SPNSCC

Como Garden Designer Dies

2012-02-10T18:03:00.000-08:00

Master landscape architect Masami Matsuda of Nagasaki, Japan, passed away last week. He was an incredible man who gave all of us a great gift by designing the Como Ordway Memorial Japanese Garden. Mr. Matsuda was a gracious and gifted man who held us in St. Paul close to his heart.

I met Matsuda-san in 2010 when I represented the SPNSCC at Peter Leach's photography show of the Como garden. Over thirty stunning photographs of the garden in all four seasons were hung in the Museum of Culture and History in Nagasaki in honor of the 55th anniversary of our sister city relationship. Mr. Matsuda appreciated the gesture and the gift of one of the framed photographs. After, Fumiko Yamaguchi (NSPSCC vice-president), Sister Hamada, and I were treated to tea at his home. He had a whole section of his tea room devoted to awards and gifts he received for his work at Como.

Carol Weston Hanson, who served as interpreter for Mr. Matsuda when he supervised the garden site, has many stories. She remembers how carefully he chose each rock and its exact location in the garden. Everything had to be just right. Jim Kunzman reminisced about how Matsuda-san took out files and files of photos and notes about the Japanese garden at Como when he and his wife Karen visited Nagasaki some ten years ago. He was an inspiration to many, including SPNSCC past president Chris Rossow.

Each August, the Lantern Lighting Festival brings thousands of visitors to the Garden. Patricia Katagiri and other members of Yukimakai tea study group perform biweekly tea ceremonies in its tea house. We are grateful for the gift which Mr. Matsuda gave to St. Paul, a gift which inspires peace and reflection and awe in its beauty.

We will be honoring Mr. Matsuda throughout this year. Check the Saint Paul Nagasaki Sister City Committee Facebook page for timely information.

Domo arrigato gozaimus, Matsuda-san. Rest in peace.

Thank you and Goodbye

2012-01-29T15:43:00.001-08:00

As of July 1, 2011, I stepped down as President of Saint Paul Nagasaki Sister City Committee. I had a wonderful three years of leadership with the organization. SPNSCC is made up of many fantastic individuals who give their time and energy to something they believe in. That may be cultural understanding. It might be the Japanese Garden at Como Park. It might be peace issues and/or the Labyrinth. It might be the Japanese language. No matter what it is, the underlying reason we all get involved is for the friendships we make both here and in Nagasaki. Those friendships are life long. In a time when Sister City Relationships are being reduced around the world, ours remains strong, committed and a valuable part of our world.
Thank you to all of the members, board members and Japanese friends I have worked with over the past three years. Domo Arigato Gozaimashita!!
Elizabeth Simmer

Hope Letters

2011-03-14T07:00:00.001-07:00

Here is another way to help people through our words:
http://hopeletters.wordpress.com/.

More information and help

2011-03-14T05:06:00.001-07:00

The past 48 hours have been a whirlwind of emotions and activity as governments, nonprofits, the business community, and individuals have shared information and mobilized support in the aftermath of the devastating earthquakes and tsunami in Japan.

This message cannot and is not intended to be an exhaustive or comprehensive list of the latest information or resources. However, in the interests of sharing information through our Japanese-American network, this message identifies some of the resources that may be useful to you and your friends and colleagues.

JAPANESE GOVERNMENT
Obviously, the Government of Japan is very busy attending to emergency response actions, and up-to-date information is more readily available from non-governmental sources such as the news media. Nevertheless, you may find information on the following sites to be of interest:

Statement of Prime Minister Kan, Friday, March 11
http://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/kan/statement/201103/11kishahappyo_e.html

GOJ site on Countermeasures for 2011 Tohoku District – off the Pacific Ocean Earthquake
http://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/topics/2011/earthquake2011tohoku.html

Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs
http://www.mofa.go.jp/

Embassy of Japan in the United States
http://www.us.emb-japan.go.jp/english/html/index.html

FINDING US CITIZENS IN JAPAN
The US Embassy in Tokyo and the US State Department are attempting to assist in tracking US citizens in Japan. Include as much information as you can about the missing person(s).
by Email: japanemergencyusc@state.gov
or by phone: 888-407-4747 or 202-501-4444

More websites with information about US citizens include:
http://tokyo.usembassy.gov/ http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/emergencies/emergencies_1212.html

If you are concerned about the Japanese American Leadership Delegation (JALD) group that was in Tokyo this past week, they are all safe. Several of them have been interviewed by press. See the US-Japan Council website www.usjapancouncil.org for news on the JALD group as well as a clip from the CNN interview of Irene Hirano Inouye.

