J-Sei’s Harvest Day 2022

J-Sei’s Harvest Day 2022

by | Oct 25, 2022 | News

J-Sei’s Harvest Day

“Asian American Movement Music”

with Peter and Wendy Horikoshi and Kyle Kashima

Friday, November 18th, 1 pm

We celebrate all that comes with the harvest, the seeds that are planted, the farmworkers who cultivate the land, and the food that nourishes us. Be replenished by the inspiring songs that reflect the heart of the Asian American movement presented by Peter and Wendy Horikoshi, and Kyle Kashima.   Join us for a hybrid Harvest Day — limited in-person or join via ZOOM.

RSVP for the Harvest Day program to jill@j-sei.org with “Harvest 2022” in the subject line. Please indicate in-person or online.

Join us for a traditional turkey meal with all the fixings. Pick-up To-Go at 11:30 am.  Eat-In at 12 noon and stay for the in-person program. Then, tune in at 1 pm for the program.  See more info below on how to reserve your lunch.

 

About the Artists

Peter Horikoshi is a founding member of Yokohama, California, that released a record album  in 1977 (re-released in 2016 as a CD). The group wrote and performed songs about the Asian American community and about Asian American experiences. Peter was one of the UC Berkeley co-founders of the East Bay Japanese for Action (EBJA), a community organization that assisted Japanese and Japanese American seniors starting in the 1970’s. EBJA maerged with Eastbay Issei Housing to form the Japanese American Services of the East Bay and is now J-Sei. He and Wendy Horikoshi are founding members of the group Hot Cha, who performed in the 1980’s at various fundraisers for Asian American community organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area. They will be accompanied by special guest Kyle Kashima and together will share music from the Asian American movement from the 1970’s to the present. 

Harvest Lunch

Roast turkey with gravy, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, stuffing, spring mix salad with carrots & garbonzo beans.

Suggested donation: $12

To reserve your lunch To-Go or Eat-In, please call (510) 654-4000 or email kathleen@j-sei.org.

 

Pay Online

To pre-pay online, complete the form below. Check the box for “Write us a comment” to let us know if it is “To-Go” or “Eat-In”, or any additional details.

COVID Booster “Bivalent”

COVID Booster “Bivalent”

by | Oct 10, 2022 | COVID-19, News

Hi Everyone —

What a tremendous joy it was to see so many people come out for our “mini outdoor festival” for J-Sei’s Familty Festival in late September.  Celebrating “Keiro no Hi” (respect for the aged day) and knowing that this remains central to our mission, we will continue to do our best to stay safe and find ways we can connect in community.

As a reminder, we encourage everyone to get boosted.  You can sign up for a booster at local pharmacies or your health care provider.  Below is a message from the City of Berkeley Department of Public Health:

 

Get new booster to strengthen your defenses against COVID-19, including Omicron

The current booster is “bivalent,” fighting older and newer variants. Masking, testing, isolation, and quarantine also reduce your risk.

Fortify your body now against COVID-19 by getting new vaccine boosters designed to combat the most widespread, current variant.

The current booster, also sometimes referred as the “Omicron” or “bivalent” booster, is available to anyone at least 12 years old. It protects against serious illness and death – risks more severe for those over 60 and others with certain medical conditions.  For more info.

Outdoor Movie Night at J-Sei!

Outdoor Movie Night at J-Sei!

by | Oct 9, 2022 | Classes & Events

J-Sei At the Movies: Watch Party in-person/online

Friday, October 14, 2022 – 6:30 pm hybrid event (at J-Sei and on Zoom)

While it has been a real blessing to continue Movie Night on Zoom during the pandemic — and we’re not completely out of the Covid woods yet — this is our first opportunity to come together again as a movie night group since February 2020. We may not have this chance again until Spring next year. Movie night’s primary mission has always been about community, sharing time with good friends, good food and a good movie; it’s not meant to be another streaming service to keep you cozy and confined. So if you can, please consider joining us!
                         
We plan to screen  Ame agaru/After the Rain (1999), a film based on the last script written by Kurosawa Akira and filmed shortly after Kurosawa’s death, starring Terao Akira and Mifune Shiro (son of Toshiro). It tells the beloved story of a traveling ronin named Misawa Ihei and his wife, Tayo, and their time with the inhabitants of a village and its daimyo. It’s a wonderful film.
In addition, we plan to have outdoor heaters, movie night treats and drinks. We’ll continue to observe safety protocols, including masking when not eating or drinking.  We would love to see you!

RSVP with “Oct Movie Night” in the subject line & indicate if you want to join in-person or online.
We will send everyone Zoom information prior to the October 14 event.

