PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT For Immediate Release

Contact: Aya Ino, aino@jcccnc.org Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California 1840 Sutter Street – San Francisco, CA 94115 415-567-5505 – www.jcccnc.org

JCCCNC Celebrates TABEMASHO: Matsuri

San Francisco (October 14, 2014) – The Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California’s (JCCCNC) annual fundraising event, TABEMASHO: Matsuri, held on Saturday, September 20, 2014, hosted a sellout crowd of over 350 in the Center’s Henri and Tomoye Takahashi Community Hall.

The event began with the opening of seven appetizer stations from popular San Francisco restaurants, which included: Chotto, Delica, Men Oh Tokushima Ramen, Ramen Shalala, Ramen Underground, Ramen Yamadaya, and Bashamichi Steak and Seafood. The Japantown community chefs, led by Chef Wade Tamura of Facebook, created a menu featuring delicious home-cooked treats, such as maze gohan, ohitashi, teriyaki beef tri-tip, miso chicken, and tofu age avocado poke. Dessert consisted of suama

manju from Benkyodo, lemon cake from Sweet Stop and Hawaiian Host’s Aloha Macs. The program, emceed by Jan Yanehiro, Director of School of MultiMedia Communications at Academy of Art University and Robert Handa, General Assignment Reporter at NBC Bay Area and host of their new show Asian Pacific America, began with a performance by San Francisco Awaodori-Kai Sakura Ren and a kagami wari celebratory sake toast by Consul General Masato Watanabe.

The evening also included a live auction featuring a Premium Economy Trip for Two to Asia and a Five-Night Stay in Japan, courtesy of Japan Airlines and Kintetsu International, Dinner for Eight at Consul General and Mrs. Watanabe’s official residence, Satsuma Wagyu Boneless Short Rib from Trex Corporation, and a Roundtrip Flight for Two to Hawaii with a Five-Night Stay and Dinner for Four at Pagoda Floating Restaurant. A lively Mobile Giving roundup followed raising funds for featured JCCCNC programs

such as their Colma Cemetery Clean-up and youth programs, including the Children’s Day Festival, U.S.-Japan exchange, and other leadership development programs.  

The program concluded with recognition of the Takeo Okamoto Community Leadership Award presented to Hiroshi Shimizu and the Kay Okamoto Volunteer Service Award presented to Kinu Iwamoto, followed by an interactive performance by Tokushima Kenjin-Kai’s San Francisco Awakko Ren.

The JCCCNC would like to thank their generous sponsors for supporting this event: Presenting Sponsors – Comcast, Japan Airlines, The Henri and Tomoye Takahashi Charitable Foundation and Union Bank; Benefactor Sponsors – Glen S. Fukushima and Wells Fargo Bank; Patron Sponsors – Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Northern California, Minami Tamaki LLP, PG&E; Friend of JCCCNC – Joyce Ashizawa-Yee & Bradley Yee; Media Sponsor – NBC Bay Area. Community Partners – Always Dream Foundation, Asian Community Basketball Association & Marilyn Oshiro, Bay Area Asian Sports, Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco, Hawai’i Chamber of Commerce of Northern California, Ken & Yoshiko Ho, Hosoda Brothers, Japanese

Benevolent Society, Japanese Community Youth Council, The Kimura Family, Donna Kotake, The Honorable Emily Murase & Friends, Kaz Maniwa & Marjorie Fletcher, Mutual Express, Nikkei & Retirement, Rumi Okabe & Dianne Fukami, T. Okamoto and Company, The Osaki and Yamauchi/Gunderson Families, Robert & Alicia Sakai, San Francisco Associates, San Francisco Drakes, and Teresa Serata & Sherilyn Chew. This event also would not have been possible without the support of donors and over 250 volunteers. For more information about the event and for future sponsorship opportunities, contact Aya Ino, Director of Development and Communications, at (415) 567-5505 or email aino@jcccnc.org

# # # About the JCCCNC Envisioned by the Japanese American community, JCCCNC will be an everlasting foundation of our Japanese American ancestry, cultural heritage, histories and traditions. The JCCCNC strives to meet the evolving needs of the Japanese American community through programs, affordable services and facility usage. The JCCCNC is a non-profit community center based in San Francisco.