that reflected the seriousness of the tragedy.  It became enough of a phenomenon to received the name of 自粛ブーム (self-restraint boom).

However, soon there was a backlash to this movement as seen in Read More

May 3

Surviving in Japan: Yellow Sand in Japan – How Does it Affect You?

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Ashley Thompson is "Surviving in Japan: without much Japanese."

Posted by Ashley Thompson (Shizuoka-ken, 2008-2010) of Surviving in Japan: without much Japanese and Lifelines columnist for The Japan Times.

Weather reports recently (May 2011) mentioned an increase in 黄砂, kousa starting today and continuing over the next few days over much of Japan, which I mentioned on Twitter and heard many replies from people wondering what exactly yellow sand is and why it’s important to know about, so I wrote up the following information:

Along with the prevalence of spring-time pollen, there’s another annual annoyance that often affects Japan, known as “yellow sand”, “Asian dust”, “yellow dust”, or a more official term, Aeolian Dust, and in Japanese as 黄砂 (こうさ, kousa). This dust is stirred up by the wind from deserts in Mongolia, northern China and Kazakhstan, and carried in clouds over China, North and South Korea, and Japan. Seems relatively harmless, but supposedly this dust has also been found to carry a variety of toxic particles, such as heavy metals, sulfur, viruses and bacteria, asbestos, and other pollutants. As far as I’ve been able to find, Japan doesn’t seem to have experienced many health problems due to this dust (please correct me if you know otherwise), though South Korea has reported adverse health effects, particularly in those with respiratory problems. The dust can also decrease visibility, stain laundry, and cause other problems.

Just to clarify, this isn’t necessarily something you need to worry about on a daily basis during spring, but it might be good to be aware of for when it does occur, particularly if you live in Okinawa, Kyushu, Chugoku or Kansai (though it can apply to other regions). If it does appear in significant amounts, you may want to think about hanging your laundry indoors and possibly wearing a mask outside, especially if you have allergies and/or respiratory problems. I’m not a medical expert, so definitely look up “Aeolian Dust” and “health effects” so you can gain a better idea about how it might affect your health, because as I said, the information about adverse health effects in Japan seems to be sparse.

The U.S. Consulate of Naha (Okinawa) issued this statement on April 28, 2011 about dealing with Aeolian dust, particularly if you have health issues:
If you suffer from allergies or have a pre-existing respiratory problem such as asthma, emphysema or other forms of chronic respiratory disease you may want to consider limiting outdoor activities when high dust levels are present.
– Wear glasses instead of contacts
– Close windows
– Wash exposed skin after returning indoors
– Wear long sleeves
– Cover mouth and nose
– Do not drink or eat food outside
– Drink water frequently
– People with lung disease, older adults, and children should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion

Now, I want to introduce to you two tools you can use to determine the levels of “yellow sand” in your area on any given day, and also how to look at predictions: — CLICK HERE to read the rest of the post.

May 2

JQ Magazine: JQ&A with Jim Gannon of the Japan Center for International Exchange

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Jim Gannon (Ehime-ken, 1992-94), Executive Director for the Japan Center for International Exchange.

By Renay Loper (Iwate-ken, 2006-07). Renay  is a freelance writer and international education professional currently seeking FT opportunities. Visit her at Atlas in Her Hand.

JET alum Jim Gannon (Ehime-ken, 1992-94) is the executive director of the Japan Center for International Exchange in New York. A Columbia graduate who previously worked for the for the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, he penned last year’s “JET Program on the Chopping Block” article, which helped alert and educate JETs and JET alumni to the threats facing the future of the JET Program. Since then, he has served as an invaluable resource to the JET Alumni Association, providing informal advice and perspective and serving on the JETAA New York Board of Directors.

How has your day-to-day work with JCIE been affected by the Tohoku catastrophe?

It has been a whirlwind since the morning of Friday, March 11, although fortunately all of our friends, family, and coworkers in Japan are safe. On the Japan side, JCIE has been working for decades to strengthen Japan’s nonprofit sector.  That gives us a strong base of knowledge in this area, plus we have extensive experience channeling philanthropic contributions from overseas to Japanese organizations, and have also have been working closely for years with the country’s major humanitarian organizations, which have now mobilized to respond to the disaster. Meanwhile, on the U.S. side, JCIE is one of the few Japanese nonprofit organizations with a strong American presence which can receive tax deductible donations. This has put us in a unique position to be able to help.