FINDING PEOPLE IN JAPAN
Phone lines are jammed, and the greatest need is at this point is to allow access for first-responders. If you are looking for someone in Japan, please don’t use the telephone; instead use e-mail, Twitter, Skype, and other non-phone line communications.
GOOGLE PERSON-FINDER: Google has created a website both for postings by people searching for an individual, and for postings by people with information about a particular individual. It already has over 70,000 postings. Go to: http://japan.person-finder.appspot.com/
CELL PHONE MESSAGE BOARD. Another way to find out about someone is the use of Cell Phone Message Board. If the person you are seeking in Japan has posted a message to the board, you can see it after you type in the cell phone number. You also need to know which network they belong to. (If you don't know, the biggest network is NTT Docomo.) This is NOT texting or email. Only if the person in Japan has posted a message will you see the message. Here the links for the Cell Phone Message Boards:
For the docomo users: http://dengon.docomo.ne.jp/top.cgi
For the KDDI (Ezweb) users: http://dengon.ezweb.ne.jp/
For the Softbank users: http://dengon.softbank.ne.jp/
For the Wilcom users: http://dengon.willcom-inc.com/dengon/Top.do
Another way to find out: http://dengon.emnet.ne.jp/

FOREIGN CITIZENS STRANDED IN US granted special treatment by US Dept. of Homeland Security
MESSAGE SENT From: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Dept of Homeland Security [ mailto:uscis@public.govdelivery.com ]
Sent: Friday, March 11, 2011 5:13 PM
Subject: Relief for Japan and Other Nationals from the Pacific Stranded due to the Earthquakes and Tsunami
This advisory is for Japanese and other foreign nationals from the Pacific stranded in the United States due to the earthquakes and tsunami devastation in the Pacific. If you have exceeded or are about to exceed your authorized stay in the U.S. you may be permitted up to an additional 30 days to depart.
Visitors traveling under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP):
· If you are at an airport, contact the U.S. Customs and Border Protection office at the airport.
· All others, please visit the local U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office.
Visitors traveling under a nonimmigrant visa:
· Visit the local U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office.
· Bring your passport, evidence that you are stranded (such as an itinerary for the cancelled flight), and your I-94 departure record.
For additional immigration relief options, please visit the Special Situation page.
DONATIONS
The US-Japan Council is preparing to establish a Japan Tsunami Relief Fund, and is working with other organizations to receive donations on their behalf. It is understood that 100% of the proceeds will be donated to an agency or organization in Japan to be determined following consultations with GOJ and the US Embassy in Japan. More information will be distributed and posted to the US-Japan Council website in coming days. See http://www.usjapancouncil.org/

The American Red Cross has set up an online donation site to provide assistance to the victims of the earthquake and tsunami at
http://american.redcross.org/site/SPageServer?pagename=ntld_main
Numerous organizations are jumping in to help victims of the Japanese quake. Here's a partial list identified (but not necessarily endorsed) at http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/03/11/6246445-japans-earthquake-how-to-help

* Using your cell phone, you can text-message donations of $10 to the Red Cross. Text the letters REDCROSS to 90999 to make the $10 donation, or visit the organization's website.

# The International Medical Corps is putting together relief teams, as well as supplies. The organization is in "contact with partners in Japan and other affected countries to assess needs and coordinate our activities,” said Nancy Aossey, IMC president, on its website. You can donate here . Or, you can text MED to 80888 to donate $10 to emergency relief efforts.
# Save the Children is accepting donations for its Children's Emergency Fund. "We are extremely concerned for the welfare of children and their families who have been affected by the disaster. We stand ready to meet the needs of children who are always the most vulnerable in a disaster,' said Eiichi Sadamatsu of the organization in a statement. You can also text “JAPAN” or “TSUNAMI” to 20222 to donate $10.
# GlobalGiving, based in Washington, D.C., is providing relief and emergency services to victims of the earthquake and tsunami. Text JAPAN to 50555 to donate $10.
# The Salvation Army, which has had a presence in Japan since 1895, is sending an assessment team from Tokyo to the city of Sendai "to assess damage and will begin providing basic necessities (food, water, etc.) beginning as soon as possible tonight or tomorrow," a spokesperson said. In Tokyo, the Salvation Army "opened its main building to help shelter commuters who were unable to reach home. They served hot drinks and packed meals." You can text JAPAN or QUAKE to 80888 to make a $10 donation to the Salvation Army’s relief efforts.
# World Vision, with a staff of 75 in Japan, focuses its relief efforts on children. Visit the website to donate, or call 1-888-56-CHILD (1-888-562-4453). You can text “4JAPAN” or “4TSUNAMI” to 20222 to donate $10.
# The mGive Foundation, which helps with mobile donations, said these groups are also accepting text-based donations: Convoy of Hope, text TSUNAMI to 50555 to donate $10; World Relief Corp. of National Association of Evangelicals, text WAVE to 50555 to donate $10. "When prompted, mobile donors should reply with YES to confirm a one-time gift," the foundation says. "The $10 one-time donation will appear on the donor’s next mobile bill. All donations are tax deductible and receipts may be printed" from the mGive site. "Message and data rates may apply."
# Facebook has a
# Disaster Relief page with lots of good information about organizations that are offering aid, and that you can help, in turn. Portland, Ore.-based Mercy Corps is "accepting donations to help survivors of Japan's earthquake and tsunami through our longstanding partner, Peace Winds Japan." Donations will go to meeting the "immediate and longer-term needs of the survivors," a spokesperson said. You can text “MERCY” to 25283 to donate $10.
# Microsoft has a Disaster Response Effort underway. "We are taking a number of steps, including ensuring the safety of our employees and their families and proactively offering customers, partners and local response agencies technical support to help ensure business continuity," the company said. ( Msnbc.com is a joint venture of Microsoft and NBC Universal.) MISCELLANEOUS
David Nakamura of the Washington Post posted a story, “Japan quake affects DC area residents, abroad and at home” on the WP website, at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/11/AR2011031103487.html

