Calendar of Events
A listing of Northern California's Nikkei community events and happenings.
Event schedules and times can change at a moments notice. It is suggested that you verify event status by calling the phone number provided. Send us your events by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Saturday, Jan. 7
Hokka Kumamoto Kenjin Kai will hold its annual New Year’s Party and Toshi Iwai Celebration starting at 12 noon at the Holiday Villa Restaurant, 7007 South Land Park Drive. This luncheon event promises to be a fun filled afternoon with good company, good food, high quality karaoke entertainment and many door prizes. Governor Ikuo Kabashima of Kumamoto Ken, Japan has sent Congratulatory Certificates and Iwai-hin for members who became aged 88 and aged 80 in year 2011. These gifts from Governor Kabashima will be presented to the individuals at the New Year’s Party. Dinner reservations at $25 are now being taken. All members 80 years of age and over and new members who joined during 2011 will be special guest. Dues are $5 for individuals or $10 for couples. Please mail your luncheon reservation and membership fees to George Morita, 1437 Joel Court, Sacramento, 95822. Please make your checks payable to Hokka Kumamoto Kenjin Kai. Deadline for the luncheon reservations is Friday, Dec. 30. Members and friends are encouraged to attend this gala event.
Sunday, Jan. 8
The 19th “Japantown Kimono Day” will be held starting at 10 a.m., and will meet on the first floor of the Kinokuniya building, next to the replica of Osaka Castle. “There are no special rules. All you do is to put a beautiful kimono of yours and have a good time in Japantown. So, just come join us!” To be fitted, there is a fee of $45 per person. Advanced registration is required. To register, rent a kimono, or require assistance in putting on a kimono, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Thursday, Jan. 12
The San Francisco Japantown Foundation invite you to a New Year’s celebration fundraiser from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., at New People, 1746 Post St, San Francisco. This special event will feature osechi ryori, the traditional Japanese New Year’s cuisine and sake tasting provided by True Sake. Admission starts at $150. Sponsorships available. Please RSVP by Dec. 16, 2011. If you have any questions, please contact event coordinator Tamiko Wong at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or call (415) 830-4165.
Saturday, Jan. 21
Stockton and Lodi chapter JACLs will hold its 2012 Joint Installation Luncheon at 12 noon at Lodi JACL Community Hall. More details to follow.
Sunday, Jan. 29,
You are invited to a community gathering to hear stories about Tule Lake Segregation Center and learn more about how the Nikkei community honors our history and culture from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Sacramento Buddhist Church, 2401 Riverside Blvd. at X Street in Sacramento. Organized by the Tule Lake Community Cookbook Project, “we are collecting stories and recipes from formerly incarcerated families and friends of Tule Lake to create community cook/history book. The event is sponsored by Sacramento Buddhist Church Legacy Endowment Fund Board. For more information or to RSVP, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call Stacy Kono at (510) 841-2143. You can check out the Tule Lake Community Cookbook’s website at: http://tulelakecommunitycookbook.wordpress.com/about
Saturday, Feb. 11
Yu-Ai Kai volunteers and staff members are busy preparing for their annual Crab & Spaghetti Dinner from 5 to 8 p.m. at the San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin Annex, located at 640 North Fifth Street in San Jose. Ticket dine-in prices at $35 for adults and $15 for children 6 to 10 years old; 5 and under free. Take-out tickets are $30. Drive thru pick-up is also available. Prices are $5 more if placed after Feb. 1. Dine-In tickets are limited to 400, so reserve your seats today. For additional information, please call the Yu-Ai Kai office at (408) 294-2505. All proceeds will help support the operations and activities of Yu-Ai Kai of San Jose.
Sunday, Feb. 19
Japanese American Museum of San Jose will screen Burt Takeuchi’s film “Valor with Honor” at 2 p.m. A Q&A will follow the screening and DVDs will be sold after the program. For more information, call the museum at (408) 294-3138 or email Joe Yasutake at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Sunday, Feb. 19
The Nihonmachi Outreach Committee (NOC) will present San Jose’s 32nd annual Day of Remembrance event to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Executive Order 9066, which led to the incarceration of more than 120,000 people of Japanese descent, two-thirds of whom were American citizens, during World War II. This year’s Day of Remembrance, “Civil Liberties Under Siege” will address what Japanese Americans had to endure during World War II and what Arabs, Muslims and South Asian Americans face today. The event will be held at 5:30 p.m. and end about 7:30 p.m., and will take place at the San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin, 640 North 5th Street in San Jose. This year’s guest speakers will be Congressman Mike Honda, Karen Korematsu, co-founder of the Fred T. Korematsu Institute for Civil Rights and Education and daughter of the late civil liberties activist Fred T. Korematsu, and Zahra Billoo, executive director of the Council of American-Islamic Relations. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call (408) 505-1186, or email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or at NOC’s website at www.sjnoc.org to download a flyer for the event.
Thursday, Feb. 23
The Japanese American Museum of San Jose (JAMsj), in conjunction with Congressional Representatives Zoe Lofgren, Mike Honda and Anna Eshoo, the San Jose Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), the Friends and Families of Nisei Veterans (FFNV), and local VFW Post 9970 are planning a local ceremony in San Jose, CA to be held at the San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin annex from 4 to 6 p.m. This event is being organized for veterans and their families, as well as widows or families of veterans who were unable to attend the ceremony in Washington, D.C. If you are interested in attending the ceremony in San Jose, please contact the museum for an application form.