On day one, we were asked to advise major U.S. humanitarian organizations trying to get into Japan to help, and we have since been working long hours to contribute on various fronts. To take advantage of our understanding of who is who in Japan’s nonprofit sector and the capacity to fundraise in the United States, we established a set of funds to aid Japanese nonprofits on the frontlines of the relief and recovery efforts. The amount of money committed to these by American donors has reached almost $2 million, and most of that is already reaching Japanese communities. The main fund, the Japan NGO Earthquake Relief & Recovery Fund, splits donations up 50-50 between immediate relief efforts and the types of long-term recovery efforts that are absolutely vital, yet typically underfunded, and we will be increasingly focusing on supporting the long-term recovery. In addition to this, we have also been working with a wide range of U.S. foundations, companies, and experts to discuss how to better coordinate the U.S. philanthropic approach to the Japanese disaster. So, my plate has been very full, but we felt we had an obligation to do this given our unique capacity in this area.

What is the mood of the country, generally speaking, since the events?

Difficult to answer, since I have not been there since the disaster. However, my conversations with colleagues and friends indicates that, while people are on edge due to the continuing aftershocks and the radiation risk, there is a deep conviction of the need to rebuild, and extraordinarily selfless efforts by people from all over Japan to do what they can to help. But I can’t talk definitively on the mood from my own experience.

What are JCIE’s priority areas for rebuilding?

In terms of short-term relief efforts, it is critical to empower communities in Japan to help themselves, and this becomes even more important when talking about the long-term recovery. It is essential for local nonprofit organizations—a group that extends far beyond the Red Cross—to be able to play roles if communities are going to be equipped to rise to this challenge. But Japan’s philanthropic sector is weak, and government and business often overlook the nonprofit sector in Japan. This is why we are placing priority on getting funding and other support to a wide range of organizations that are Japanese-run and that are truly nongovernmental and nonprofit in nature.

Read More

May 2

Justin’s Japan: Interview with Author Arudou Debito on His Debut Novel “In Appropriate”

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"I’m told Debito.org remains the resource for many JET Program participants looking for advice or needing an alternative perspective on Japan. See my speech to HAJET in 1999 on 'survival strategies in Japan,' which has apparently been reprinted in several JET publications." (Arudou Debito)

By JQ magazine’s Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for Examiner.com. Visit his page here to subscribe for free alerts on newly published stories.

Divorce is tough, but divorce in Japan—especially if you’re a foreigner with kids—is a nightmare, explains Sapporo-based author Arudou Debito in his new book, In Appropriate: A Novel of Culture, Kidnapping, and Revenge in Modern Japan.

Originally raised in rural upstate New York as David Aldwinckle, Debito is a 23-year resident of Japan who obtained Japanese citizenship (and a name change) in 2000. As the Just Be Cause columnist at The Japan Times newspaper, his nonfiction books include Handbook for Newcomers, Migrants, and Immigrants, and Japanese Only: The Otaru Hot Springs Case and Racial Discrimination in Japan.

A longtime watchdog for foreigners’ rights in Japan, Debito’s first English-language novel takes a scalpel to the polite, friendly façade that tourists typically experience. In Appropriate examines the downright ugly aspects of Japanese life when a father is cut from all ties with his children post-divorce, which is not only common in Japan, but upheld by 19th century law. In this exclusive interview, Debito discusses his personal experiences that inspired the book, his history as an activist, and his thoughts on the future of Japan.

You’ve been known as an activist for over a decade and have published non-fiction works on the subject. What inspired you to write about child abduction in Japan, and what were your goals?

My goal with In Appropriate was to expose a dire social problem, as usual. But this time I thought fiction would be the better medium. Doing what I do, I hear a lot of stories about broken marriages in Japan, and having gone through a nasty divorce myself (seeing my children only about six times since 2003), I know a little bit about child abduction. What goes on in Japan beggars belief, but it’s hard to zero in on one non-fiction case and expect it to cover the scope of the problem.