A very good general resource with lots of links to other sites and sources:
Google Crisis Response
http://www.google.co.jp/intl/en/crisisresponse/japanquake2011.html

NHK World – live television online (in English)
http://www.livestation.com/channels/123-nhk-world-english

NHK World – Radio Japan online (in English)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/radio/program/index.html

TBS TV live on USTREAM (in Japanese)
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/tbstv

PHOTOS OF QUAKE AFTERMATH on news.yahoo.com
http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Huge-Japan-quake-spawns-tsunami/ss/events/wl/031111japanquake/im:/110312/481/urn_publicid_ap_org728fa5d9ec284d72af3e98e78909b9a5/#photoViewer=/110312/photos_ts_wl_afp/2343c9668a341172ff2756a3dcb3bcd2

Finally, an interesting way for people, including children, to send a visual and culturally significant message, via Facebook --
PAPER CRANES FOR JAPAN
http://www.facebook.com/papercranesforjapan?sk=info

Relief Efforts in Japan

2011-03-13T11:58:00.000-07:00

Devastation in Japan continues to shock us. Here is information for people wanting to help with relief efforts:
Relief Efforts and Contacting Loved Ones in Japan

(for information on where you can donate to the relief effort, please scroll to the bottom of this email.)

JAS Washington DC has sent the following information to its members, and we want to share it with you.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Japan who were affected by today’s overwhelmingly powerful earthquake and tsunami. We hope that your loved ones and friends in Japan are safe.

We are sharing two kinds of information with you. First is how you can help. Second is how you can contact friends and family in Japan.

(1) First, how you can help.The American Red Cross has already set up an online donation site to provide assistance to the victims of the earthquake and tsunami at http://american.redcross.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ntld_main. You probably also have heard that President Obama has promised all possible assistance to the people of Japan. US military assets, including the USS Ronald Reagan, an aircraft carrier, and other ships are moving to the region, ready to provide aid.

(2) Second, how to find out about your friends and family. As the earthquake hit, our Director of Educational Programs, Risa Kamio, was flying to Tokyo. Her plane was diverted to Yokota Air Force Base and then to Kansai. Risa has shared the following information with us.

“I was on the way from DC to Narita when the earthquake hit and the plane could not land. I am spending the night at Kansai Airport.

“They are asking people not to try to use the regular phone lines to find out if your family and friends are safe.
Use Twitter, Skype, Mixi, etc. and save the phone lines for someone who really needs it in the Tohoku area.

Google has created the site, "Google Person Finder".
http://japan.person-finder.appspot.com/?lang=en
It currently has the record of 7200 people and you can type in the name of person you are looking for and find out if he/she is safe.

If the person you are looking for has a cell phone in Japan, and you know which company his/her cellphone is, you can check each company's website below and type in the phone number to see if he/she has left a message. The available areas are Aomori, Miyagi, Yamagata and Fukushima prefectures.

For Docomo users:
http://dengon.docomo.ne.jp/top.cgi。

For KDDI (Ezweb) users:
http://dengon.ezweb.ne.jp/

For Softbank users:
http://dengon.softbank.ne.jp/

For Wilcom users:
http://dengon.willcom-inc.com/dengon/Top.do

For Emobile users:
http://dengon.emnet.ne.jp/

Another way to find out:
http://dengon.emnet.ne.jp/

神尾　りさ
Risa Kamio
Director of Educational Programs
Japan-America Society of Washington DC”

(3) To locate US citizens in Japan:
The US Embassy and Consulates in Japan are working to obtain

information on the status of U.S. citizens and to provide assistance as

necessary.

*If you have concerns about a specific U.S. citizen in Japan,

please send the State Department an email at JapanEmergencyUSC@state.gov

*If you have concerns about a specific U.S. citizen in the

Tsunami zone outside of Japan, please send the State Department an email at

PacificTsunamiUSC@state.gov

Although telephone lines are disrupted, you may want to try contacting

your loved one by email, text (SMS) message, or other social media.

