ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
September– October
Hideko Ikehara $100
Betty Shimabukuro $50
Tobis Matsumura (Trust) $56.58
Todd Mathes (Trust) $130
Tazue Hayashi $300
In Memory of Utaka
Sonoe Koyasu $100
M/M George Okimoto $250
Joey Hosoda $ 250
In Memory of Jimmy & Sumire
The following Nurseries donated
Plants for this year’s Festival:
Garibaldo’s Nursery, Bellflower
Green Spot Nursery, N. Hollywood
Higo Nursery, Gardena
IT Nursery, Los Angeles
Pacific Nursery, Gardena
SY Nursery, Cerritos
Thank you for your kind generosity
and continuing support.
友
達
Southeast
Carnival is just around the corner (July 25th and 26th). For those who would like to
Tomodachi
Tomodachi
P R E S I D E N T ’ S M E S S A G E
Volume 18, Issue 6
November 2013 Newsletter
Southeast Japanese School & Community Center
14615 S. Gridley Rd. Norwalk CA 90650
Website: www.sejscc.org 562.863.5996
Hi Everyone!
This year’s Pancake Breakfast was a great success. I would like
to thank Richard Hardy of the Kiwanis club. The Kiwanis club gener-
ously provided the grill and cooks. They did a fantastic job. The pan-
cakes were delicious and the lines moved quickly. Johnson Sensei
made all of the lunch items that Judo served at the boutique. This
year’s breakfast and lunch was Ono.
Becky Shinomoto and Helen Hikiji are the sole organizers in getting
all the vendors for this year’s boutique. It looked like everyone was
getting an early start on their Christmas shopping. As I walked around
the gym, I saw people stop and chat with friends that they have not
seen in awhile.
The Southeast Japanese School will not have our annual year end
bento luncheon in December. Southeast Japanese School has moved
it to the first Sunday in June (6/1/2014) due to the year end financial
report.
If you are making any payments to the Center by check, please make
the check payable to “SOUTHEAST JAPANESE SCHOOL”. The name
must be spelled out; no acronyms. The banks will no longer accept
any checks made out to SEJSCC and SEJS.
I wish everybody a safe Holiday Season!!
Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!!
Richard Shinomoto
Richard Shinomoto IN THIS ISSUE
President’s Message p. 1
Japanese School p. 2
Hikari Taiko p. 3
Norwalk Dance Club p. 4
Norwalk Kendo p. 5
Nikkei Seniors p. 6
Calendar p. 6
Norwalk Karaoke Club p. 6
Norwalk Youth Sports p. 7
Judo Mochi order form p. 8
Pancake Breakfast p. 9
Holiday Boutique p. 9
SPECIAL NOTICE
Due to new restrictions, acronyms (SEJSCC) will no
longer be allowed on checks. All checks must be
spelled out. Please use pay to the order of
“Southeast Japanese School” for all checks to the
Community Center.
Thank you for your continued support.
Page 2 Tomodachi
Our annual “undokai” was held at Gerdes Park
on October 12th. This event is an annual event
in schools all over Japan and is a national holiday.
Students are divided into the red team or white
team and compete in various athletic events. Stu-
dents and parents participated in balloon game,
donut eating race, and tug of war. Students com-
peted in the relay race, obstacle race, and spoon
race. This year the red team won. Everyone also
enjoyed the lunch provided by the PTA. It was a
family event enjoyed by all. The Undokai was held
in conjunction with a welcome to all new students
and their families. This year we welcomed many
new families and two new teachers, Sachiko
Matsumoto and Ritsuko Rowe. Many thanks to
the teachers for the preparation of the activities
and to parents for helping with the games, pur-
chasing prizes and cooking the lunch for every-
one’s enjoyment. A special thanks to Rose
Morimoto for chairing the kitchen for the 3rd year
in a row, Akiko Sanruk, and to Vanesa Kanegai for
chairing the park events.
