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Download JASSA Newsletter in
Adobe Acrobat Format (.pdf)
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Kumamoto Exchange Students Arrive |
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Kumamoto High
School Exchange Students Welcomed
Four
high school students from Kumamoto City begin a
two-semester exchange. The students were
welcomed at a reception at St Anthony High
School, where two of the girls will attend. The
other two will attend Incarnate Word High
School. Below, Left to Right: Nozomi Iwarmura
and Tomoko Uchida (Will attend IWHS) and Kotomi
Sakata and Kaoru Yoshikawa (St Anthony). Welcome to Texas! |
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Japanese Tea Gardens Reopens |
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Mabel Enkoji Jingu, her husband, and other family
members return to the Japanese Sunken Gardens
for the grand reopening following $1.6 million
in repairs to the ponds. Hundreds gathered to
view the flowers, foliage, and reconstruction of
the ponds, which are being stocked with Koi. A
sixty-foot waterfall dominates the quarry wall,
which has been the home for the Japanese-style
gardens since the Jingu family moved to the
former quarry and cement factory in 1919.
See more photos |
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The Okinawa drum
group performed at a donor reception at the
Japanese Tea Gardens on March 6. |
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President
Rosemary Kowalski and Vice President for
Economic Affairs Mitsu Yamazaki represented
JASSA at the National Association of
Japan-America Societies in Washington D.C,
the week of February 5. They jointly met
with representatives of the other
societies, and attended a reception with the
Japanese Ambassador, His Excellency Ryozo
Kato. You can view photos from the symposium
here:
http://www.us-japan.org/Temporary.
Also, some images from the Ambassador’s
reception on Feb. 5 are available on the
Embassy of Japan’s website,
http://www.us.emb-japan.go.jp/english/images/kc/kc.htm.
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JASSA Honors Consul General Kamo at Farewell
Dinner |
JASSA honored
Consul General and Mrs Kasuhiko Kamo at a
farewell dinner on May 17, 2007, attended by
many San Antonio business and political leaders.
Tom Willems organized the event and obtained
many sponsors to make it a gala evening.
Pictured here, Left to Right, Norio Seki, Tom
Willems, Rosemary Kowalski, Consul General and
Mrs Kamo. Pictured below, Consul General and Mrs
Kamo with Mrs Naoko Shirane, Councilwoman-Elect
Mary Alice Cisneros, and Dr Henry Cisneros.
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JASSA Shares Table at UTSA "Great Conversations" |
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The Japan America
Society and the RK group sponsored a table at
the University of Texas San Antonio "Great
Conversations" Fundraiser on Feb 27, 2007. The
event, held at the Institute of Texan Culture,
featured 65 discussion tables, with stimulating
talks led by celebrities and community leaders.
Mrs. Naoko Shirane, the discussion leader for
the table, told of the years of activities that
created the current strong relationship between
San Antonio and Kumamoto City, Japan. The annual
event raised over $130,000 for UTSA
scholarships.
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JASSA Supports Asian American Chamber of
Commerce |
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JASSA supported
the Asian American Chamber of Commerce (AACOC)
3rd annual awards banquet at the Hilton Hotel on
November 18 with an Emerald level sponsorship.
JASSA is represented on the AACOC board with
Norio Seki as Vice President for 2007-2008.
Dignitaries including Dr Henry Cisneros, Mayor
Hardberger, and Judge Nelson Wolff were on hand
as Mrs Naoka Shirane was presented with a
lifetime achievement award. In his remarks
resenting the award, Dr Cisneros emphasized the
role of Mrs Shirane in the important groundwork
which is now coming to fruition with the opening
of the Toyota Factory. He said the Japanese
community will be even more key in this
community in the coming years. |
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JASSA Represented at Toyota Opening |
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Mike Nishimuta
represented JASSA among the 400 invited guests
at the opening of the Toyota Motor Manufacturing
facility on November 17. JASSA President Norio
Seki, who works at Futaba Industries, one of the
21 on-site supplier companies, has been
extremely busy in supporting this important and
historic date for San Antonio. |
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Corporate Membership Event at San Antonio Museum
of Art |
First Lady
Anita Perry was on hand to greet JASSA
corporate sponsors and members at the
San Antonio Museum of Art on October 26.
Consul-General Yoshihiko Kamo from Houston gave remarks,
and Mrs Miho Tajima represented her husband T.J. Tajima
from Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Texas.
See Photos from event.
Membership
Chairman Max Navarro organized the event
with the help of Master of Ceremonies
Mike Nishimuta. JASSA would like to
thank the event sponsors: AT&T and Nix
Health Care System (Gold), Frost Bank,
Loeffler, Tuggey, Pauerstein &
Rosenthal, San Antonio Credit Union and
Zarate Medical Group (Silver) and Hero
Assemblers, Reyes Automotive Group and
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas
(Bronze).
Howard Hu
and Sushihana provided the appetizers,
The RK Group provided the tables and
linens, and many volunteers helped out.
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An Evening of Japanese Culture at the Radius |
Over 100
people attended an “Evening of Japanese
Art and Culture” on September 22 at the
Radium, sponsored by San Antonio Dance
Umbrella, a nonprofit organization.
Various JASSA members participated with
dance performances, Sumie painting,
Origami, calligraphy, Ikebana,
Kamishibai picture stories, etc. The San
Antonio Girl Scout Dance Team “Girls in
Motion” performed a Bon Odori dance. You
can view the photograph album at the
Dance Umbrella website:
http://www.sadu.org/gallery.
JASSA donated all proceeds of
calligraphy sales to Dance Umbrella.
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Membership
Lunch, August 2006 |
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New corporate
members Drs Rudy and Jocelyn Zarate at the membership
recognition lunch on August 5, 2006 at the Girl Scout
Headquarters. |
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Japanese Lessons 2007 Schedule |
Japanese Language
classes are being conducted for children
and adults.
See more
information here.
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San Antonio Current Features Asian Americans in
San Antonio |
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The February 24, 2005 cover of the
San Antonio Current Newspaper features
"A New Constituency," an article about
the Asian-American Groups in San
Antonio. JASSA Vice President for
Business and Economic Development, Norio
Seki, is one of the four individual
featured.
Read the story here. |
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Japanese Tea Gardens - Return to Glory? |
San Antonio Express News Columnist Jan
Jarboe Russell urges city to restore
Japanese Tea Gardens -
Click Here to Read the Article
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Japan-America
Society of San Antonio
P.O. Box 460444
San Antonio, Texas 78246-0444
Tel: (210)
805-5707 |
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