Nakayoshi September Volunteer Event: JCCCNC Tabemasho Annual Event

tabemasho flyer

Our September volunteer event will be at the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California’s Tabemasho (Let’s Eat!) annual fundraiseron Saturday, September 19, 2015. Volunteers are needed from 2-8:30pm.

The JCCCNC is one of Nakayoshi’s biggest community supporters, and offers great cultural and recreational classes and activities throughout the year for the entire community, so let’s do our part in helping out! Past Nakayoshi volunteer assignments at the event have included serving food and bartending. The Tabemasho event is attended by over 400 guests and will need help in many different areas.

Sign up to volunteer by filling out the Google Form at: https://goo.gl/i66Aki

If you are unable to stay for the entire timeframe, please indicate what times you are available.

Unless specified by the JCCCNC’s volunteer coordinator, dress code will be a white collared shirt and black slacks.

Find out more about the event at: http://www.jcccnc.org/giving/events-drives/annual-event/

Have questions? E-mail JCCCNC Programs Director Matt Okada directly at mokada@jcccnc.org

tabemasho gym

Social Event: 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors

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Nakayoshi is joining the San Francisco Japanese American Citizen’s League and going to see the comedy group 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors.  The Mighty Mountain Warriors have 20 years of sketch comedy experience and are back on tour.

Key Details:

  • Where: Oakland Asian Cultural Center 388 9th St #290, Oakland, California 94607
  • When: Saturday February 28th 8pm
  • Why: For some excellent laughs.

The first 10 people joining through Nakayoshi get in free.  Reserve a spot with our form.  Late comers can help support the JACL with a full priced ticket of $20.  General Seating tickets are available here.

We’ll contact everyone that signs up with a confirmation. If you have any questions, contact us at nakayoshi.ncwnp[at]gmail[dot]com.

Udon & Somen Noodle Booth at Nihonmachi Street Festival 2014

It’s that time of year again Yep the Nihonmachi Street Festival is the first weekend of August (2nd and 3rd). Nakayoshi has been running a food booth for several years now. Once again we will be serving hot udon & cold somen. However this year you may also purchase a scoop of curry (my favorite!) to go with your noodles.

This is our largest fundraiser for the year and need all the assistance we can get for another successful run. We will need assistance in preparing and selling udon & somen for both days. Sure it’s lots of work, but we always have a fun time working together and raising money for the organization.

We have two volunteer shifts: 8am-2pm and 12pm-7pm both days. Please note you don’t have to stay for a whole shift as we’re happy with any help you might be able to provide.

As in past years we are having a volunteer orientation to go over food preparation and training. It will be held at Haruka’s house on Friday, July 25 at 7:30pm. It’s optional but highly recommended to familiarize yourselves with our udon & somen and also our preparation steps.

Sign-ups for the volunteer orientation and booth shifts are on our Google spreadsheet here: http://goo.gl/0Vymth  Please remember to bring hats/hairnets and aprons to your shift.

Email us at nakayoshi.ncwnp[at]gmail.com with any questions.

Hope to see you all at our booth at the festival. Some pictures from last year!

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July Volunteer Event: Mt. View Obon and Bazaar

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July 2014 Nakayoshi Volunteer Event: Mt. View Obon and Bazaar
Date: Sunday, July 20, 2014
Time: 11:30am-7:30pm
Location: Mountain View Buddhist Temple, 575 N Shoreline Blvd, Mountain View, CA 94043

Hey Nakayoshi, obon season is about to get started, and we’ll be helping out once again at the Mountain View Buddhist Temple’s Obon and Bazaar on Sunday, July 20.  Please see the links below to sign up for the various shifts. There are also shifts available to help set up and prepare food during the week prior to the obon for those of you in the South Bay. We hope you can join us for a fun day of volunteering and sampling all the great food and game booths, followed by traditional obon dancing at the end of the day! Popular booths that Nakayoshi has helped with in the past include the chicken teriyaki booth and tempura booths.

We are also arranging carpools for those of you who need rides. Drivers and riders, please sign up for carpools at:
http://goo.gl/8FNz5j

Please remember to bring hats and or aprons (optional) for any volunteer shifts involving the handling of food.

As many volunteers as we can get are needed for the pre-bazaar activities including construction of booths and preparation of food stuffs (like manju making and vegetables and beef preparations).

