Oshogatsu Celebration 2023
J-Sei Oshogatsu Celebration
Friday, January 27th (Hybrid: In-Person and Online)
“The year of The Rabbit is one where the sacrifices of the past are rewarded generously. All the seeds of effort we have sown shall finally bear fruit whose sweetness is determined by the purity of our heart’s intent.” [Year of the Rabbit. Lifestyle Asia]
What are your intentions for the new year? Our hope and intention at J-Sei is to keep us all connected in community.
11 am – Join us for our Oshogatsu celebration in an intergenerational exchange with students from the American International Montessori School. Enjoy Japanese games with the children, create calligraphy to greet the new year, and learn odori together.
12 pm – Then, enjoy a classic celebratory dish of Chirashizushi, with friends at J-Sei or pick-up To-Go.
1 pm – Our J-Sei Oshogatsu Celebration will be a hybrid program – in-person and online. The program will feature “Silly Green Mask”, a new book by Judith Kajiwara, with illustrations by Felicia Hoshino. A special presentation by the American International Montessori School and odori by Keiko Allen and J-Sei Minyo no Odori.
RSVP to jill@j-sei.org with “Oshogatsu” in the subject line. Please indicate if you plan to join us in-person or pick-up To-Go. The suggested donation is $12. You can pay using the online option below or bring cash or check on the day of pick-up. Limited space available.
Silly Green Mask by Judith Kajiwara, with illustrations by Felicia Hoshino
Silly Green Mask had been sitting in a file cabinet for 40 years. It was recently found when its author, now a grandma, decided to recycle decades of papers from her files. Folded away were the yellow, tattered pages of a true story she’d written when she was a young single mother. She had once dreamed of making it into a children’s story book. But life got in the way and the dream was forgotten. Upon finding the story, a little bird tweeted, “It’s never too late to make your forgotten dream come true.” Having no clue how to start, she began visualizing her dream until it came to be.
Silly Green Mask is about a very imaginative 3-year-old girl and her younger sister. At pre-school, the girl draws a silly face on green construction paper. Her teacher cuts it out, fashions it into a mask with eye holes, and attaches a string. The mask becomes a source of fun and theater for the girl, instantly turning her into an animated, make-believe character.
Silly Green Mask is about love, family, innocence, imagination and the importance of choice.
The book will be available for $23. Please let us know in advance if you would like your copy signed by the author.
Author Judith Kajiwara – Since growing up on a small farm in Livingston, California, Judith Kajiwara has been on a life-long spiritual quest to find truth, freedom and joy. Livingston is home to the Yamato Colony where many Issei (first generation Japanese) farmers settled in the late 1800s. As a Sansei (third generation Japanese American), church, community and culture established the foundation for her life. After high school, she attended UC Berkeley where she worked as a grassroots community organizer while earning her degree in psychology. In addition to writing, Judith continues to follow her passion for dance and healing. She is a seasoned Japanese Butoh solo performing artist, choreographer, dance teacher and Reiki energy healer.
Illustrator Felicia Hoshino – Born in San Francisco, California, Felicia Hoshino’s prize-winning illustrations can be found in children’s books such as Juna and Appa, A Place Where Sunflowers Grow, and Sora and the Cloud. She enjoys sketch-booking, illustrating portraits, cooking with her husband, and seeing her growing son’s and daughter’s creativity shine.
You’re invited to join us to celebrate the new year! We had a warm and cozy Anniversary celebration in December. From our Movie Night poll, we discovered that hearing from the young Asian Americans in the industry has been inspiring. And we still enjoy watching movies of all kinds, even using different streaming formats, and engaging in conversation with the filmmakers.
Sad Asian Music traces the social, cultural, and familial connections that form the everyday and extraordinary beauty of Japanese American lives. Fujimura filters popular culture and history, geopolitics and dreams, through the psyche and moral compass of a poet. This volume has heft and ballast, rooted as it is in reflections on white supremacy and the love that overcomes tragedy. –Amanda Mei Kim, writer
Ashley Darnall grew up in the Chicago suburbs, the daughter of two Japanese teachers, who taught her the value of learning new languages and cultures. After college she lived in France for 3 years, where she worked as a game writer. Ashley was accepted into the 2017-2018 WB Writer’s Workshop. Her staffing credits include ABC’s WHISKEY CAVALIER, Apple’s sci-fi drama INVASION, and HBO Max’s crime series TOKYO VICE. She has developed with Justin Lin’s company Perfect Storm Entertainment as well as written a rom-com feature for Erik Feig’s company Picturestart. Most recently, Ashley wrote and produced on Netflix’s hit show COBRA KAI. Ashley speaks French and Japanese, and she is a die-hard US women’s soccer fan.
Currently a writer/producer on the upcoming Sony/Disney+ series GOOSEBUMPS, Franklin jin Rho has previously written on PACHINKO, SWAMP THING, and THE EXORCIST. Hailing from Richmond, Virginia, Franklin grew up with a passion for auteur-driven arthouse cinema that ultimately led him to the Directing Program at the AFI Conservatory. His thesis film THE MONSTER AND THE PEANUT, which played at myriad film festivals, was the recipient of a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and won the first prize Emmy® for Best Dramatic Student film in 2004 from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Prior to breaking into television, Franklin was a Film Independent Project Involve Directing Fellow and a Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (CAPE) New Writers Fellow.
Julie Wong is a Co-Executive Producer in her sixth season at ABC’s medical drama GREY’S ANATOMY. Prior to writing for television, Julie wrote speeches and crafted press conferences while serving as Deputy Mayor to L.A. Mayor Jim Hahn and leading communications for U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer, among others. She also served in multiple executive roles for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts where she was involved with major initiatives including the opening of Shanghai Disneyland and the announcement of Star Wars lands coming to Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Julie participated in the CAPE New Writers Fellowship and the CBS Writers Mentoring Program, and holds a degree in government from Claremont McKenna College and a Master of Public Policy from Harvard University.
Michelle K. Sugihara is the Executive Director of CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment), the pioneering non-profit professional organization creating systemic change in Hollywood from the writers’ room to the boardroom to the living room. She is a fourth generation Japanese American born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. She graduated with honors from Claremont McKenna College with a dual major in Economics and Psychology and a minor in Asian American Studies, followed by a law degree from UCLA. Prior to joining CAPE, she was an entertainment attorney, film producer, and adjunct professor for the Claremont Colleges’ Intercollegiate Department of Asian American Studies.
Pork & Vegetables: Llano Seco Pork and vegetables panko-fried and marinated in tare over Koshihikari rice with cabbage and pickles – $18