Although international child abductions in other countries have gotten some press, the situation in Japan is much, much worse. Child abductions and parental alienation in Japan are, in a word, systematic—meaning they are hardly uncommon between Japanese, too (former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi is a famous example; he never saw one of his sons for nearly two decades). One parent after a divorce is generally expected to disappear, and have little to no contact with the children anymore. In Appropriate was meant as a primer to the issue.

Japanhas no system of joint custody or guaranteed visitation rights, and under this system I cannot recommend anyone, Japanese or non-Japanese (NJ), get married under it and consider having children. The risk is too great. We need fundamental reform of the Family Registry System and the laws governing divorce and child custody first. 

Give us a basic overview on the phenomenon of kidnapping and left-behind parents in Japan.

It works like this: Japan’s divorce laws have been fundamentally unaltered since 1898(!), meaning modern-day common-sense divorces based upon “we just don’t like each other any more,” aka “irreconcilable differences,” don’t fly in Japan’s Family Courts. Fact is, if both sides don’t agree to a divorce, one side will have to portray the marriage as a living hell (even when it wasn’t) in public just to satisfy the requirements, inspiring vindictiveness in the other side. (Read more at www.debito.org/thedivorce.html.)

So after a successful split, one parent (usually the mother) gets the kids, and they are put on her Family Registry (koseki). Hers only, as Japan’s laws do not permit registry of people on two koseki. This means the other parent (usually the father) has no title or custody to the children (for example, I couldn’t even get an audience with my daughters’ junior high school teachers to see their grades). Access is granted only at the whim of the mother; I haven’t so much as seen a new photograph of my kids for about five years now. Even if the father goes to court to get a ruling guaranteeing visitation or access, if the mother again decides to make excuses for denial of visitation (or worse yet, levies a claim of “domestic violence”), the father will have to go to court again to get his rights enforced. Given that Japanese courts take months or years to hand down decisions, his kids will in the interim grow up alienated and never hearing his side. 

This is what happens on a domestic level between Japanese. Now add the dimension of international marriage, where the NJ parent may have visa issues, face a language/culture barrier, or be communicating from overseas, and you have a more complex case. (More information via the Children’s Rights Network at www.crnjapan.net.)

Why did you choose the fiction novel format?

Because no single non-fiction case would capture the complicated dynamics of this issue properly. Besides, In Appropriate is about more than just divorce: I wanted to describe how a person would find a fascination in Japan and Japanese people, come over during Japan’s Bubble Era to see Japan ripe with opportunity, and find how Japan went sour as an economy over the past two decades. It was wonderful for me to recount this as a Bubble Era veteran—when in the late 1980s Japan looked poised to take over the world, was even challenging notions of how capitalism worked. Then see how, step-by-step, Japanese society would be squeezed and squeezed, convinced that recovery was right around the corner, just like Godot. How a person could become an immigrant to Japan—assimilating himself to the point of founding his own company, becoming bilingual in Japanese, even taking Japanese citizenship, yet be blindsided by events that were nearly always beyond his control. In Appropriate is much more than just a story of divorce—it’s a time capsule charting Japan’s descent into mediocrity and comparative international irrelevance. That’s best portrayed in a novel format.

What are some of your proudest moments at Debito.org since it went online, and why?

After a quiet start in 1997, Debito.org has been one damn issue after another. But in terms of sustainability, I gave a running commentary on the Otaru Onsens Case (www.debito.org/otarulawsuit.html) nearly weekly, sometimes daily, for four years; Debito.org as a source received enormous international media attention. Then Debito.org converted to a daily blog in 2006; I’ve done 2,000 more essays since (which means a total of probably about 5,000 archival materials by now).

I’m told Debito.org remains the resource for many JET Program participants looking for advice or needing an alternative perspective on Japan (see my speech to HAJET in 1999 on “survival strategies in Japan,” which has apparently been reprinted in several JET publications, at www.debito.org/HAJETspeech.html). Debito.org has been the launching pad for many a major media news story, in Japanese, English, and several other languages. It’s given a modicum of credibility to the oft-shaken belief that “the debate in Japan about internationalization and immigration” still exists unabated.

For the complete interview, click here.