Construction
http://www2.mysignup.com/cgi-bin/view.cgi?datafile=1_preconstruction_staging_and_booth_assembly

Manju making
http://www2.mysignup.com/cgi-bin/view.cgi?datafile=2_manju_making

Vegetables and beef preparation
http://www2.mysignup.com/cgi-bin/view.cgi?datafile=3_vegetable_and_beef_preparation

obon volunteers 2

Many booths are short of help and need volunteers on bazaar week-end, July 19th and 20th.  Please signup for as many shifts as you can.

Tempura booth
http://www2.mysignup.com/cgi-bin/view.cgi?datafile=4_tempura_booth

Beer booth
http://www1.mysignup.com/cgi-bin/view.cgi?datafile=5_beer_booth

Take out booth
http://www1.mysignup.com/cgi-bin/view.cgi?datafile=6_take-out_booth

Chicken teriyaki booth
http://www1.mysignup.com/cgi-bin/view.cgi?datafile=7_chicken_teriyaki_booth

Udon station
www2.mysignup.com/mvbt_obon_udon
Following the bazaar week-end we still need help for the post-bazaar deconstruction and cleanup.

http://www2.mysignup.com/cgi-bin/view.cgi?datafile=9_post_bazaar_de-construction

RSVP on Facebook at:
https://www.facebook.com/events/772146822836872/

Nakayoshi Café is back!

1939823_845383408820378_2074680768_nThe “Nakayoshi Café” is coming back for the Annual Soy & Tofu Festival on Saturday, June 7th in San Francisco’s Japantown (Peace Plaza, Post at Buchanan Streets) to help fundraise for the NichiBei Foundation, publishers of the NichiBei Weekly Japanese American newspaper that will receive 100% of all our proceeds.

The festival will run from 11 a.m.- 5 p.m., but volunteers are needed to help from 8:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. in the kitchen at Konko Church (1909 Bush Street, SF 94115) and/or with selling at our booth.  Please sign up for shifts here.

1230074_10151589832195776_1772900689_n*We kindly ask that all volunteers come prepared with the following: Apron, gloves, closed-toed shoes, long hair tied back, hair-net/hat, and look fab sporting your Nakayoshi T’s!

Don’t miss this opportunity to serve in our community together and give back to a great cause.  Visit our event’s Facebook page to notify us of your plans.  For those unable to volunteer, invite family and friends to try our delicious tofu-filled dishes.  For more information, contact Erika Shimizu at eks003[@]msn.com.

Thanks, and we hope you can make it!

JCCCNC Annual Children’s Day Festival

Children's Day FestivalJoin Nakayoshi and sell spam musubis or make arts & crafts at the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC)’s Children’s Day Festival this year. Nakayoshi will be operating the spam musubi booth at the annual Kodomo No Hi (Children’s Day) Festival in SF Japantown on Saturday, May 3th, 2014. All proceeds will go toward the JCCCNC.

You have the option (or do both!) of volunteering for the following fun festival booths:
1) Spam Musubi booth/kitchen
— [Shift 1] 8:30am-12:30pm (prep, cook,selling)
— [Shift 2] 12:00pm to 4:00pm (selling, cook, clean-up)

2) Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) Arts and Crafts Table
— [Shift 1] 11:00am – 12:30pm
— [Shift 2] 12:30pm – 2:00pm
— [Shift 3] 2:00pm – 3:30pm

Sign up for a shift by following this link:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1sLuoJE3zvYLwxOvuYtVV6Mj5rSmDrE5MRlFN6gRO-UE/viewform

Spam Musubi Volunteers – Please bring a hat or similar covering for your hair for when you are preparing and handling food. Aprons also recommended.

If you are unable to volunteer but will be at the festival, stop by our booth, say hello and buy our delicious musubis or make beautiful arts & crafts pieces 🙂 Festival runs in Japantown Peace Plaza from 11:00am to 4:00pm.

Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you at the festival! If you have any questions, please contact Keith Stevens.  Contact details on our Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/212738675602473/

“Story Art of Camp” at Films of Remembrance

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Nakayoshi Young Professionals will be co-presenting the “Story Art of Camp” block of films at Films of Remembrance happening on Sunday, February 23rd at New People Cinemas in SF’s Japan Town (at 5 p.m.).  SJSU student Michelle Ikemoto’s animation entitled “Tule Lake”; Keiko Wright’s Student Academy Award winning film “Hiro” that explores her grandfather’s experience of incarceration; and Amy Uyeki’s animated film, “Searchlight Serenade:  Big Band Music in the WWII Japanese American Incarceration Camps”, which became part of another presented film, will be featured in the lineup.  In addition, “Honor and Sacrifice:  The Roy Matsumoto Story” (member of Merrill’s Marauders) and “The Untold Story:  Japanese American Internment in Hawai’i” will be shown.

