Japanese Movie Night – May 2025

Japanese Movie Night – May 2025

J-Sei At The Movies (on Zoom)
Friday, May 9, 6:30 pm

J-Sei Movie Night is dedicated to the wonderful and fascinating world of Japanese cinema, as well as Japanese American and AAPI films!

Join us on Friday, May 9, to watch and discuss the final film in Yamada Yōji‘s award-winning Samurai Trilogy: LOVE AND HONOR武士の一分 (2006) starring megastar Kimura Takuya (Blade of the Immortal; La Grande Maison Tokyo) and, in her big-screen debut, Dan Rei (Kābee; Vivant) as a low-ranking samurai and his wife whose quiet life together is tragically upended. Winner for Best Cinematography, Lighting, and Supporting Actor (Sasano Takashi) at the Japan Academy Awards, this is the last of Yamada’s films in the samurai genre, graced with the filmmaker’s steadfast sense of humanism, period detail, and scenes of natural beauty.

If you would like to join us, please RSVP to jill@j-sei.org with “May movie night” in the subject line to receive Zoom info prior to the event.

See you at the movies!

J-Sei Movie Night Bento

Chef Yuji is offering a choice of Makunouchi Bento and a special sushi dish for this month’s movie night bento!
Makunuochi Bento (fish) – $25

Onigiri, grilled saba, fried shrimp, spring pea potato salad, kyuri sunomono and simmered kabocha

Makunuochi Bento (chicken) – $25

Crispy chicken, soboro (ground chicken) over koshihikari, spring pea potato salad, kyuri sunomono and simmered kabocha

Makunuochi Bento (beef) – $25

Onigiri, braised shortrib, menchikatsu, spring pea potato salad, kyuri sunomono and simmered kabocha

Deep fried spicy tuna sushi – $20

Deep fried spicy tuna maki and tare

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 Tock webpage, where you first select a pickup time. In the next window, click on an item and select the number you want to order, then click “Add”; repeat with other items if desired. Click the “View order” bar at the bottom to confirm your order, then 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 is in its Eighth Year! 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.

Boro Inspired Collage with Sashiko – Spring 2025

Boro Inspired Collage with Sashiko Stitching

Mondays, June 2 & 9, 10 to 12 – The class is full. Sign up for a future session

In this two- day workshop we will create patchwork placemats or a table runner. You will be introduced to various methods to create the collage patchwork from boro-inspired with sashiko hand stitching to quilting methods. Participants will be encouraged to explore their individual style, preferences and methods.

In the spirit of Boro, you can repurpose what you may already have at home. Textile artist Chiyeko Klarman has personally cut up unwanted clothing, pulled out my fabric stash, dyed small pieces of white cloth with tea, coffee, onion skins. Upon registration you will be provided with a materials list of sewing tools and suggested fabric sources.  

Workshop fee: $15  RSVP to jill@j-sei.org with “Boro” in the subject line.  Space is limited. the class is full. Sign up for early notice of the next session.

                  

 

We Are Not Strangers, Josh Tuininga with guest Flora Ninomiya

 

We Are Not Strangers book talk

with Josh Tuininga and guest speaker Flora Ninomiya

Sunday, May 4, 2025, 11 am

 

Jewish Arts & Bookfest

UC Berkeley Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life

2121 Allston Way, Berkeley

 

Author Josh Tuininga traces his family’s Sephardic roots as they flee their home in Turkey, discover opportunities in America, and forge a new community in the multicultural neighborhood of the Seattle Central District. Through a visually rich presentation, Tuininga will share his creative process and research, weaving together narratives of Jewish and Japanese communities united by resilience and allyship during the turbulence of wartime.

Tuininga will be joined by special guest speaker Flora Ninomiya, who will share her powerful family history—from the hardships they faced during World War II and their incarceration, to the extraordinary support they received from a neighbor, who maintained their greenhouse in their absence which allowed the family to rebuild their floral business after the war.

This program is presented in honor of Jewish American Heritage Month and Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.For more information, visit the Jewish Arts & BookFest page on the Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life website.

Japanese Movie Night – May 2025

Japanese Movie Night – April 2025

J-Sei At The Movies (on Zoom)
Friday, April 11, 6:30 pm

J-Sei Movie Night is dedicated to the wonderful and fascinating world of Japanese cinema, as well as Japanese American and AAPI films!

Join us on Friday, April 11, to watch and discuss the second film in the Samurai Trilogy by renowned director Yamada Yōji: THE HIDDEN BLADE隠し剣 鬼の爪 (2004) starring Nagase Masatoshi (Mystery Train; An) and Matsu Takako (Long Vacation; Hero) as a samurai and a household maid caught up in the waning years of the Tokugawa shogunate and on the verge of a new world. Winner for Best Art Direction at the Japan Academy Awards, this breathtaking movie is filled with period and location detail and characters that embody Yamada’s vision of the samurai genre.