Apr 30

Fukushima Publishes “United We Stand” Newsletter

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Via CLAIR New York’s Japan Local Government Center, here’s a special English-language newsletter from the Fukushima government about the current situation  there. Read the inaugural issue at www.jlgc.org/pdfs/jp/20110501Fukushima.pdf.

Apr 28

Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE/USA) Update 04.28.11

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The Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE/USA) has been an excellent source of updates via the earthquake section of its website as well as its Facebook page.  The kind of info you’re likely not getting from CNN or network news.  Notably, JET alum James Gannon (Ehime-ken, 1992-94) is the Executive Director of JCIE/USA’s New York office.  Here’s the latest update:

4/28 Update: http://www.jcie.org/earthquakeupdate.html

* Peace Winds Japan helps chambers of commerce to get up and running as an important recovery step.

* Another PWJ initiative, the free “Compassion Bus”, takes evacuees to supermarkets in Ofunato and others.

* Association for Aid and Relief also offers transportation services to those on the Oshika Peninsula, which sustained enormous damage to its roads.

4/26-27 Update: http://www.jcie.org/earthquakeupdate.html

* The Japan Association for Refugees (JAR) began offering legal consultations; evacuees have many concerns from lost family, businesses and even the mortgages on homes that were swept away.

* NICCO experts find that functioning batteries from cars that were destroyed can be used to power LED lights, which can then be hooked up to solar panels for all day use.

Apr 28

JETAA Florida to provide volunteers for South Florida events this weekend

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Thanks to JETAA Florida President Bahia Simons-Lane (Gunma-ken) for sharing the following:

JETAA Florida is providing volunteers for two events in South Florida this weekend:

1.  Japan Culture Day at Florida International University

2.  Miami Reggae Festival for Japan Relief in Coconut Grove

See Bahia’s blog for full details.

Apr 27

Event: Two Artists, Two Expressions

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Author Suzanne Kamata (Tokushima-ken, 1988-90) who also serves as the Publicity Assistant for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators in Tokyo, shared the following:

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators presents

 Two Artists Two Expressions

Colored Pencil Workshop with Katsuya Takahashi and Daniel Schallau

Time:         Saturday, May 21, 2011, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Place:         Tokyo Women’s Plaza, Audiovisual Room

                   5-53-67 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

                   (by the Children‘s Castle and United Nations University;

                   for a map see www.scbwi.jp/map.htm)

Fee:           SCBWI members 1,000 yen; nonmembers 1,500 yen

RSVP:        Please reserve by May 20 by sending an e-mail to info@scbwi.jp

This event will be in English and Japanese.

Please join us for an evening workshop led by two master colored pencil children’s book illustrators followed by Q&A.

Katsuya Takahashi will introduce and demonstrate the basic properties and techniques of colored pencils that give his illustrations a unique look and feel. In the second half of his workshop, everyone will have the chance to experiment with the techniques that Takahashi has shared. Please bring a set of twelve or more colored pencils, some paper and an eraser.

Daniel Schallau will focus on the techniques he uses to draw cool winter scenes. Have you ever wondered how to draw snow in night scenes? Just use white? Think again. Schallau’s secrets might surprise you. This part of the workshop will offer the opportunity, for those interested, to try out some of Schallau’s tips. Please bring a range of blue colored pencils and yellow, orange and red pencils. Paper and pencil sharpeners will be provided.

Katsuya Takahashi (http://homepage3.nifty.com/katz-t/) Born in Kyoto, colored pencil artist Katsuya Takahashi studied in the Faculty of Art at Kyoto Seika University. After graduation, he became a freelance illustrator, and his work has been widely recognized in newspapers, books, magazines, and commercials. “Hyper burnishing” is how he describes his colored pencil technique. The rich hues and luminous glow of his illustrations are the result of deep layers of colors. Now a resident of Tokyo, he has held exhibitions every year since 1998. Takahashi works both in Tokyo and the Kansai area and is the author/ illustrator of the picture book, Hora utaga kikoeruyo (Listen, I Hear a Song; Builder Buch).