Tickets are priced at a discounted rate of $18 for an entire day of films or $6 for each film, and showings include a discussion with the filmmakers.  If interested in tickets and/or for more information, contact us at nakayoshi.ncwnp[@]gmail.com.

The Films of Remembrance page that includes advanced ticket sales and film descriptions, can be found at: www.nichibei.org/films-of-remembrance.

You are invited to… Gobble, Games, and Grub!

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We’re in the month of November and Thanksgiving is just around the corner!  Come join Nakayoshi Young Professionals for an evening of fun and excitement at our upcoming Thanksgiving-themed Game/Potluck event known as “Gobble, Games, and Grub” on Saturday, November 23rd from 6-10 p.m. at the JACL Headquarters in San Francisco’s Japantown (1765 Sutter st., 94115).

You will have the opportunity to play a variety of amusing board/card game activities while connecting with friends and meeting new people.  Since this is a potluck, please notify us on what you’re able to share in the following link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AkYPzulOWuMidDNhMldqMm5WSkNPdk5NZDRQelNjQmc&usp=sharing#gid=0.

You are welcome to invite and bring friends, but be sure to note the number of guests in the link provided above.  For more information, contact Hosts Erika Shimizu at eks003[@]msn.com or Brandon Unruhe at (530) 906-9265.

Visit the event’s Facebook page for more details at https://www.facebook.com/events/459925957462075/. We hope to see you there!

-Nakayoshi Core

Volunteer event recap: Volunteering at the Mountain View Obon Festival and Bazaar!

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On Sunday, July 21st, Nakayoshi Young Professionals volunteered at the Mountain View Obon Festival and Bazaar.  Volunteers assisted with making Udon, Tempura, and with selling Chicken Teriyaki until it was sold out at separate booths.  After volunteering, we had an opportunity to explore the rest of the festival and experience all that was in store.  Some of us played a couple rounds at the game booths, and even won prizes.  We also ate a variety of delicious foods from the booths.  That evening, we participated in dancing the Bon Odori, which was spectacular and loads of fun.  Thanks so much to all our volunteers as well as those who joined in the festivities that late afternoon.

Join us next summer!

Nakayoshi Volunteer Event: At the Annual Mountain View Obon Festival & Bazaar

Mark your calendars Nakayoshiies!! The Annual Mountain View Obon Festival and Bazaar is only a month away happening on Sunday, July 21st. For those unfamiliar with Obon, this is a Japanese Buddhist cultural custom for honoring one’s ancestors. In the midst of volunteering, you’ll have opportunities to eat delicious foods, enjoy the entertainment, and participate in the bon-odori later that evening.

Please sign up for shifts in the links ahead and let us know via postings on this Facebook invitation page or e-mail (eks003@msn.com) whether or not you are able to give rides or need a ride.

MAIN EVENT: Sunday, July 21st from noon to 8:30 p.m.
Located at 575 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View, CA 94043
1) Strawberry Shortcake Booth- http://vols.pt/ByWdoC
2) Udon Concession- www.mysignup.com/udon
3) Tempura Booth –http://www2.mysignup.com/4_tempura_booth

*Volunteers should bring the following:
-apron
-gloves
-hat, and tie back long hair
-closed-toed shoes

Alternatives if you’re unavailable on the 21st:
1) Pre-bazaar preparations: July 9th-19th
a)Pre-construction staging and booth set-up (no sandals and bring gloves)
http://www2.mysignup.com/1_preconstruction_staging_and_booth_assembly
b) Manju-making
http://www2.mysignup.com/2_manju_making
c) Vegetable and beef preparations
http://www2.mysignup.com/3_vegetable_and_beef_preparation
2) Bazaar Weekend: July 20th
a) Strawberry Shortcake Booth, Udon Concession, and Tempura Booth (see links above)
3) Post-bazaar disassembly and cleanup: July 22nd-24th
a) Disassembly and cleanup
http://www2.mysignup.com/5_post_bazaar_de-construction

For more information, contact Erika Shimizu at eks003@msn.com. Don’t miss out on this volunteer event jam-packed full of excitement, thanks!