Battle of Okinawa relief movement from Hawaii to Okinawa

Hope everyone is doing well and keeping safe during these difficult times.  I also wanted to apologize for the lack of updating our site.  We hope to have a dedicated webmaster to keep this site updated and everyone informed of upcoming events.

I wanted to share an article from one of our former member that moved to Hawaii.

Aloha,

I’m reaching out to Uchinanchu groups to share a post-Battle of Okinawa relief effort story (attached). This article is a synopsis of all the information (documents, letters, articles and photos) we uncovered both in Hawaii and in Okinawa (prefecture archive and prefecture library).

Hawaii is one of many states that rallied to support Okinawans in desperate need in the motherland. Okinawans in countries like Argentina also sent relief supplies. This story covers Hawaii’s effort but the scale coming from across the country and S. America was phenomenal.

In sharing this story I’m finding out that the majority of Uchinanchu are not aware of the extent of the relief effort. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

Ippee nifee deebiru!

Dan Nakasone

 

HeraldAug. pg. 2 HeraldAug. pg. 1 HeraldAug pg. 3

Seeking Host Families for Okinawan students for 3 weeks

ok_students

We are looking for families that can host Okinawan students for 3 weeks.

There are a group of 16 students staying from July 25-August 15th.  We need just TWO more host families.

Each host family will have two students (likely female) and likely high school-aged. They can share a bedroom and large bed, too.

hosts are compensated and the students are busy weekdays from M-F with ESL classes and field trips. They will meet at Seattle Nisei Vets Hall.  So this is perfect for busy, working hosts!

If interested please contact Elaine Ikoma Ko by the end this month (April).

elaineko001@gmail.com

flyer below

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New Years Party DVD for sale

沖縄県人会会員の皆様へ　(*English followed by Japanese)

はいさい！

先日は盛大に県人会の新年会も大成功に終えることができ、多くの皆様のご参加とご協力に大変感謝しております。

さて、新年会のDVDを＄１０で発売しております。ほしい方はMia Slattum までご連絡ください！

どうぞよろしくお願いします。

上原朝之

沖縄県人会会長

 

Dear Okinawa Kenjin Club of Washinton State Members!

Haisai!

We had a wonderful time at our 2018 New Year Party and I am so glad so many people were able to come and celebrate it! Also I would like to thank you for all of your amazing support!

Now, 2018 New Year Party DVD is ready and we are selling it for $10 per CD.  If you are interested in purchasing, please contact Mia Slattum.

 

Thank you and have a wonderful week!

2018 OKK New Year’s Party

*** NEW LOCATION ***

This year our New Year’s Party will be held at the

BLAIN MEMORIAL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Date: March 24th 2018 (Saturday)

Time:11:00 AM ~3:00 PM

Address: 3001 24th Ave South  Seattle, WA 98144

********************************************************

Important Bento information.

We have an option to purchase two types of bento this year.  Bento will be pre-order so please reach out to your area reps for purchase.   Please place order by the March 9th.

bento_picbento_pic2

新年会では当日販売用の弁当はありませんので、弁当希望方々は３月９日（金）以前にご注文ください。弁当を オーダーされない方はご自身でランチをお持ちください！ピクニック気分で楽しいですよ！

As always, invite family and friends to this wonderful event.  If you are not purchasing a bento,  Remember to bring your own lunch and enjoy a fantastic cultural performance from our local members.  We will see you there!!!

 

President’s Message 2018

Dear Okinawa Kenjin Club Members,

Haisai!

A Happy New Year!  This year is the Year of The Dog!  I am wishing you all much happiness and good health this year!
How did your 2017 go?  Our Kenjin Club had a great year, as always.  The biggest event we celebrated was the 10th anniversary for our Taiko Group.  It is an example of how our club has been supported by so many amazing members!  I am very grateful and cannot thank enough for all of you!

You may not be aware that there are about 450,000 Uchinanchu (Okinawan) living outside Okinawa, and that there are 93 Okinawa Kenjin Clubs all over the world.  To improve the connection between each of Okinawan Clubs and Okinawa, the Okinawan Governor designated October 30th as “Uchinanchu Day.”  I would like for our kenjin club to participate in this networking opportunity to connect with other kenjin Clubs and Okinawa (we are working on the details of how this will be done accomplished)!

This 2018th year will be a very exciting year for OKK! Our Taiko Group will be participating at the “World Eisa Festival” in Okinawa between November 3rd and 4th this year!  We are so looking forward to the Festival!  Let’s show our big support to the Taiko Group and wish for their best performance!