Daniel Schallau (www.danielschallau.com) After working for various architecture firms in the U.S., Daniel Schallau traveled to Tokyo where he now works as an English teacher and an author/illustrator. People often find it difficult to believe his drawings are actually created with colored pencils, insisting instead that they must be done with a computer. His picture book Come Back Soon (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) was published in 2009. Schallau specializes in intricately drawn worlds inhabited by elephants, penguins, whales, bears, snowmen, rabbits and more.

www.scbwi.jp

Apr 27

The Laurasian Institution Seeking Local Coordinators for HS Exchange Program (multiple states in the US)

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via Carleen Ben (Oita-ken 2006-2008) Carleen currently works as a Program Associate at The Laurasian Institution, a non-profit organization promoting international exchange programs between US – China, Japan, and Korea.

Contribute to greater international understanding by offering exchange students the chance to realize their dream of attending an American high school for an academic year. Exchange students learn through experience about living in America while their host families and schools benefit by learning first hand about the customs and perspectives of the student in their care.

Join the staff of The Laurasian Institution (TLI) in creating the very best exchange environment for both students and families. Take pride in working with colleagues who share your commitment to quality exchange. Benefit from the flexibility of setting your own schedules and time commitments.

Selection of quality host schools and host families is key to achieving the program’s educational, cross-cultural, and public diplomacy goals, including helping the exchange student achieve familiarity with life in the U.S. and better understand American culture. Through your participation as a Local Coordinator you will be at the very heart of the program and a true ambassador for international understanding.

Read More

Apr 27

Justin’s Japan: Interview with “Japanamerica” Author/JET Alum Roland Kelts on “Monkey Business”

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“Through the JET Program, I learned how to live and work in Japan—an invaluable lesson.” (Kaz)

By JQ magazine’s Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for Examiner.com. Visit his page here to subscribe for free alerts on newly published stories.

Taking its name from the immortal Chuck Berry tune, the debut English-language edition of Monkey Business: New Voices from Japan is based on the annual Tokyo-based Japanese literary magazine founded in 2008 by award-winning translator, scholar, editor and author Motoyuki Shibata, one of Japan’s best known and most highly regarded translators of American fiction. The first installment offers poetry, Kafka-adapted manga, a wide-ranging, in-depth interview with Haruki Murakami, and much more. And despite its mischievous title, twenty-five percent of all Monkey Business sales will go toward the Nippon Foundation/CANPAN Northeastern Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund.

Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99) is the author of 2006’s Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the U.S. and a curator and editor for Monkey Business. A weekly columnist for The Daily Yomiuri, commentator for National Public Radio, and teacher of Japanese popular culture at New York University and the University of Tokyo (he splits his time between both cities), Kelts is back in town this week for the new book’s launch, beginning April 30 at Asia Society, May 1 at BookCourt in Brooklyn, and May 3 at Japan Society. I caught up with Kelts during his recent appearance at Seattle’s Sakura-Con for this exclusive interview.

How did you get involved as an editor and curator for this book?

My dear friend, Motoyuki Shibata, Japan’s premier translator of American literature, talked to me two years ago about publishing an English-language version of Monkey Business, his literary magazine. As an editor at A Public Space, a literary magazine based in Brooklyn, I was keen to build another bridge between the two countries. I talked at length with Brigid Hughes, the founding editor of A Public Space, and she was interested. Then we received a grant from the Nippon Foundation, and the Japan Foundation, the Asia Society and the Japan Society all supported our project. I am deeply grateful to all parties involved.

What can readers expect from the book?

The freshest, newest, most exciting contemporary literature, poetry and manga from Japan, plus some American voices, like Barry Yourgrau, who have emerged as major American authors in Japan.

How did you select the pieces to be selected for the English version?

Motoyuki Shibata, Ted Goosen and major translators like Jay Rubin (Haruki Murakami’s translator) and Michael Emmerich all created the final manuscript. Shibata and Goosen then sent it to me and Brigid Hughes, and we had several conversations in order to select the best material for an American readership.

What are the biggest challenges of translating and editing Japanese creative writing into English?

It’s not as simple as it sounds. You need to choose the material that will speak to American readers, who, after all, are limited and defined by their cultural context. Not every successful book in Japan will speak to American readers. You need cultural authorities on both sides of the Pacific Ocean to make a valuable publication.