If you would like to join us, please RSVP to jill@j-sei.org with “Apr movie night” in the subject line to receive Zoom info prior to the event.

See you at the movies!

J-Sei Movie Night Bento

Please check back to see if Chef Yuji has a bento offering this month!
 
 
 

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 Tock webpage, where you first select a pickup time. In the next window, click on an item and select the number you want to order, then click “Add”; repeat with other items if desired. Click the “View order” bar at the bottom to confirm your order, then 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 is in its Eighth Year! 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.

A Storied Career in Filmmaking: John Esaki

A Storied Career in Filmmaking: John Esaki

A Storied Career in Filmmaking: John Esaki

Saturday, May 10, 2 pm

Filmmaker John Esaki will share selected clips of his work and stories from his long career in film, which was shaped and guided by a community spirit of pioneering Asian American filmmakers.

John Esaki retired from the Japanese American National Museum in 2024 after more than 25 years. At JANM he was videographer, director and editor for several documentaries, including: Words Weavings & Songs, a profile of three Nisei women artists, and Harsh Canvas—The Art & Life of Henry Sugimoto. He later served as Director–Frank H. Watase Media Arts Center, V.P. of Programs, and Senior Philanthropy Officer.

He pursued an MFA in film at UCLA in the late 70’s. Under Prof. Robert A. Nakamura, who had recently founded Visual Communications Asian Pacific Media Arts Center, John volunteered as a production assistant for Hito Hata: Raise the Banner (1980) and eventually became involved with the scripting. The lure of making films about one’s own history and community enticed John to remain in SoCal for the next 5 decades.

For 20 years on staff at Visual Communications, John worked in development and production, directing Yuki Shimoda–Asian American Actor, Maceo: Demon Drummer from East L.A. the taiko odyssey of a Chicano teen, and Stand Up for Justice, a short film about Ralph Lazo, a Mexican/Irish American high school student who voluntarily accompanied his classmates to the Manzanar concentration camp during WW2. John also worked as a freelance videographer and sound recordist and he remains grateful to have been hired and mentored by several prominent Bay Area filmmakers: Loni Ding, Michael Chin, Steven Okazaki, Emiko Omori, Spencer Nakasako, Curtis Choy and Wayne Wang.   

The event is presented by Friends of Topaz Museum and J-Sei, with funding support by Topaz Museum.

Photo credits: Jeff Liu, Visual Communications

Kintsukuroi Screening and Restoring Our Brokenness

 KINTSUKUROI

FILM SCREENING
followed by Q&A with cast and crew

Thursday March 13, 6:00 pm
Rialto Cinemas Cerrito, 10700 San Pablo Ave, El Cerrito, CA

Tickets: $20

For tickets: https://rialtocinemas.com/coming-soon-cer/

Back by popular demand, join us for a theatrical screening of KINTSUKUROI. The film, with its cleverly written script, interwoven stories and depth, this movie is a must see and must see again favorite.  Get your tickets now! 
About the Film
The philosophy of KINTSUKUROI shows us that something shattered can be restored and made stronger and more beautiful. The term is an apt metaphor for the Japanese American experience of WWII.

Forced from their homes, farms and businesses, more than 120,000 Japanese Americans were unjustly imprisoned simply because of their race. Our new feature-length film KINTSUKUROI follows the Ito family from pre-war San Francisco to the concentration camps of the American West to the battlefields of Europe as it endures one of the most shameful periods in American History.

RESTORING OUR BROKENNESS

Join us for an intergenerational conversation inspired by the film KINTSUKUROI by director Kerwin Berk.

Saturday, March 22
12pm to 3pm
J-Sei, 1285 66th St., Emeryville, CA

Free registration: https://bit.ly/3WE7cVV

Please note that the film will not be shown at the event but all are welcome, whether or not you have seen the film.

Kintsukuroi is the Japanese art practice of piecing together shards of pottery to repair, then using gold leaf to restore beauty and make it whole again. The film touches on the legacy of the Japanese American incarceration, a range of experiences, from loyalty to resistance, despair and loss, and rebuilding of lives. What is your connecting point and how does it impact you today?  Connecting Across Generations is an evolving collaboration of individuals and Japanese American community groups interested in broadening cross generational relations.

Connecting Across Generations including J-Sei, Japanese American Women Alumni of UC Berkeley, Japanese American Youth Alliance, Nikkei Student Union of UC Berkeley, Berkeley JACL, Berkeley Buddhist Temple, Okaeri Northern Cal, and Friends of Topaz Museum.