 J-Sei Movie Night Bento – October 14

For movie night, you can order specially made obento from My Friend Yuji for pickup on Friday, October 14 in conjunction with Movie Night. Here are Chef Yuji’s mouth-watering offerings:

Tarekatsu Donburi (two choices)

Pork & Vegetables: Llano Seco Pork and vegetables panko-fried and marinated in tare over Koshihikari rice with cabbage and pickles – $18

 

Seafood & Vegetables: Scallop, Shrimp and Oyster with vegetables panko-fried and marinated in tare over Koshihikari rice with cabbage and pickles – $24

 

 

 

You can click on the button below to place your order. Pick up your meal at the selected pick-up time at J-Sei on Friday, October 14th. Please remember to wear a mask and observe social distance protocol. Thank you!

MY FRIEND YUJI

To order: When you click on the button above, it will take you directly to a pop-up order form on the My Friend Yuji webpage, where you first select a pickup time. In the next window, click anywhere inside the box frame to open another pop-up and select the number of bento you want to order, then click on “Add item” to close the pop-up. Click the “View order” bar at the bottom to confirm your order and click “Continue to payment” to sign in and pay for your order.

Support J-Sei At the Movies

Thanks to you, J-Sei At the Movies will soon be celebrating its Fifth Year anniversary! We look forward to more creative programming with educational and inspiring Japanese and Japanese American films. We are especially grateful for the up close and personal chats with filmmakers as we learn so much from the exchange.

We love having a growing and enthusiastic audience. We welcome any donations to help us offset costs for Movie Night. Thanks for considering this.

New Session for Japanese

by | Oct 9, 2022 | Classes & Events

J-Sei on Wednesdays

We are excited to see so many smiling faces and to hear the laughter from the classrooms.

Japanese 1B (1-2 pm) & Japanese 2B (2:15-3:15 pm) – New Session: Oct 12 – Dec 14

Learn the basics of Japanese conversation. Nobuko Satake taught Japanese language at El Cerrito High School and brings her experience and joy of teaching Japanese language and culture to J-Sei. With simple instruction and an engaging style, she encourages an ease in learning Japanese.  Japanese 1B continues the basic class for new and continuing students. Japanese 2B is for advanced beginners.  

Mah Jongg Club (Wed, 1-3 pm) – On-going

Over the past two years, the Mah Jong Club members have continued to keep their minds sharp and enjoy the camaraderie with online weekly games. Hiroshi Satake keeps busy with new participants joining on-site and an online game continuing each week.

Other Wed classes: Fall Prevention (Sept 21 to Nov 9), Sogetsu Ikebana (on-going)

 

All individuals who are interested in participating are required to pre-register online and show a Proof of Vaccination and Booster.  We require masks to be worn indoors at J-Sei and for participants to sign a daily COVID-19 health waiver upon entering the building. Thank you for helping us keep our J-Sei community safe.  To register.

J-Sei Book Club – Klara and the Sun

J-Sei Book Club – Klara and the Sun

by | Oct 9, 2022 | Classes & Events

Join J-Sei’s Virtual Book Club with it’s next pick “Klara and the Sun” by Kazuo Ishiguro.  Through regular email prompts, book club members read at their own pace and post comments along the way.  As thoughts occur and questions are posed, the conversation is enriched by various perspectives and experiences shared.  Together, we read deeper between the lines and reflect on the stories and the wisdom they impart.  At the end of the 6-8 weeks, we meet virtually on ZOOM for a discussion.  For more info, click on the home page: Book Club

Interested in joining email jill@j-sei.org with “Klara” on the subject line.   You can order the book from Eastwind Books and receive a 10% discount by adding “JSei” in the coupon code. You can have it shipped to your home or ask for delivery to J-Sei,

In Klara and the Sun, his eighth novel and first since winning the Nobel Prize, author Kazuo Ishiguro takes readers to a vaguely futuristic, technologically advanced setting to present a moving parable about love, humanity, and science. Klara, the title character and narrator, is a solar-powered Friend (AF), a humanlike robot designed to be a child’s companion. When Klara is acquired to become AF to a bright fourteen-year-old named Josie who appears to be ailing, Klara is able to explore the wide world beyond the four walls of the retail store she’s been inhabiting. Written in Ishiguro’s characteristic spare and reserved prose, he creates an unforgettable protagonist in Klara, whose astute observations and utterly sincere behavior provide lessons for all humans to learn from.

“moving and beautiful”  – Los Angeles Times

“Klara and the Sun [is] a masterpiece that will make you think about life, mortality, the saving grace of love: in short, the all of it.” – NPR