Transcript
Page 1: December/January 2014 Seasons Greetings And Best Wishes ...And Best Wishes for the New Year . Bulletin 2 Bulletin Staff Editor: Hazel Asamoto Staff Writers: Eva Hashiguchi, Roy Ebihara

Bulletin 1

The Bulletin

A publication of the Cleveland Japanese American Citizens League As a service to the Japanese American Community and interested individuals and organizations

December/January 2014

Anonymous Shigeru Igarashi

Anonymous Joel & Joyce Ito

Nobuko Akiba Sue A Nakamura

Kenneth Arie & Naty Arie Itsu Nakatsuka

Hazel Asamoto Joe & Kay Negrelli

Helen Asamoto Jerry & Irene Omori

Joyce Anraku Culek & John Anraku Masayoshi & Sugako Omura

Ken & Naomi Doyle, Beverly & Kevin Hayato “Hy” Orikuchi

Roy & Aiko Ebihara Yukiye Sakaguchi

Reiko Fujikawa Karen Sodini

Shigeru Fujimura Tomo Sonoda

Kiich Furukawa Masako Yamauchi

Eva Hashiguchi Betty Yasaki & Family

Seasons Greetings

And Best Wishes for the New Year

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Bulletin 2

Bulletin Staff

Editor: Hazel Asamoto

Staff Writers: Eva Hashiguchi, Roy Ebihara

Typist/layout: Joyce Ito

Circulation: Hazel Asamoto

Collators/Mailing: Betty Ochi, John Ochi,

Shig Igarashi, Karen Sodini,

Marge Higaki, Shig Fujimura

Masie Yamauchi,

Contributing articles: June Tanaka Oshiro, John

Ochi, Joe Negrelli

The Bulletin is supported by donations. There is no subscription rate. Articles in the Bulletin are solely the responsibility of the authors. Neither JACL nor the Bulletin is responsible for articles that are submitted by the writers. Comments, suggestions and donations are always welcome. Send comments and contributions to:

JACL Bulletin c/o Hazel Asamoto, Editor

3097 Ashwood Rd.

Cleveland, OH 44120

(Contributions are tax deductible)

Or email:

[email protected]

Editorial By Hazel Asamoto The response for the Holiday Greetings has shown me

that there are many of you who wish to communicate to

all their friends and relatives their wishes for the holiday

season. Thank you for your interest and contributions.

If anyone wishes to make a contribution (Holiday

Greetings) in the next issue, we will accept your

generous offer. Thank you in advance so that we can

continue this newsletter.

I also want to thank the Lakewood Library and its staff

for their many years of providing us a website for the

Cleveland JACL. Due to cost and limited staff, the library

will discontinue this service for us. Thank you kindly,

Lakewood Library for all those many years of showing to

our friends and the rest of the community the news of

the Japanese community

The staff and I wish you,

Greetings of the Season and a Happy New Year

Donations $55

A.Karazian

Ralph & Marie Maki

Irene & Jerry Omori

Condolences

Mits Omura, age 85 beloved husband of Linda:

brother of Masayoshi Omura, Kimiko Kinoshita,

Kuni Miyoshi, and the late Toshiko Omura, Teruko

Uto, Seichi Omura; uncle of Grace Ishihara, Jane

Kinoshita, Joan Tanaka, David Miyoshi, Kathy Sano,

Donna Kozono, Michael Omura and Kenneth

Omura, great-uncle of many…also survived by his

dog, Yoshi. Mits. died Nov. 29, 2013. Memorial

service Sunday, Dec. 8 at 12:30 pm at Brickman

Bros Funeral Home, 37433 Euclid Ave, Willoughby,

Ohio where family will receive friends Sunday from

11am to 12:30 pm. In Lieu of flowers contributions

to the American Heart Association would be

appreciated.

Per Plain Dealer Newspaper Obituary, Friday,

Dec. 6, 2013

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Bulletin 3

CARP News

By Eva Hashiguchi

CARP has so many members with interesting lives that I thought I’d try something new. With their permission, I’m introducing

Joe & Kay Negrelli. Kay has been captain of Group 1 for years but with failing health, she finally resigned her position. Joe is

always available and willing to help wherever needed at all CARP functions. They’ve celebrated their 62nd

wedding anniversary –

Congratulations!!!! See the article below from Joe Negrelli

Also, at the November 2013 CARP meeting, members voted that membership dues for 2014would be collected in June 2014.

The completed roster will help the team captains to notify each paid member on all CARP activities. Checks made out to:

John Ochi, Treasurer of CARP

868 Lander Road

Highland Heights, OH 44143

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

How I Met My Wife of Sixty Years

By Joe P. Negrelli

It was April, 1947 and cherry blossom time in Japan. I was a PFC in the army, a member of the 19th

Infantry Regiment, 24th

Infantry Division on occupation duty, stationed at Camp Chickamauga, Beppu, and Kyushu, Japan. I was assigned to the

Special Services Section, managing athletic and recreational facilities for the troops and dependents. One of my duties was

assisting in the operation of the Lanik Theater, the camp theater, a former Japanese opera house seating about eight

hundred, which was appropriated by the Army.

One afternoon, during a usual tour of the theater, I noticed a pair of geta, Japanese clogs, placed by one of the exit doors.

Since it was a Japanese custom to slip off one’s geta or shoes when entering a building I assumed that an unauthorized

person had entered the theater. So I started to search the building. After about fifteen minutes I returned to the exit door

to find the geta were gone.