The next cultural experience will be the “3,5,7
Festival”. This is the celebration of children who
are 3,5, and 7 years old. Traditionally, children
wear special kimono for a visit to the Shrine and
parents purchase “Chitose Ame”, a special candy
for this festival. Students in the kindergarten and
beginners class will get an opportunity to dress in
the traditional kimono and take pictures. There
will be a presentation on the festival presented by
Mrs. Matsumoto on November 2nd during 4th pe-
riod. Students will also taste “Chitose Ame”.
J A P A N E S E S C H O O L
Students at undokai lunch
Tomodachi Page 3
Mary Jane Mayeda
In August we were fortunate to perform at
MacArthur Park Levitt Pavilion for the 4th time.
We also performed at our neighboring Hindu
church on Pioneer for their Dharma Sacred
Godess of Elephant Festival.
We attended a lovely wedding at the Los Coyotes
Country Club in Buena Park and then gave a work-
shop at the Diamond Bar Library in which their
mayor joined us.
Keiro Nursing Home in Lincoln Heights is a yearly
performance for their monthly birthday celebra-
tion. We have been going there for the past 12
years or so.
We also perform for two Korean summer festivals.
One in Korea Town and the other in Buena Park
on Beach Blvd. Their festivals are like our cultural
festival but on a much larger scale. They have
many sponsers and the Korean government
sponsers them too. They have a huge stage like
the rock concerts have with dozens of booths sell-
ing all kinds of Korean ware and food. It’s a big
event with hundreds of people showing up.
We have one last performance on November 9th
for the La Palma Days Event which include a pa-
rade, concert and booths. Join us if you have
time. We perform at 2:30 pm.
Reminder... Nov. 2 Host: Japanese School
Serving Curry Rice
BINGO Dec. 7 Host: Dance Club 6:30 pm Serving Teriyaki Chicken Wings
Jan. 4 Host: Ikebana
Serving Fuwa Fuwa Chicken Dinner
Dinner served at 6 pm
First Saturday Of the month
Come join us!
H I K A R I T A I K O
Tomodachi Page 4
Connie Ciranna
36th Anibasari of Norwalk Dinner Dance Club
After 36 years of monthly dances, Norwalk
Dance Club still continues this tradition. 96
guests participated in this anniversary dance.
Isn’t that great? Thanks to Gardena, Langley,
NDC, & friends for being a part of this special
evening.
Pictures tell the story of how the evening went.
A delicious Bento dinner from Sango Sushi res-
taurant was served & after the large meal, Edna
led 3 line dances, the “Electric Slide”, the
“Sophisticated Swing”, & the “Circle Dance”. It
was good to see such a large group participating
in these dances. Thanks to Helen Hikiji, Edna
Kurihara, Harriet Yamada for getting everything
ready, and a big thanks to Irene Yip for donating
her delicious cake with a scoop of ice cream. We
don’t want to forget our DJ, Yuso K., for provid-
ing us with dance music.
N O R W A L K D A N C E C L U B NDC Halloween Social – October 26, 2013
It was a delight to see all the Halloween deco-
ration on the stage, pumpkins & ghosts on the
walls, & the cute, little scarecrows in the pots of
Chrysanthemums on each table which were given
out to the 7th chair at each table. It certainly made
everyone in the Halloween mood. Thanks stage
crew – Helen, Edna, & Harriett!
Our 78 guests from Gardena, Langley, NDC, &
friends were treated with a delicious Sushi meal
with miso green beans provided by Aki Watanabe,
owner of Classic Catering. Itono Nakagawa provid-
ed the Tsukemono & fresh carrot sticks which was
from her garden. Helen Hikiji donated the celery &
black olives. Thank to the Kitchen crew – Jean
Ikemoto, Itono N., Helen, & Harriett Y. & to Ted
Shida who donated a six-pack of beer.
Before we had our dessert, Harriett Yama-
da got the dancers involved with a mask-making
project using paper plates. Some people are very
artistic & creative. Everyone had a chance to vote
for their favorite mask. 1st place winner went to
May Sofferin. 2nd place went to King Yee, 3rd place,
Jim Noe, & 4th place Richard Yokomi.
Next, it was time for dessert! We thank
Helen, & Edna Kurhara for the home made cup-
cakes. Can you tell that we like to eat at our danc-
es? Oh yes! We did get to do some dancing,
thanks to our DJ, Yuso.