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE INQUIRIES

*U.S. Forces Japan reports that all personnel have been

accounted for, and there are no reports of injuries.

*The Department of Defense instructs that family members of

Department of Defense personnel should call 1-800-342-9647 to inquire

about their loved ones or contact the individual unit command directly

for more specific information.

JAPANESE AND OTHER CITIZENS

*If you are calling regarding a Japanese citizen, please

contact the Japanese Embassy (Washington - 202-238-6700) or local Japanese

Consulate.

*If you are calling regarding a citizen of a third country,

please contact that country's Embassy or Consulate. Contact information

for foreign Embassies and Consulates in the United States is available

in the Country Specific Information links at www.travel.state.gov.

JETAA USA Relief
Effort Created
In the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, some people are wondering where they can donate money or time in order to help. At this moment, the Red Cross and other organizations are still mobilizing their relief efforts, but JETAA USA, in cooperation with JETAA NC and JETAA NY have developed a national fund with all money raised going to send money and volunteers that will help in the relief efforts in Japan.

For answers to potential questions and more information, please visit the JETAA USA Website at: www.jetaausa.com

JETAA MN Relief Efforts

Currently, JETAA Minnesota is supporting the national efforts that have been organized through JETAA USA with the help of JETAA NY and JETAA NC.

Megan Miller, President of JETAA NY, tells us to "encourage those you know in Japan to email CLAIR and/or contest their embassy so everyone knows they are safe."

She also mentions: "If anyone is organizing a trip to Japan to offer relief and support in person, please share with the group as many people have expressed interest in helping."

Here is the donation link for "Japan Earthquake Relief" has been created through the efforts of JETAA USA:
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=YBW32VZP4WLY2

55th Annual Meeting of SPNSCC

2010-12-04T11:22:00.000-08:00

Today is our 55th Annual Meeting and Dinner at the Oxford Community Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It is a remarkable event - 55 years of friendship with people literally on the other side of the world. We owe so much to the people before us who made this relationship develop and grow into what it is today.

One such person, Sam Honda, passed away this week. We will honor his life with a new award called the "Sam Honda Volunteer Award" and will honor him tonight with the first award posthumously.

Our other award is the Chip Fricke award and will be given to Joan Murphy tonight.

I thank all of the volunteers who make up this committee.

A 55th Anniversary Year for Nagasaki and Saint Paul

2010-09-22T11:51:00.000-07:00

We have had a busy year! In February, NSPSCC President visited Minnesota. He was able to see Peter Leach's display at the Como Ordway Japanese garden. He also visited my school in Saint Paul and was able to play music with other teachers while he was there.

Our next big event was having Peter Leach's photos of the Japanese Garden on display in Nagasaki. JoAnn Blatchley was able to be there as well.

In late April, Mayor Taue and the City Council President visited Saint Paul before flying to New York City for a meeting at the United Nations. It was a wonderful whirlwind of activities which included special dinners, a reception for all members, tours of Saint Paul (and even the peace garden in Minneapolis)!

In August we had students from Junshin College and high school visit and participate in the August commemoration ceremonies in Minneapolis and at our labyrinth in Saint Paul.

Later in August, our Lantern Lighting event was held. 24 Girl scouts and leaders came for a week of fun and frolic at the girl scout camp. Both the Junshin group and the girl scouts needed homestays and we had enough for everyone thanks to JoAnn Blatchley and Carol Hanson.

This fall, Jim and John Fischer will travel to Nagasaki for the 55th anniversary celebration in Nagasaki. We all wish we could go with them!

Save December 4th as it is our Annual Meeting. We will have photos to go with all of the activities above.

It's been (and still is) a wonderful year of friendship building and sharing our cultures with our Japanese friends.

December 2009 - Letter to the membership

2009-12-19T09:51:00.000-08:00

Summary of events from the President
From the year 2009

The Saint Paul Nagasaki Sister City Committee has been involved in many events this past year. It is my goal as President to not only talk – but to put talk into action. Over one year ago, we worked with Mirja Hanson to set five year goals for SPNSCC. We are gradually meeting those goals as you can see by the ** after goals listed below. Highlights for our year include:

• Installation of a bench at the Labyrinth honoring Mayor Itoh of Nagasaki.
• Completion of a calendar on our web site showing monthly activities related to SPNSCC and local Japanese events.**
• Continuation of a President’s blog at spnscc@blogspot.com**
• Participation in the Japan America Society of Minnesota’s New Year’s party
• Created a system for billing, including a reimbursement form**
• Created a budget for SPNSCC**
• Conducted a budget review by a licensed CPA**
• Reduced membership renewals to 4 times a year
• Participated in two Hamline events with Walter Enloe, one with guests from Japan
• Volunteered at the Festival of Nations Japanese food booth
• Printed and distributed 2 Hochi newsletters
• Participated in the Lantern Lighting Festival as funders for entertainment.** I volunteered as Emcee and members volunteered in a fund raising booth
• Created membership cards with discounts to Twin City locations**
• Participated in the 11th Day Prayer for Peace at Saint Catherine University
• Held the annual August 9th Nagasaki Commemoration at the labyrinth
• A delegation (Robert Palmer, Larry and Chris Rossow) attended the 10th anniversary of the Nagasaki Saint Paul Sister City Committee. Jim Kunzman and I were also there via the technology of Skype - a software application that allows users to make video calls over the internet **
• Members participated in and attended the Peter Leach fundraiser to bring his photos of Como Ordway Japanese Garden to an exhibition in Nagasaki in April of 2010**

