Seattle's Annual Cherry Blossom and Japanese Cultural Festival

The 36^th Annual Seattle Cherry Blossom and Japanese Cultural Festival took placed at the Seattle Center on April 2^nd and 3^rd.

The event is usually held in the middle of April, but despite being help two weeks early this year, the cherry blossoms were nearly in full bloom.  By comparison, the blossoms had nearly all fallen off by the end of March last year.

There were many displays and performances of traditional Japanese culture done by local Japanese culture clubs.  For example, there were Taiko drum performances, traditional Japanese dances, displays of Japanese-style flower arrangements (called ikebana), and Japanese calligraphy, among others.

The Seattle-Kobe Sister City Association (SKSCA) once again had a booth with the Hyogo Business and Cultural Center to promote Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture and the Sister City relationship with Seattle.  One of the highlights of the SKSCA booth was the kimonos.  Visitors could come to the booth, choose a kimono and SKSCA volunteers would dress them.  Once the volunteers finished dressing them, many visitors had pictures taken to remember the experience.

In addition to the kimonos at the SKSCA booth, there was a Kimono Fashion Show emceed by Ms. Yuri Nishimura, an SKSCA board member.  As the audience listened to Ms. Nishimura’s explanations and facts about the kimonos, people took pictures and videos of the models.  The event was so popular that all the seats were filled quickly and people had to stand in the back to watch the show.

We are grateful to Ms. Yuri Nishimura, Ben Erickson, the SKSCA board members and all of the volunteers who helped out at the festival.  We really appreciate all of their hard work.

On March 11, 2011, Japan suffered a magnitude 8.9 (some say 9.0) earthquake and tsunami near Sendai, on the east coast of Japan.  Many people lost their lives, their homes, or a combination thereof.  In order to raise money to help those in need, at this year’s festival there were donation boxes and t-shirts for sale.  The t-shirts were red or blue, with the words, “Tsunami of Love,” written on the front.  The victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake (also called the Tōhoku Earthquake) still need your help and you can donate to organization such as the Red Cross or Peace Winds America.

Next year is the 50^th Anniversary of the opening of the Seattle Center, and hopefully next year’s Cherry Blossom and Japanese Culture Festival will be bigger and better than ever before.

The words, “Ganbare! Japan” are made out of paper cups.  The words translate as, “Keep your chins up Japan!”  There is a message written inside each of the cups.

 

Some of the models of the SKSCA Kimono Fashion Show

The Kimono Dress-Up Corner

March 31, 2011: Port of Seattle Candlelight Service For Japan

 The Port of Seattle had three friendship ports in the Miyagi Prefecture; Shiogama, Ishinomaki and Kessennuma, which were established in 1990. These ports were directly affected and extensively damaged by the earthquake and subsequent tsunami. The Port of Seattle held a candlelight service on March 31, 2011 at 7:30PM,  to remember the victims of the Japan earthquake and tsunami disaster at the Port of Seattle Fishermen's Terminal.

Port of Seattle Fishermen's Terminal

Speakers from the port gave remarks on their thoughts on the recent disaster and reflected on the friends they had made in the past experiences with the friendship ports. Bill Bryant, President of the Port Commission led the program and introduced other speakers who gave their thoughts on the recent disaster or reflected on the friends they had made in the past experiences with the friendship ports. The speakers were: commercial fisherman, Pete Knutson, Seattle's Consulate General of Japan, Kiyokazu Ota, former Port Commssion President Patricia Davis, who signed the 1990 friendship port agreement, and King County Assessor Lloyd Hara, who had been a former commisssioner of the port of Seattle.

Seattle Consul General Kiyokazu Ota

 The service was concluded by Bill Bryant who led the moment of silence and the recitation of the poem, "Our Hearts Ache Eastward (For the victims of floods, earthquakes and the tsunamis in the Pacific) " by Safiyah Fosua. Flame-less candles which had been passed out at the beginning of the service were lit as participants recited the poem and took a moment to remember the victims of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami disaster.

Seattle Port Commission President Bill Bryant

Full house at the 7th Annual Seattle Kobe Female Jazz Vocalist Audition

The 7^th Annual Seattle Kobe Female Jazz Vocalist Auditions on March 21, 2011 had a full house of 300 people at Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley in downtown Seattle, where ten contestants competed for a chance to perform in Kobe, Japan at the Kobe Jazz Vocal Queen Contest. 

7th Annual Seattle-Kobe Female Jazz Vocalist Audition at Dimitriou's Jazz Alley

The Kobe Jazz Vocal Queen Contest was originally created as a means of cheering up the jazz loving citizens of Kobe after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake which struck the city in January 17, 1995. This program has continued on past the originally anticipated 5 year program to its current 12th year. This year’s Kobe Jazz Vocal Queen Contest will be held on May 15 at the Kobe Asahi Hall, moving from its previous location on Shinkaichi Street.

The May contest crowns the winning vocalist as Queen to sing in an overseas concert in Kobe's sister city of Seattle. Seattle also began its Sister City Female Jazz Vocalist Audition in 2005 to send two jazz vocalists to Japan to open for the Contest in Kobe and is currently in its seventh year.