Tomodachi
N O R W A L K K E N D O D O J O
The Southern California Kendo Federation (SCKF)
Team Championships were held September 22 in
Torrance. The Norwalk Dojo yudansha team con-
sisted of Kariya Yoshijiro, Chang Jeffrey, Hamamura
Yu, Nguyen Emil, Yoon Courtney (who is barely
yudansha), and Ji Daniel (who isn’t even yudansha
yet!). They took 3rd place, putting on an impressive
showing against some very stiff competition, includ-
ing San Diego, Sho Tokyo, OCB dojos.
The SCKF Fall Shinsa (promotional examinations)
were held October 20, also in Torrance. Congratula-
tions to everyone who passed their ranking exams:
Cho Daniel (6kyu), Cho Ryan (6kyu), Moody Antho-
ny (5kyu), Choi Jonathan (5kyu), Hahn Lance
(4kyu), Kim Jun Bae (4kyu), Moon Joshua (4kyu),
Kim Matthew (4kyu), Tseng George (3kyu), Kim
Soung Bae (2kyu), Ji Daniel (1kyu), and an extra big
congratulations to Nguyen Emil, who passed 4dan.
Omedeto, Nguyen sensei!
Our iaido senseis and senior iaidoka continue to be
active in iaido seminars and tournaments around
the country, most recently at the Pacific Northwest
Kendo Federation Iaido Seminar and Tournament
September 27 through 29 in Bellevue, WA. Con-
gratulations to Tekin Korhan for taking 1st place in
the mudansha division! Our iaido group is growing
by leaps and bounds, so we are looking forward to
even more success in 2014.
Page 5
Upcoming events include the Kubota Memorial
Kendo Tournament in January, and the All Unit-
ed States Kendo Championships next June.
Team SCKF practices start in October, and we
have several kenshi trying out. Finally, the Nor-
walk Dojo Christmas party will be held Friday
December 20. Be sure to save the date!
We will also finish off the year with our monthly
yudansha practices, shiai geiko, dojo tourna-
ments, and Sunday special practices. Speaking
of which, a huge thank you to Yoshimura Ted
for cooking his famous okonomiyaki at the Oc-
tober special practice. They not only looked
awesome, they were awesomely delicious!
Norwalk Kendo Dojo practices Mondays from 7:00 to 8:30 pm and Fridays from 7:30 to 10:00 pm. We also practice iaido from 9 to 10:30 pm on Mondays. New members are welcome; beginners are accepted at the start of each odd month. Please see our website at http://www.eanet.com/norwalk for information about Nor-walk Kendo Dojo, including upcoming and past events as well as how to join, or send email to [email protected].
Tomodachi Page 6
CALENDAR
Operating Bd Mtg-1st Wed Monthly 7pm
Center Bd Mtg-2nd Wed Monthly 7 pm
Nov 2 Monthly Bingo 6:30 pm
23 Monthly Dance 6:00 pm
30 No Japanese School (Holiday)
Dec 7 Judo Mochitsuki
7 Monthly Bingo 6:30 pm
21-28 No Japanese School (Winter Break)
31 New Year Dance 6:00 –12:30
Jan 4 Japanese School Resumes
4 Monthly Bingo 6:30 pm
N O R W A L K K A R A O K E C L U B
Do you like to sing? Why not join the Norwalk
Karaoke Club. The class meets every Monday night
from 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. We welcome new mem-
bers to sing with us!
A summary of the activities for the past quarter
were:
Annual Cultural Festival in July - The Norwalk
Karaoke Club together with the Hawaiian Karaoke
club performed on both Saturday and Sunday.
Those singing from the Norwalk Karaoke Club were
Chieko Kim, Ed Korin, George Real, Kiyoko Tanaka
and Patsy Tsuda and from the Hawaiian karaoke
group was Morimasa Kishimoto. Completing the
group was Tom Yokoyama, our talented veteran
singer and perennial master of ceremonies for the
event.