Every year experiences a few “low lights” as well as highlights. This year we lost former member Otto Christensen and were saddened by that. A huge thank you to Jim Kunzman and other annual meeting planners for organizing the tribute we will experience tonight.

We also had an unfortunate incident with our bench dedicated to Mayor Itoh. It was destroyed by vandals shortly after it was placed at the labyrinth. Hopefully by next year we will have a report to you regarding our solution. One other surprise for us this year was that we accidently let our 501.C3 status expire briefly. We are in process of correcting that problem and are clear to do business as usual.

Finally, I want to thank a few individuals for their help and support this past year.

All SPNSCC board members: You each deserve recognition for your time and commitment to our monthly meetings. I am amazed and thankful for your support and positive attitudes. When something needs to be done, someone jumps up and does it. There is no way we can get all of the activities completed without your collaboration.
Ben vanLierop: our Annual Meeting committee chair this year. Also our liaison between Japan America Society of Minnesota and SPNSCC.
Fusako Muro: Membership chair
Kristen Mastel: Our Hochi editor, entertainment recruiter for the Lantern Lighting Festival, active manager for our website, and technology expert
Bill Pesek: Liaison between SPNSCC and the City of Saint Paul. Bill assists us with questions regarding Como Park, the Japanese Garden the labyrinth and more. He has helped us with the audit discussion and supports our connections to the Mayor’s office. He is the reason we are meeting in this wonderful location.
Angela Bailey: treasurer, creator of wonderful documents (such as your calendar) and a person who gets things done!
Rob Palmer: Rob goes above and beyond his role as board member to represent SPNSCC at functions around the Twin Cities, to cart items from Japan to Saint Paul (and back again), to pick up and deliver items for the Festival of Nations and more.
JoAnn Blatchley: She organized the August 9th Commemoration as well as the August 6th Commemoration in Minneapolis, I appreciate her willingness to take over for me today in her role as Vice President, her work as liaison between Peter Leach and SPNSCC, and her can do attitude!
Ann O’Neill: Organized the July 11th event at the CSJ Province Chapel on Randolph Avenue.
Cyndy McKeen and Jim Kunzman: caretakers of the labyrinth
Festival of Nations Volunteers: Including Linda van Doiijeweert, Carol Hanson, Angela Bailey: Without your help, we couldn’t have done it. Thank you!
And I want to thank John Kusske who will remain on the board from a distance as he heads to Asia for a new job. Thanks for being our secretary and a wonderful support for SPNSCC.

SPNSCC ‘s success has always been the fruit of hard work and commitment to our mission of cultural understanding and appreciation of the people of Nagasaki. We are eager to move into the future with determination, great energy and vision.

To all of our members - Domo Arigato Gozaimasu!
Thank you for your membership, your volunteer work, your continued support and resources.
Elizabeth Simmer, President SPNSCC

Bon Enkai 2009

2009-12-19T09:48:00.001-08:00

Annual Meeting Weeks Away

2009-11-15T10:58:00.000-08:00

The Saint Paul Nagasaki Sister City Committee will hold our 2009 Annual Meeting on Saturday, December 5th at the Oxford Community Center in Saint Paul. We have had a productive year and would like to share that information with our members and friends. Please plan to join us!

The photo above includes Jeffrey Stirling (center, front row), Conductor for the Saint Paul Civic Symphony. He is shown with other musicians from Nagasaki during the Mayor's trip to Nagasaki one year ago. SPNSCC member Ann O'Neill is sitting to his right. Our colleague Takayuki Miyanishi, President of the Nagasaki Saint Paul Sister City Committee is also pictured in the back row, second from the right.

Summer 2009

2009-07-06T19:19:00.000-07:00

We have several summer events coming up that I'd like to tell you about. We are collaborating with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet and Consociates for Prayer in Preparation for the Commemoration of the Bombing of Nagasaki on August 9th. Jim Scheibel, Former Mayor of St. Paul will speak at Our Lady of the Presentation Chapel 1880 Randolph Avenue, St. Paul Minnesota will participate.

On August 9th we will hold the commemoration at the labyrinth at Como Park. On the 16th of August we will join Japan America Society and the Friends of Como Park for the annual Lantern Lighting Festival.

None of this would happen if it were not for our wonderful SPNSCC volunteers and board members. Please join us this summer!