The annual “OKK New Year’s” event is coming up on March 24(Sat).  It will be held at Blaine Memorial United Methodist Church.  I am looking forward to seeing you there!

Have wonderful 2018!

Sincerely,
Tomo Uehara, President Okinawa Kenjin Club of WA

県人会の皆様、

はいさい！ちゃーがんじゅー やみせーみ？
新年明けましておめでとうございます。今年は 戌年（いぬどし）です。皆様にとって素敵な一 年になりますように願っております。
旧年は皆様にとってどのような御年でしたで しょうか。我々県人会にとっては太鼓グループ の１０周年記念を盛大に祝った節目の年でもあ りました。これまで会員の皆様が県人会を支え て来られた証しだと思います。皆様の温かいサ ポートに心より感謝しております。

さて、海外には約４５万人のウチナーンチュが 住んでおり、９３会の県人会があります。その 世界の県人会と沖縄のネットワークを強化する ために、毎年１０月３０日は「ウチナーンチュ の日」と決定されました。我々も世界のウチ ナーンチュネットワークに参加していきたいと 思います。

今年は太鼓グループが１１月３日と４日に行わ れる世界エイサー大会に参加する事が決定して おります。是非県人会全体で応援していきま しょう！
３月２４日（土）は毎年恒例の新年会が行われ ます。今年は場所が変更しておりますので、お 間違いのないようご確認ください。では多くの 皆様に新年会でお会いできるのを楽しみにして おります！

上原朝之
ワシントン州沖縄県人会会長

 

Seeking host families and drivers

沖縄県人会の皆さんへ

１０月８日に予定しております「Okinawa Kenjin Kai ChijinShuu 10th Anniversary Performance」に、約３５名のゲストパフォーマーが沖縄から来る予定です。イベント以外にも、地元の小学校訪問や観光などもされます。

そこで、１０月７日から１３日までの滞在期間の間ホームステイ受入れ先を探しております。多くは中学生や高校生の学生ですが、引率者も数人おります。

また、ホームステイ受け入れ先以外にも、ボランティアでシアトルやタコマ地域でゲストのドライバーができる方を探しております。

ご興味のある方は、私までeメール(brandonh4543@gmail.com)をください。ホームステイ受入れができる方は、何名受入可能か教えてください。

沖縄からのゲストが素晴らしい経験ができるように皆さんのご協力をお願い申し上げます。何かご質問等ありましたら、遠慮なくご連絡ください。

Brandon Shashiki Harmon
ワシントン州沖縄県人会副会長

Dear OKK Members,

We will have approximately 35 guests from Okinawa performing at the OKK Chijinshuu 10th Anniversary Performance on October 8. In addition to performing in the event, they will be visiting local schools and sightseeing in the area.

We are seeking host families with most of the guests staying from October 7 to 13. Some will be leaving earlier for Canada. They are primarily junior and high school students along with their chaperones.

In addition to host families, we will also need volunteers to drive our guests around the Seattle/Tacoma area.

If you are interested, please send me an email at brandonh4543@gmail.com. If you are interested in being a host family, please let me know how many guests you are able to accommodate.

Thank you for helping us provide a memorable experience for our guests from Okinawa and welcoming them to the area! Let me know if you have any questions or would like further information.

With Regards,
Brandon Shashiki Harmon
VP, Okinawa Kenjin Club of WA

Seeking volunteers and donations…Update

Update….. 8/31/207

Thank you for all those who have reached out to volunteer.  We now have a great crew lined up to have a successful performance.

Will have ticket information shortly.

Thanks again!!!!

********************************************************

 

chijinshuu

As we get closer to our upcoming 10th Anniversary Chijinshuu concert in October, and to make it a success, we need your help.   Below is a list of various roles that will help us out tremendously since the local taiko members will be performing along with the members from Okinawa.

Here is a list:

  • Stage crew (set up mics, chairs, etc. on stage) [~3 people]
  • Ushers [3-4 people]
  • VIP Ushers [3-4 people]
  • OKK Merchandise Table [2 people]
  • Kitchen Helpers [3 people]

 

If you will not be able to donate your time, the following kitchen supplies will be much appreciated.

  • Napkins
  • Paper plates
  • Utensils (spoon, fork, chopsticks)
  • Sugar/Cream
  • Coffee/Tea
  • Paper towels
  • Ziploc bags
  • To-Go boxes
  • Kitchen knife
  • Plastic food wrap

Thank you members for all you do to support our club!!

OKK Annual Picnic

August 19th at Auburn Game Farm Park!!!  11AM

It’s a potluck so please bring a dish to share!!!!