About a week later, I again noticed a pair of geta by the same exit door. Again I looked throughout the theater for the

geta’s owner, but to no avail. But this time when I returned to the exit I saw a Japanese girl walking rapidly away down the

lane.

In my best phrase book Japanese I called out to her “Anone ojosan! Doko ikemaska?!

Translation, “Hey girl! Where are you going?” She took one look at me and promptly ran away. I was surprised at how fast

a person could run while wearing geta.

But by running away she really aroused my interest. A few days later I saw her again. This time I tried to be more polite.

“Choto mate kudusai,” Please wait”, I called out. She stopped, so I approached her and started a broken Japanese-English

conversation with her. I learned her name was Kumiko and that she was working as a cook-housemaid at the nearby Army

dependent’s housing project for Lt. John J. Rock, 19th

Inf. Communications Officer, and his wife, Jean who taught at the

school for dependent’s children. Kumiko had been coming to the theater to have one of the interpreters, working at the

theater for Special Services, translate various recipes Mrs. Rock had given her to cook, into Japanese so she could

understand them.

I asked for a date, but she refused. At that time fraternization between US Service Personnel and Japanese girls was

discouraged by both sides. After seeing her from time to time at the theater during the next month I finally convinced her

to have a date with me and we arranged a meeting at the home of a friend of the Japanese interpreter.

That date was the beginning of our romance that has lasted over sixty-four years.

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Bulletin 4

(Photos of Joe and Kay Negrelli)

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Bulletin 5

Two articles from June Tanaka Oshiro: The first article is about Bob Fletcher, a member of the Sacramento state

agricultural commission, who during World War II quit his job to manage the farms of three Japanese American families.

The second is about an internment camp in Idaho.

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Bulletin 6

From John Ochi: Smithsonian Magazine November 2013

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Bulletin 7

Japan: What’s Different?

By Roy Ebihara

On our recent visit to Japan, Tokyo to Osaka, Aiko and I were able to view Japan from a non-tour perspective. We visited

with Yukiko Ebara, her husband Rick, and their 7 year old daughter Haruka. Readers will recall that Yukiko taught and

developed the JACL Taiko program ten years ago. Haruka was born in Oberlin, and surprisingly, is fluent in English and

Japanese!

People young and old, even into their 80’s ride bicycles to go shopping, or visit friends……and no helmets either! Over 60%

of the teens and young women are seen to have all shades of brown hair, some blond hairs too. Nearly every motorist

parks their cars head-on. Why is that? Japan has the lowest birthrate in the world. Thus, pets, taking the place of children

are coveted and very well cared for. At a pet store the average cost of dogs were noted to be $850.00 plus vet fee,

amounting to over $1,000/dog.

Late September is rice harvesting time across Japan. We spent a day in the country area of Gunma where Yukiko’s parents

live. It was a sight to see families working together to harvest and dry the rice on long racks. Unfortunately this was not

the case for some who lost fields of rice when the typhoon raked across many areas of Japan’s farmland.

We spent a day and a night in our niece’s 150 year old farmhouse, a historic landmark in nearby Kyoto. There, we bathed

together, yes, squeezed into a four food round concrete furo! (Of course, we had to scrub and rinse our body outside the

furo). It was somewhat romantic (?) bathing under candlelight. Later we ate traditional foods, and wore yukatas too, and

slept on the floor.

Healthcare in Japan is provided under the Universal Health Plan, which means everyone is cared for. My impression is that

most people both young and old are satisfied with their medical services. According to Rick, Yukiko’s husband, healthcare

facilities are not overtaxed or doctors pushed to the limits of stress because in most cases people are reasonably healthy.

There were no overweight people to be seen as one walked around the city of Fuchinobe. Diabetes in Japan is also not a

major issue, whereas it is running rampant in America. But, McDonalds and KFC are making inroads in Japan’s cities, and

time will tell. In the two weeks in Japan, we heard of no incidences of homicide, gun-related or not. The only newsworthy

event was an auto accident involving a teen driver who almost killed a group of school children.

So, what’s a major concern? Radiation via the water, air, and food, after the Fukushima disaster, consumes the peoples

concern in the Tokyo area, and will continue to be an issue for the next year or two.

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Bulletin 8

THE CLEVELAND JACL BULLETIN

A bimonthly publication of the Cleveland JACL as a service to

the Cleveland Japanese American Community and interested

individuals and organizations

Send articles, comments and suggestions to:

THE CLEVELAND JACL BULLETIN

3097 Ashwood Road Cleveland, OH 44120

News Deadline for February/March

Is January 25, 2014

Cleveland Japanese American Citizens League 3097 Ashwood Rd. Cleveland, OH 44120 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

NON PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID CLEVELAND, OHIO PERMIT NO. 4108

DATED MATERIAL – PLEASE DO NOT DELAY

Buckwheat Noodles (Served for New Year’s Eve)

1 pkg. soba (noodles) Garnish: sliced

bamboo shoots,

2 sheets nori, toasted tempura/boiled

& crumbled spinach

Boil noodles until tender. Drain and rinse in cold

water. Place cold noodles in bowl with nori and

garnish of choice.

Dipping sauce:

2 c. dashi (soup stock) ¼ t. salt

3-4T. soy sauce 2 green onions, finely

½ t. sugar chopped daikon (white

radish)

Combine dashi, soy sauce, sugar and salt. Bring to

boil. Add green onion and daikon

Recipe of the Month