Festival of Nations

2009-04-21T20:10:00.000-07:00

A few members of the SPNSCC are currently spending hours planning for the Festival of Nations food booth. Angela has been ordering food and picking up many of the necessary items. On Sunday, JoAnn, Robert, Carol and I sampled the wonderful foods we'll be serving during the Festival of Nations. Our menu this year consists of gyoza, beef with rice, teriyaki chicken, fortune cookies, sushi, edamame and more. This fundraiser provides us with the majority of our funding for the year. We can always use a few more volunteers -- so be sure to give me a call if you can help. We'll post many photos when we're all finished. For now, put April 30 through May 3 on your calendar and either visit our booth or come and help us serve the best Japanese food at the Festival of Nations!

March Board Meeting Minutes

2009-04-11T11:35:00.000-07:00

March 12, 2009
Minutes taken by John Kusske, typed by Elizabeth Simmer

Treasurer’s Report:
Angela, Bill P. and Elizabeth met with Sandra Weston, CPA, who walked them through the items needed for tax filing this year. Items we need to file: federal taxes, attorney general, MN sales tax, MN income tax. All of the paperwork is there and Angela is working to put specific documents into protective sleeves as well as scan items onto a disc for safe keeping.

Sandra suggested we use Quicken (appropriate software), USB memory stick, print cartridges, file box. The board voted and approved the purchase of these items for tax purposes. Also discussed was the purchase of a dedicated computer for SPNSCC. The board decided that was not necessary at this time. We will also scan all checks and print hard copies.

Membership:
Elizabeth discussed the membership card. This card would provide discounts or free items for SPNSCC members when used at specific businesses. So far Urban Traveler has agreed to participate. JoAnn said she would ask Saint Paul Japanese restaurants. (Fuji-ya declined).

Hochi:
Kristen reported that the HOCHI was sent out with 33 electronic copies and 142 paper copies.

August 9th Commemoration:
JoAnn has started planning the August 9th event and asked the board to pledge a percentage of the Festival of Nations profits to support Japanese students visiting in August. After much discussion, the board deferred the decision until the budget is firm. We still encourage the students to come and will pick up meal, activity and homestay costs they will incur.

Library:
Kristen talked with Merriam Park Library about a partnership with SPNSCC. The library was interested but will defer until later.

Festival of Nations:
More meetings were planned for specific FON details. Angela was authorized to purchase equipment for future FON. All fees were paid and JACL paid ½ of the insurance costs.

Board Meeting on 3/12/09

2009-03-14T08:10:00.001-07:00

The Saint Paul Nagasaki Sister City Board met on Thursday night. Our official minutes will come as soon as our secretary can get them to us. Meanwhile, the most pressing items are the upcoming Festival of Nations, getting our financial information transparent and inviting youth from Nagasaki to participate in the Lantern Lighting Festival and the August 9th Commemoration Ceremony.

If you can volunteer to serve food at the Festival of Nations, please send me an email at SPNSCC@gmail.com. We would love to have you there!

Origami is Fun!