You’ve been working on a novel of your own called Access for years now. What can you tell us about it, and how’s it coming along?

Very close to completion. I think it’s a masterpiece, but I’m partial, of course. It’s a cross-cultural narrative built upon sex and longing—both close to my heart.

As a participant of Japan’s international exchange-based JET Program, what were your biggest takeaways from your experience that you’ve applied to your career today?

I learned how to live and work in Japan—an invaluable lesson.

Read the rest of the interview here.

Apr 27

Fundraising: JETAA UK

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Via the JETAA UK website:

Thanks to all who have made our ‘Give a Day for Japan‘ scheme and the pub quiz last Thursday such a fantastic success.  We’re all doing that we can in the light of Japan’s terrible losses.  We have extended our invitation to the JETAA Ball this year (which is a fund-raising event and is thus not subsidised, as in previous years) to the wider Japan-UK community in London.  Help us make this a night to remember!

JETAA May Ball in Aid of the Tohoku Earthquake Appeal

Tickets are going faster than limited edition Kate & Will china teacups – so get yours on the double! Check out the amazing conservatory venue – resplendent with fairy-light trimmed palms…

Hosted at the deluxe 4-star Millennium Gloucester Hotel & Conference Centre in the heart of Kensington, London, this year’s JETAA Ball will be raising funds for the Japan Society’s Tohoku Earthquake Appeal, which JETAA UK is also supporting through our Give a Day for Japan scheme.

Date: Saturday 14th May, 19:00 – 23:00

Tickets: £60 (this includes a 3-course buffet dinner with some drinks, a taiko performance from Kaikyo Taiko, music, dancing and a night of fundraising)
Dress Code: Black Tie and Evening Gown
Nearest Tube: Gloucester Road Underground Station (Piccadilly, Circle and District lines)
Overnight stay: Special rates are available for JETAA guests wishing to stay overnight at the hotel, please e-mail for further details.
To Register: Please fill in our online registration form. Read More

Apr 27

Fundraising: JETAA Northern California’s Earthquake Relief Efforts

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Via the JETAA Northern California website:

Thank you to everyone who came out to show their support for JETAANC’s Japan Earthquake Relief Benefit on March 23. The event was a great success, raising over $7,000 for Japan!  In addition, JETAANC received a donation of over $1,800 from the PiQ Japan Relief Benefit event held in Berkeley on March 21.

Apr 26

JETAA USA announces new Country Representatives

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The 2011 Country Representatives are Jessyca Wilcox (2nd term as Country Rep, former JETAA Rocky Mountain Treasurer), Megan Miller Yoo (former JETAA New York President) and Mike Shu (JETAA Northern California, former AJET President).

Congratulations!

Nikki Lindsay

National Elections Officer

Apr 26

Event: 2nd Japanese Heritage Night at Mets Citifield – Tues, June 21

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Via request of the Consulate General of Japan in New York:

2nd Japanese Heritage Night at Mets Citifield

Please let your members, colleagues, friends and family know that the 2nd Japanese Heritage Night at Mets Citifield will be held on Tuesday June 21st, 2011 when the Mets play the Oakland As with  Hideki Matsui in attendance. This is a fundraising event – a portion of each ticket sold through our group will go to Japan relief efforts.

We will be sending out information about Group Sales as soon as the site is set up but this year, seats in three price categories will be grouped together:

• Baseline Box Silver seat =$54.00
• Pepsi Porch seat = $32.00
• Promenade Reserved Infield seat = $19.00

While we understand that not all of you are Mets fans, the Yankees do not provide a Heritage Night and we wanted to have a community event where Japanese and Japanese Americans and all those interested in “things Japanese” could get together and have a good time. We look forward to everyone’s participation again this year.

Last year 400 tickets were purchased. This year, let’s aim for 1,000!

If you are interested in helping out, please contact our organizing committee co-chairs: Ann Harakawa (aharakawa [at] twotwelve.com) or Marianne Yoshioka (mry5 [at] columbia.edu).

Thank you!!

Organizing Committee

Ann Harakawa, Marianne Yoshioka, Gary Moriwaki, Susan J. Onuma, George Hirose

Advisor: Donna Tsufura