The weather is finally turning to summer, or at least summer-like sensibilities. This means that it is time for the annual OKK Picnic!

This year’s event will be held at the fantastic “Game Farm Park” located in Auburn, WA. There are ample parking and onsite bathrooms! Many activities are being planned by the OKK Social Committee, including another round of male-female Tug-Of-War!

So bring your family and dishes to share! See you there! If you are, or someone in your family is a recent graduate, please contact your Area Representative.

ようやく夏らしい気候となって来ました。ということは？毎年恒例の沖縄県人会ピクニックの時期でもあります。

今年のピクニックも昨年と同じAuburnのGames Farm Parkで催します。駐車スペースも充分あり、お手洗いも会場の直ぐ側にあります。OKKのソーシャルコミッティーの方々が、大人気の綱引きなど、盛り沢山の楽しいゲームも用意しておりますので皆さん奮ってご参加下さい。

Games Farm Park Address/住所: 3030 R ST SE , Auburn, WA 98002  (11AM)

tugofwar

2017 August Newsletter – President’s message

Dear Okinawa Kenjin Club Members,

Haisai!

I cannot believe we are already in the 2nd half of 2017. This summer has been pretty dry and warm and I hope you are enjoying this beau-tiful summer!

In the first half of this year, we had our annual New Year’s Party on March 11th and over 400 people attended and enjoyed the wonder-ful performances. What an amazing event we had and it was always great to end with Kachashii! Also I want to point out that there were many volunteers who contributed their time to run this great event! Without your support, we could not be as successful! Thank you very much!
Also we had Ryukyu Charm Night at APCC on April 30th and many of our members attended! Utako Ishikawa-sensei, Minori Nago-sensei and their students came all the way from Okinawa as guest perform-ers and it was amazing to see how they could collaborate with our young performers! Some members had tears in their eyes probably thinking back home or overwhelmed by the amazing performers. I was so moved. This is why we do this for our members.

Our Kenjin Club is continuing to grow each year. We want to make sure we will have the right environment for our 2nd and 3rd genera-tions to continue enjoying learning the Okinawan tradition. It can be challenging to attract younger generations but I know if we can put our ideas together, we can create a wonderful place for all of us! For example, we can organize a cooking class where older generations can teach younger how to cook traditional Okinawan Food, or teach-ing Okinawan dialect (Uchina guchi), etc…

I am still learning about this organization and I really appreciate all of your big support. I cannot thank you enough. This is everyone’s organization and your ideas are very important for us to grow! Please do not hesitate to reach out to me and share your ideas!
We still have events to enjoy the rest of this year. I look forward to seeing you soon!

Sincerely,

Tomo Uehara, President
Okinawa Kenjin Club of WA

県人クラブの皆さま、

ハイサイ！ ちゃーがんじゅー やみせーみ？

あっという間に1年も半分が終わりました！今年の夏は雨がなく暑い日も多いですが、皆さんが楽しい夏を過ごしている事だと願っております。
さて、今年前半の３月１１日（土）には新年会が行われ、４００人以上もの方が集まりました。ウチナーンチュらしいパワフルのパフォーマンスが多く披露され、最後にはカチャーシーで盛大に締めくくる事ができました。また、多くのボランティアの皆さんの支えによって新年会が大成功に終える事ができました。心から感謝の気持ちを伝えたいと思います。

また、４月３０日には琉球チャームがAPCCで行われ、多くの県人会の皆様がご来場され、盛大に盛り上がる事ができました。ゲストとして石川詩子先生と名護みのり先生、及びお二人の生徒さん総勢２０人近くが沖縄から来て我々のために素晴らしいパフォーマンスをしてくれました。本当に感動いたしました。中には涙を流しながら曲に聞き入っている参加者もおり、ウチナー心が伝わって来ました。

私たち県人会は今後も成長を続け、次世代である２世、３世が参加できる、参加したいと思える環境を作っていかなければなりません。そのためにも、多くの皆さんからのアイディアを出してもらい、皆さんが楽しんで交流できる場を作っていきたいです。例えば、ウチナー料理を若い世代に教えながら一緒に料理をするイベント、ウチナーグチ講座など、アイディアをいっぱいください！

私もまだまだ県人会のことを学びながら成長中です。皆さんの心温かいサポートに感謝しております。試行錯誤しながら皆様のために頑張りますので、今後ともよろしくお願いいたします！

今年もまだまだイベントがありますので、皆さんと一緒にお会いできるのを楽しみにしております。

上原朝之
ワシントン州沖縄県人会会長