2009-02-25T18:06:00.000-08:00

February board minutes

2009-02-25T17:59:00.000-08:00

February Minutes, 02/12/2009
Location: Oxford Community Center, 270 Lexington Parkway North, St. Paul
Present: Elizabeth Simmer, Angela Bailey, JoAnn Blatchley, Jim Kunzman, Kristen Mastel, Robert Palmer, Linda van Dooijeweert
Minutes of January Meeting: Motion to approve January Minutes made, seconded, and approved by acclamation.
Treasurer’s Report: Discussed line items in the Treasurer’s report. The Treasurer will create an itemized list of costs associated with budget line items for large events, i.e., Festival of Nations. Motion to approve Treasurer’s report made, seconded, and approved by acclamation.
System for Bills: Bills will be paid within 30 days of being received. Angela, the Treasurer, will bring the checkbook to every meeting, so bills can be paid if necessary. Elizabeth will write up a payment process and create a reimbursement form for SPNSCC.
Audit: SPNSCC is looking into having an audit done for the previous three years. Elizabeth will follow-up with Carol, regarding an accountant to perform the audit. If the service is not in-kind, she will gather a few additional bids and present the information at the March meeting. Robert will work on an inventory of SPNSCC items to prepare for the Festival of Nations, and if needed by the auditor.
Board Insurance: Kristen brought up the idea that Board Insurance might be needed to protect members. Other members pointed out that for large events, such as Festival of Nations and the Lantern Lighting Festival, we are covered by the umbrella organization, or pay for event insurance. Kristen will look into the costs associated with Board insurance for the March meeting.
Membership: Elizabeth gave an update on membership on behalf of Fusako. As of December 31, Fusako sent out 19 membership renewals and only received 4 replies. The groups looked through the one-page membership list that we had and noted which members had deceased, and others that have moved away. The remaining members that were not current were divided amongst many Board members. Members were asked to call the individuals and inquire if their intent is to renew. This brought up a point by a new member, who wondered what benefits the members received. The group decided it would be a good idea to investigate creating a membership card. The card would list discounts at several businesses, along with listing the expiration of the membership. Kristen volunteered to create a draft card for the March meeting. Members will receive a welcome letter and membership card, along with be listed in the Hochi, like JASM does monthly.
Festival of Nations: Angela gave an update on the FON. She outlined the final menu, discussed ordering a fridge, stove and freezer (to cut down on trips to a storage location). Angela is looking for additional shift captains. There was also discussion of snacks versus food for the volunteers. It was agreed upon that each volunteer would receive a coupon for one Japan booth entrée per volunteer, in addition to the wrist band that gets them admission to the whole festival.
Walter Enloe/Hamline: JoAnn gave a recap of the talk by Walter Enloe at Hamline, and that a featured article will be in the next issue of the Hochi.
Youth: David Meldman sent an e-mail to Elizabeth, inquiring to how we could bring youth into the organization. He has several children that are into manga and anime and wondered if there were any programs or activities that SPNSCC provided that might be of interest. The group decided to refer him to the Japan School, JASM activites, and his local public library. This brought up the idea of potentially having sister-city libraries in St. Paul and Japan, and providing a “YA book club bag” of manga for each location. Kristen volunteered to look into this and report back at the March meeting.
Hochi: The next issue of the Hochi will come out in late March. Elizabeth will send her President’s Corner column and photos from the delegation visit to Nagasaki.
Website: SPNSCC’s website needs to be updated and more interactive and discussion of linking to Elizabeth’s blog for more current information. Kristen and Brian will look into potentially redoing the website this summer. If this cannot be achieved, they will create a proposal for students at MCTC to work on as a course project, courtesy of Elizabeth’s husband, who is an instructor.
Lantern Lighting: Kristen is working on the Thompson grant proposal. She will also look into a Target grant, once local store grant applications are available in late March.
Meeting adjourned.

Nagasaki Delegation with Mayor Coleman

2009-02-12T15:36:00.000-08:00

SPNSCC member Dean Potter recently published an article about SPNSCC's annual meeting in the Asian Pages.
He also published the photo with the delegation members including SPNSCC members Ann O'Neill, John Kusske, Robert Palmer and Bill Pesek. New member to SPNSCC is Jeffrey Stirling, located to the right of the Mayor.

Sister City Meeting Minutes - January

2009-02-12T15:31:00.000-08:00

January Minutes, 1/08/2009
Location: Oxford Community Center, 270 Lexington Parkway North, St. Paul
Present: Elizabeth Simmer, Angela Bailey, JoAnn Blatchley, Debra Caron, Jim Kunzman, John Kusske, Kristin Mastel, Robert Palmer, Linda van Dooijeweert
Minutes of December Meeting: Amended to add a surname (Longoria), then approved by acclamation.
Treasurer’s Report: Explanation of cost of the park bench in honor of Mayor Itō to be placed next to the Como Park Labyrinth. Cindy McKeen has already purchased it for $849.50, and $225 as of the meeting time had been reimbursed. The remaining balance will be made up by donations in the coming days. Idea floated to create a new category, “Maintenance”, in the Treasurer’s Report, but no action taken. Motion to approve Treasurer’s report made, seconded, and approved by acclamation.
Annual meeting recap: General consensus that the annual meeting was a big success. Many thanks to all those responsible, namely Fusako Muro, Bill Pesek, Andy Padula, and Mrs. Sako!
Hochi: Call for photos, and for cleaning up / updating the membership information. Email vs. paper Hochi discussed. Idea of online events calendar also put forward, no action taken. Next Hochi slated to be in March, with another in September.
Totem Pole in Nagasaki: Jim Kunzman has met with Jim Longoria and Connie Fullmer about the current situation (the pole donated in 2005 became rotted and had to be removed, and some replacement is being sought). St. Paul and Nagasaki Rotary want to restore some symbol of the sister city relationship. The land on which the pole sat does indeed belong to the City of Nagasaki, Jim found out. Rather than arrange a new totem pole, Jim strongly believes we should use the mural done by Harding High School students back in 2005, which has been in Nagasaki since then, which the Board concurred with. General sense that the responsibility really lies with the Rotary Club, not the Committee. No formal action taken.
Festival of Nations: $300 registration fee has been paid. FON subcommittee is working on a slimmed-down menu to concentrate on high-selling items. Final menu to be turned in by the February 8th deadline.
Japan-America Society of Minnesota New Year’s Party (Jan. 18th): The Committee agreed to send people to man a booth. Robert Palmer volunteered to be in charge, other members also expressed interest. Robert was planning on bringing $500 of items he bought himself to the event.
Calendar of Events: Blank calendar for 2009 year passed out, and various upcoming events for the year tentatively marked down. Larger events include the Festival of Nations in April/May, the Lantern Lighting Festival in August, Atomic Bomb commemorations also in August, Dragon Boat Festival in July, and some kind of spring or summer festival (Sakura festival / hanami). Evening of August 8th vs. morning of August 9th discussed, and barring a good economical source of lighting for an evening event, consensus was to hold the Atomic commemoration on the morning of the 9th (a Sunday). Idea to take part in the Asian Dragon Festival at Lake Phalen was enthusiastically received, perhaps even to take part in the Dragon Boat race. Ideas to take part in other events also discussed. No official actions taken in any of these matters however.
Future meeting dates will be held on the second Thursday of the month in 2009, at the Oxford Community Center.

