J-Sei At the Movies: An Evening with Philip Kan Gotanda

J-Sei At the Movies: An Evening with Philip Kan Gotanda

by | Sep 4, 2020 | Classes & Events, Other News

J-Sei At the Movies – An Evening with Philip Kan Gotanda

 

Drinking Tea (1996), starring Sab Shimono and Nobu McCarthy

Friday, September 11, at 6:30 p.m.

 

Please join us for AN EVENING WITH PHILIP KAN GOTANDA. Philip, a celebrated playwright whose work over 30-plus years has broadened the scope of American theater as well as Asian American theater, will talk with us on Zoom about his life and work. He is the author of more than two dozen plays, including The Wash, Yankee Dawg You Die, and Sisters Matsumoto. Philip continues to challenge us with innovative, sometimes surreal, theater experiences, such as with his recent play, Pool of Unknown Wonders: Undertow of the Soul, which debuted in Berkeley in 2018. Philip has also written and directed three films and in addition is a musician, composer, actor, teacher, and activist. He is a professor in the Department of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies at UC Berkeley.

As a special treat, we will watch together a short film written and directed by Philip—DRINKING TEA (1996), starring Sab Shimono and Nobu McCarthy. This is a really rare opportunity to see this film and chat with its director.

You don’t want to miss this!  RSVP for the ZOOM link by sending us an email. 

RSVP for the movie link.

Interested in a Summer Bento by My Friend Yuji?  Our special movie night bento will be a Bulgogi bowl with banchan and a fresh fruit salad.  Price is $15 per bento.  Reserve by Tues, September 8th at 6 pm or earlier if it sells out. Limited number available.

MY FRIEND YUJI

Photo of Philip Kan Gotanda and Mochi by Rafu Shimpo, 2014.

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MAKING MASKS: A Show and Tell

MAKING MASKS: A Show and Tell

by | Aug 6, 2020 | Classes & Events, COVID-19

MAKING MASKS: A Show and Tell

New Date: Tuesday, September 15th, 3 pm

With time and talent in abundance, many of you have been making Masks, Masks, Masks.  You have been adapting patterns, trying out different styles, working with various fabrics, creating solutions, inventing your own prototype. You have been sewing and sharing masks to protect your family, friends, and community members. We thank you for your care.

And we invite everyone to MAKING MASKS, a workshop to see and share various versions of masks as we adjust to this new lifestyle – wearing masks to slow the spread of virus.  Come hear and learn about the Mask tips and tricks. We are definitely adapting to having this new accessory as part of our every day wear.

For those who have been making masks, we invite you to send photos of the masks you are making and a tip that you would like to share.  Please send by September 8th to Carolyn.

Then RSVP for this creative and informative workshop.

See this article “How much protection do face masks offer?” by the Mayo Clinic  for info on how masks work and tips on how to use them properly.

A recent article, evaluates different types of masks and how effective they are SF Chron Aug 11, 2020

JSei At the Movies: An Evening with Steven Okazaki

JSei At the Movies: An Evening with Steven Okazaki

by | Aug 3, 2020 | Classes & Events

J-Sei At the Movies: An Evening with Steven Okazaki

Friday, August 14, 6:30 pm

Join us for an in depth look into the lives of Hibakusha survivors, from Mushroom Club to White Light, Black Rain, filmmaker Steven Okazaki documents what they must endure, the scars that remain, and the hope they seek. In commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, J-Sei welcomes back guest Okazaki to share his defining documentary work.

Steven Okazaki’s films explore a wide range of subjects — from drug addiction to nuclear war, from Tokyo pop culture to the Minnesota State Fair. He is the recipient of numerous honors, including an Academy Award® and the City of Hiroshima’s “Honorary Citizen Award.” In 2006, he received his third Oscar® nomination for HBO/Cinemax’s THE MUSHROOM CLUB, a personal look at the city of Hiroshima. He followed that with HBO’s WHITE LIGHT/BLACK RAIN, a vivid accounting of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, won a Primetime Emmy for “Exceptional Merit in Non-Fiction Filmmaking” and the Grand Prize at the Banff World Television Festival.

REGISTER on Eventbrite for a link to preview the documentaries and a ZOOM link for the program.

Interested in a Summer Bento by My Friend Yuji? Reserve today at the following link:

MY FRIEND YUJI

A Pop-Up Baking Adventure

A Pop-Up Baking Adventure

by | Jul 29, 2020 | Classes & Events

A POP-UP BAKING ADVENTURE – FRESH FRUIT GALETTE

Friday, July 31 – 2 pm

A special pop-up workshop has been set up impromptu to take advantage of the fresh bounty of nectarines received from the Masumoto Family Farm.

