May is APA Heritage Month! Join us for an abundance of commemorative cultural events, including one-of-a-kind performances, world premieres of important documentaries, and a community clean-up of the Japanese cemetery! Don’t miss Kodomo no Hi/Children’s Day this Sat, 5/4. Next Sat, 5/11, you can see the design of the Japantown History Mural. There is also a volunteer opportunity for the very special performance of Soul of the City, details below.

Check out the month-long calendar of Headline Events brought to you by the APA Heritage Foundation! In addition, there are weekly Facebook LIVE events with key thought leaders in the APA community. Hope to see you tomorrow night at the APA Heritage Awards & Reception official kick-off of the month with Mayor London Breed and many VIPs, 5:30 pm Herbst Theatre. Unfortunately, the event is soldout, but there are many other events coming up!

From Melody Takata: “Studio Gen offerings this month!”

5/5, Sunday 10am-12pm Temari Japanese decorative ball craft workshop $25.00 limit to 6 people. Requires Eventbrite ticket. Order here.

5/12-6/2: Reverence for Nature Art Exhibit. Open Friday 3:30pm-7pm, Saturday & Sunday 12:30pm-7pm.

5/25: Saturday music series #5 Kulintaiko 4:30pm-6pm @Studio Gen. Free performance.

5/26: Sunday Kokedama workshop 11am, 12pm, 1pm $25-40 suggested donation. Requires Eventbrite ticket (same link above)

5/26: Sunday Midori no Hi/Green Day 1pm-4:30pm. Bring a starter plant to swap! 

For a complete listing, check out this link.

JAPANTOWN HISTORY MURAL PUBLIC PRESENTATION

The San Francisco Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League invites the community to view the Japantown History Mural design on Sat, 5/11 @ Issei Memorial Hall, Japanese Cultural & Community Center of Northern California, 1840 Sutter Street. This meeting is free and open to the public. RSVP here.

From Eryn Kimura: “NOBUKO MIYAMOTO: A SONG IN MOVEMENT (60 mins., directed by Tadashi Nakamura and Quyên Nguyen-Le) documents 84-year-old Nobuko Miyamoto's epic career as an activist/dancer/singer dedicated to fighting for social justice and building solidarity with other communities through her art (more info about the film below). The world premiere is on Sat, May 11, 5pm at SFMOMA's Phyllis Wattis Theaterr and will include a special live performance by Nobuko!” You can get tickets here. 

Announcement from Rieko Kotoku: I would like to announce that KOHAKU showcases both traditional and contemporary Japanese performing arts on May 19 at SF Zen Center. We specialize in performances that you won't see elsewhere in the United States. This is a great opportunity for people to experience Japanese culture.

May 19, 2024 / 2:00pm - 4:00pm

Location: San Francisco Zen Center

300 Page St, San Francisco

General $35; Current SFZC Members $31; Sliding Scale: $21. For additional discount options, please email us at rezoffice@sfzc.org.

Purchase tickets here.

An announcement from our friends at the Hawaii Chamber of Commerce of Northern California: “The Hawaiʻi Chamber of Commerce of Northern California is pleased to announce our 22nd Annual Five Star Aloha Gala on Friday, May 24, starting at 5:30 p.m. at The Westin St. Francis San Francisco on Union Square. This is our organization’s signature event and serves as a venue for honoring individuals and organizations with our Kūlia I Ka Nuʻu (Strive for the Summit) Award for contributions in promoting the Aloha Spirit from Hawaiʻi through Northern California and beyond. This year’s honoree is the Hawai’i Community Foundation. All proceeds go to helping fund our scholarship program foundation and organization.” Info and tickets available here.

First Voice proudly presents “Soul of the City” on June 1, 7 pm and June 2 at 4 pm, the Presidio Theater. Ticket information available here.
First Voice is also seeking volunteers to greet guests, distribute programs, tea, and candy.  We would love volunteers dressed in traditional Japanese garb. to help create a joyful and warm environment for guests to gather in the beautiful Presidio Theatre garden. Volunteers will also get to see the performance! Please contact Reneé Baldocchi at rbaldocchi@firstvoice or call at 415-846-4065.

Volunteer Schedule:

Saturday, June 1 from 6:00-10:00 p.m

Sunday, June 2 from 3:00-7:00 p.m.

To volunteer, contact rbaldocchi@firstvoice.org.

The Japantown Task Force/Japantown Cultural District is excited to announce the launch of the Japantown Silver Navigators Program! We are looking for seniors (persons age 65 and older) to staff the Japantown Cultural District Visitor Center (photo above) on Fridays-Sundays between the hours of 11:30 am - 5:30 pm beginning in May. Honoraria of up to $2,000 will be provided for shared shifts through January 12, 2025. If you are interested or want to learn more, please contact Melissa Bailey Nihei at mbnihei@japantowntaskforce.org