From Left to Right: Kelila Gottlieb, high school division winner; Jacqueline Tabor, adult division winner; Margaret Davis, high school division runner up; Leah Natalie, adult division runner up

Monday’s auditions are divided into two categories: the high school division and the adult division. This year had some extremely tough competition and the judges had their work cut out for them. However, there can only be one winner in each category and so the winners were Ms. Kelila Gottieb for the high school division and Ms. Jacqueline Tabor for the adult division. The runners up were Ms. Margaret Davis of the high school division, and Ms. Leah Natale for the adult division. 

2007 Seattle Kobe Female Jazz Vocalist Audition Adult Divison winner Emi Meyer

 Additionally during the Female Jazz Vocalist Auditions intermission, PeaceWinds America collected disaster relief donations for the recent Japan Tohoku Earthquake and the audience also had the rare treat of previous winners, 2010’s Ms. Kelly Eisenhower and Ms. Ariel Pocock on stage to say remarks as well as the 2007 Seattle Kobe Sister City Jazz Vocalist Adult Division winner, Ms. Emi Meyer, perform songs in both English and Japanese. Ms. Emi Meyer also dedicated that sales of her cds from the show would be donated to the Japan disaster relief effort.

This program was sponsored by the Seattle-Kobe Sister Cities Association, Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, Sankei Travel, Shinkaichi Music Street, and KTIO.

Tempei Nakamura in Seattle

On March 19, 2011 Kobe pianist Tempei Nakamura, a Kobe native whose music career often takes him between his current residences of Tokyo and New York, performed at Seattle's Benaroya Hall for his latest United States tour.

Pianist Tempei Nakamura set

Though initially studying piano at age 5 through elementary school, a flirtation with rock music through middle school and high school prevented Nakamura from pursuing classical and jazz music until he went to the Osaka University of the Arts. Even these days as he performs, wearing a red t-shirt and jeans, evokes a more casual atmosphere in the formal world of classical music.

This was Nakamura's second concert in Seattle. In light of the recent earthquake and tsunami disasters in Japan, the concert''s originally planned nine songs was changed to include two new songs dedicated to the victims of the disasters. Nakamura understands what the survivors are going through as he himself was a victim of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, losing his home in the East Nada Ward in the City of Kobe in 1995. With this in mind, he addressed the crowd during intermission to speak his feelings and thoughts.
One heartfelt message was clear, "There's a feeling of wanting to do something and not knowing what to do, but even though we're far away there's still something that can be done."

In the lobby after the concert, the non profit organization, Reach Out To Japan, accepted donations for the Japan disaster relief.

T-shirts for sale with proceeds to go to the Japan Disaster Relief

We were able to obtain Mr. Tempei Nakamura's autograph after the concert. Thank you for the phrase "Ichigo Ichie" or  "once in a lifetime experience".

Seattle Japan Relief Community Gathering & Ceremony for the Great Tohoku Earthquake

To those that have lost their loved ones in the Great Tohoku Earthquake we offer our most sincere condolences. May you have the strength to carry on. 

The Seattle Community gathering in front of the Kobe Bell in Seattle Center

On Saturday, May 19, 2011, over 400 people in the Seattle community and Washington leaders gathered at Seattle Center in front of the Kobe Bell to commemorate the victims of the Great Tohoku Earthquake earlier this month.

Emcee Ms. Lori Matsukawa of King5 News

Some Washington leaders and community representatives made remarks including: Seattle Consul General of Japan Kiyokazu Ota, Washington Governor Christine Gregoire , Congressman Jim McDermott and Seattle Deputy Mayor Darryl Smith with King 5 News anchor Ms. Lori Matsukawa as the emcee.

Reverend Taijo Imanaka of the Seattle Koyasan Buddhist Temple

Reverend Taiji Imanaka of the Seattle Koyasan Buddhist Temple led a prayer in English and Japanese honoring those who perished from the earthquake and tsunami.

Washington Governor Christine Gregoire

There were three charities collecting donations for the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief. They were the American Red Cross, Peace Winds America, and the YMCA.Currently donations for the Japan Disaster Relief from Washington State have reached over 7 million dollars. Governor Gregoire stressed how she would like to see the donations double that amount and urged people to make donations if possible.

One after another the community leaders and elected officials led by Reverend Imanaka paid their respects and rang the Kobe Bell.

Since becoming sister cities in 1957, Seattle and Kobe have exchanged many gifts of friendship over the years. The Kobe Bell, or Friendship Bell  in Seattle Center was a gift from the City of Kobe to its sister city of Seattle to commemorate their friendship and the 1962 World's Fair. In return for this gift, the City of Seattle gave the City of Kobe a totem pole as a symbol of the Pacific Northwest and the cultures within.

The Kobe Bell has become a location of solidarity to the Seattle Japanese community in times of crisis. In the Great Hanshin-Awaji  (Kobe) Earthquake of 1995, people gathered there to remember those that were lost.

In Kobe there is a moment of silence to respect and remember the people that were lost every January 16 at 5:45AM. The Seattle Kobe Sister City Association continue this tradition along side Kobe meeting at 12:45PM to join in the moment of silence, currently this tradition has reached its 16th year.

Many thanks to the volunteers  working that day to collect donations and messages for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.