SIGN UP TODAY to receive your ZOOM link!  Donations accepted, but not required. OUR MASUMOTO FRUIT DONATION IS NOW CLOSED.  Pick-up is available on Friday for those with confirmed reservations.

You are still very welcome to join the class as there are stone fruit available at the farmer’s markets and produce sections.  It’s a wonderful time to learn to make galette!

With more time at home, J-Sei’s avid bakers have been busy experimenting with recipes. Our loyal volunteer Joel Moalem will demonstrate his mouth-watering delectable galette. Shown above is an Apricot Frangipane Galette.

The People’s Kitchen Collective, who brings together people, equity and justice through the food & stories they share, has gifted J-Sei with nectarines from the Masumoto Family Farm.  Here’s how they describe the source:

 

“But what made us fall in love with the Masumotos is their commitment to justice. It’s never about the final product — how good something looks or tastes — but how it feels getting there and who you meet along the way. It is our absolute honor, pleasure and delight to share not only the incredible flavor of this fruit, but also all of the heart, creativity, sweat, and advocacy for the earth and her people that the Masumotos pour into all aspects of their lives.”

Don’t miss this opportunity to enjoy and partake of Le Grande Nectarines from Masumoto Family Farm.

Summer Bento

Summer Bento

by | Jul 11, 2020 | Classes & Events

SUMMER BENTO SPECIAL – Friday, July 17

Long days, warm evenings, colorful yukata, fireworks and festivals.

Craving a special treat to top off a summer evening, reserve your obento compliments of OUR FRIEND YUJI:

Kombu-cured Salmon / Chicken Tsukune / Inarizushi / Summer Salad

$15/bento

Order now. Limited number available. Reserve bento by Wed, July 15, 12 noon.

Bento orders now CLOSED.

 Pick up 4-5 pm on Fri, July 17th.

Thank you!

 
 

 

 

J-Sei Book Club & Author Event: American Harvest by Marie Mutsuki Mockett

J-Sei Book Club & Author Event: American Harvest by Marie Mutsuki Mockett

by | Jun 19, 2020 | Classes & Events

J-Sei’s New Book Club:

American Harvest by Marie Mutsuki Mockett

Join us for a Summer Book Club excursion through American Harvest, the latest epic journey by author Marie Mutsuki Mockett.

We will welcome back author Marie Mutsuki Mockett for a live Zoom visit in the Fall to discuss her latest book, AMERICAN HARVEST. We hosted Marie in 2016 to mark the publication of Where the Dead Pause and the Japanese Say Goodbye, her personal pilgrimage through the temples and rituals of Japan following the devastating tragedy in Tohoku in 2011. This time, we look forward to a very different journey—through America’s heartland.

In anticipation of Marie’s visit, we’re very excited to announce our Summer Book Club. Beginning in July and continuing over several consecutive weeks, we will read AMERICAN HARVEST together, and through weekly postings and virtual discussions we’ll explore the many thoughtful and thought-provoking themes and events in the book. Capping the book club experience will be our live event with Marie, in which you will not only hear about the book and other works directly from the author but you’ll also have the opportunity to ask questions and share your thoughts.

Please RSVP to join the Summer Book Club and purchase the book at a special rate.  Contact Jill Shiraki at jill@j-sei.org

Marie Mutsuki Mockett is the author of a novel, Picking Bones from Ash, and a memoir, Where the Dead Pause, and the Japanese Say Goodbye, which was a finalist for the PEN Open Book Award. She has written for numerous publications and has been a guest on The World, Talk of the Nation and All Things Considered on NPR. She is a core faculty member of the Rainier Writing Workshop and a Visiting Writer in the MFA program Saint Mary’s College in Moraga, California.

AMERICAN HARVEST

For over one hundred years, the Mockett family has owned a seven-thousand-acre wheat farm in the panhandle of Nebraska, where Marie Mutsuki Mockett’s father was raised. Mockett, who grew up in bohemian Carmel, California, with her father and her Japanese mother, knew little about farming when she inherited this land. Her father had all but forsworn it.  In American Harvest, Mockett accompanies a group of evangelical Christian wheat harvesters through the heartland at the invitation of Eric Wolgemuth, the conservative farmer who has cut her family’s fields for decades. American Harvest is an extraordinary evocation of the land and a thoughtful exploration of ingrained beliefs, from evangelical skepticism of evolution to cosmopolitan assumptions about food production and farming.