Akebono Fall Songfest - The program was held
on September 25 at a new venue at the Teppanya-
ki Grill Supreme Buffet in Anaheim. There were ap-
proximately 40 in attendance who enjoyed the in-
formal program. Those participating from Norwalk
were Ed Korin, Ellen Oye, Toshiko Sandoval and
Patsy Tsuda.
A birthday party celebration for Tokuishi sensei
was held on October 7. Patsy Tsuda coordinated
this event. Betty Oshiro led the class members
playing the ukulele and singing happy birthday with
the group in both English and Hawaiian.
Ellen Oye
N I K K E I S E N I O R S
Toby Fusato
In the months following our successful
Craft/Rummage Sale Booth at the Cultural
Festival, the members enjoyed the following
events:
A one-day trip to the Valley View Casino ...
few lucky winners
The annual picnic with free hotdogs and
hamburgers
A "game day" learning a new game of FIVE
CROWNS
Upcoming on November 26, a guest
speaker from Keiro will give a presentation
on "the impact of health care reform" and
explain what exactly ObamaCare is about
Looking forward to end the year with a joy-
ous Christmas party
Wish everyone a very joyous Holiday Season!
S E J S C C
B O A R D M E M B E R S
If you wish to contact any of the board members, please call the Center and leave a message. Jim Niiro
Calvin Chang
Lynn Chang
Linda Kusuda
Kimie Matsumoto
Fred Matsumoto
Mas Onoda
Richard Shinomoto
Tosh Teramoto
Bob Yamada
Carrie Nakatani
Marvin Kobayashi
Ted Yoshimura
“Tomodachi”, 14615 Gridley Rd.,
Norwalk CA 90650.
Tel: 562-863-5996. Published 6 times annually by
the Southeast Japanese School and Community
Center. A no charge newsletter informing all
participants of activities on a one per household
basis. Bulk Mail Postage Paid at Norwalk, CA.
Editor: SEJSCC Staff; Advertising & Mailing:
SEJSCC Staff, Mas Onoda, Gakuen PTA and
Norwalk Nikkei Seniors.
Place Your Ad Here
$60 per year (6 issues) For information email to
Tomodachi Page 7
N O R W A L K Y O U T H S P O R T S
Congratulations to the NYS Blazers on winning
Consolation Championship in the 2013 VFW
Tournament, 6th Grade Boys Gold Division.
Halloween Comes Early for Hot Shots – First Annual Hot Shots Halloween Party
Halloween came early for the NYS Hot Shots this
year. Completing a 3rd place finish at the VFW
Tournament, which came with the help of a buzzer
beater in regulation from Hot Shots guard Haley
Carroll, the team made its way for fall festivities to
Coach Gerry Watanabe’s crib for some frightful fun.
The Hot Shots parents provided a delicious pot luck
for everyone. Entertainment? Well, that came
from the entire crew including players, coaches,
parents, and siblings. There was certainly no short-
age of talent that evening. With Coach Leo Hizon
emceeing, the Party kicked off with a ghoulish cos-
tume parade by the kids and concluded with a “Hot
Shots Talent Show” that could give “America’s Got
Talent” a run for its money.
With an abundance of Halloween treats, amazing
entertainment and the best of company, the Hot
Shots first annual Halloween Party capped off a
great weekend for this fun-loving, hoops family.
Blazers Consolation Winners
Roy Fujii
By June Uyekawa N O R W A L K J U D O D O J O
Page 8 Tomodachi
Fall is finally here ! Sound familiar ? As we wind down 2013, let
us reflect on our good fortune and appreciate all of the good
memories and friends we have made. We have grown in numbers
because of the comfort in knowing that the dojo provides the
children new skills on and off the mat. We often say, it isn’t about
the color of your medal; more about ‘did you do your best ?’ We
embrace the inner tenacity and fortitude of our newest members
because they freely engulf themselves in unchartered territory
with such vigor and innocence.
It is that will and stamina that builds the foundation of the dojo.
Without it, the fruits of one’s labor is without meaning.
The most recent team tournament held on October 20th at
Westminster High School provided many of our new members
with comfort of their peers on a three-person team.
The female-yonen/8-9 year old Division placed second. Congratu-
lations to Robyn Shin and Ariana Lemus for holding their own and
then some.
The male-shonen/12-16 year old Division placed first. Once
again representing a fine display of judo and sportsmanship,
Albert Lee, Billy Matsubara and Louis Zhang.
And last but not least, male-seinen /over 17 year old Division
placed third. Alex Fukuma, Kris Witowich and Godwin Obele.
The annual team tournament always forges new friendships
and camaraderie that is crucial in providing self confidence and sup-
port. Our judoka unknowingly provided each other that missing link to
bring themselves full circle.
Many of our new members got their feet wet at the Novice Tour-
nament held on Sept 29th at West Covina. We had an outstanding
number of 13 judoka representing us that Sunday. ‘Sister Act’ Robyn
and Rachel Shim both placed 1st, Owen Lee placed 2nd Christopher
Soto placed 2nd as well. Ariana Lemus also brought home 2nd place
for Norwalk. Rounding out the judoka, Kay Sugahara placed 1st, Troy
Nam placed 1st and Josh Nam placed 1st as well with an outstand-
ing IPPON that drew admiration.
Just prior to the Novice Tourney, Nanka held their Jr/Sr Fall
Tournament at Westminster High School. Congratulations to Joseph
Chavez, 1st place, Ren Uyehara 2nd place, Trevor Sonoda 2nd
place, Tanner Sonoda 2nd place, Billy Matsubara 3rd place,
Joshua Nam 2nd place and Kay Sugahara rounding up the group
with a 2nd place win.
As you can see, there are new names and there are familiar
names that identifies Norwalk Judo. Members come and go, howev-
er like the bread crumbs that Hansel and Gretel dropped so they can
find their way home, they always come back. There is a reason for
that, there’s no place like home. Come, stay awhile we’re not going
anywhere. Happy New Year everyone.
Southeast Japanese School & Community Center Activities List
If you are interested in any of the activities at the Center, please contact the person listed below
Southeast Gakuen: Kimie Matsumoto 562 926.2536 Hikari Taiko: Mary Jane Mayeda 562 924.1454
Shuji (Calligraphy): “ “ “ Norwalk Nikkei Seniors: Toby Fusato 562 .860.7368
Ikebana (Flower Arrgmt): Ogawa Sensei 714 893.1245 Guitar Class: Yuji Hata 562 695.1908
Japanese Classical Dance: Akemi Jensen 562 691.2764 Norwalk Karaoke Club: Ed Kor in 714.870.1013
Norwalk Youth Sports: Rich Tamaki [email protected] Na Wahine ‘O Kawena: Karen Toyoshiba 562 863-5996
Kendo: Jean Kodama Sensei email: [email protected] Hawaiian Karaoke Club: Leslie Goshi 323 722.7229
Karate: Brock Nishimura 714 826.9128 Ukulele Class: Kamaki Keawe 714-928-7157
Judo: Bill Matsubara 562 483 9374 Norwalk Dance Club: Edna Kur ihara 714 847.1173
2 0 1 3 P A N C A K E B R E A K F A S T A N D H O L I D A Y B O U T I Q U E
Page 9 Tomodachi
Tomodachi Page 8
Japanese American COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION
LA Branch
3037 W. Jefferson Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90018 (323) 731-9358 (888) 527-9528
Long Beach Branch (formerly Harbor JCU)
1766 Seabright Ave. Long Beach, CA 90813 (562) 432-4555
Torrance Branch
2355 Crenshaw Blvde. Ste 146 Torrance, CA 90501 (310) 328-8286
Mike M. Yagake, D.D.S. Orthodontics Exclusively
Member
American Association of
Orthodontics
12518 South Street
Cerritos, CA 90703 (562) 924-0205
Corner of Bloomfield and South
David B. Akiyoshi, D.D.S. Family Dentistry
1133 W. Gardena Blvd.
Gardena, California 90247
Senior Discounts (310) 327-7165
Sat. & Eve. Appts.
Tomodachi Page 11
NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit No. 109
Norwalk CA 90650
Southeast Japanese School & Community Center
“Tomodachi” A Bimonthly Newsletter
November 2013
Norwalk CA 90650