School Visit

2008-11-23T18:15:00.000-08:00

While in Nagasaki, I was able to visit Suwa Elementary School and observe children singing, playing music, studying math and cleaning their school. Yes, I said cleaning their school. There are no custodians in the schools so students (and teachers) are in charge of the floors, windows and toilets! It's an everyday occurrence in elementary and junior high schools.

The math lesson was my main mission. What I saw on my visit was repeated in every fourth grade classroom throughout the entire country. The standards for each grade are written in the text book and the entire nation uses the same text book. They were covering isosceles triangles during our visit. Two teachers worked together to teach the 40 students in the classroom. The children interacted with the teachers, showed a variety of ways to solve a problem and had individual work time as well. It was a wonderful experience which I would be thrilled to go into more detail if asked! I was almost as impressed with the clean, clear notes children took on the topic. Apparently they learn how to take notes in first grade. When I asked what they do with the sloppy kids, they said it just doesn't happen. Perhaps in junior high school, but children are not sloppy writers in elementary school.

Suwa Elementary Nagasaki

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2008-11-20T17:00:00.000-08:00

Travels before Nagasaki

Since I last posted, I have been in a whirlwind of activity. I did visit the Osaka Castle and will post photos at a later time. For now, do a google search and see it for yourself. I also went to Arima Onsen which is set in the mountains outside of Kobe, Japan.

Kobe experienced an enormous earthquake around 12 years ago or so. It is now rebuilt and is an amazing city. I went to both Arima and Kobe with my friends Yuriko and Irene. I have known Yuriko since 1983 when I was a student at ICU in Tokyo for my junior year of college abroad. Irene was a student teacher at Jackson Elementary last year and was in my classroom daily teaching.

2008-11-14T15:20:00.000-08:00

I made it to Osaka, Japan safe and sound. I changed my money into yen. Right now is not the best time to change dollars into yen. The dollar is worth 96 yen. In previous years, it was 220 yen to the dollar. My friend met me at the airport. We took a fast train to Osaka City. It is very clean and beautiful. We ate a bowl of noodles and I went to sleep. Traveling from Minnesota to Japan takes about 15 hours. When I arrived it was 2:00am in Minnesota but 5:00 pm on the 14th in Japan.

Today we will visit Osaka Castle. Later we will go to visit Arima Hotsprings. On Sunday, November 16th, I will fly to Nagasaki.

2008-11-12T11:20:00.000-08:00

Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman leading delegation to China and Japan

by Joe Kimball,

published Monday, Nov. 10, 2008 in MinnPost.com

St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman left for the Far East this morning - China and Japan, not Minnehaha Avenue and McKnight Road.

With his arts and culture policy associate Joe Spencer, the mayor will visit St. Paul's sister-cities of Changsha, China and Nagasaki, Japan. They'll be gone for 10 days. Private funding is paying for the trip.

They're scheduled to meet with 3M and Delta (Northwest) officials there and look at some high-speed rail projects.

Others on the trip with the mayor are: Lenny Huie, president of Advanced Technologies Integration; Jenny Hsaio, member of the St. Paul-Changsha Sister City Committee; Karolyn Kirchgesler, president and CEO of the St. Paul Convention and Visitors Authority; John Kusske, member of the Nagasaki Sister City Committee and U.S.-China Peoples Friendship Association; Ann O'Neill, member of the St. Paul-Nagasaki Sister City Committee; Robert Palmer, member of the St. Paul-Nagasaki Sister City Committee; Bill Pesek, senior landscape architect for St. Paul Parks and Recreation; Jeff Rageth, national manager at 3M; John Mueller, vice president of the St. Paul Federation of Teachers; Mark Schneider, acting associate director of the U of M Office of International program; Elizabeth Simmer, president of the St. Paul-Nagasaki Sister City Committee; Jeff Stirling, music director of the St. Paul Civic Symphony and Mike Xiong, a business analyst for Thomson Reuter.

Map of Nagasaki, Japan

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Japan is made up of four large islands and many smaller islands. Nagasaki is located on the southern most island of Kyushu. I'll be flying into Osaka on this trip and immediately heading to Kobe for a night at a Japanese inn with a hot spring. I'll then fly to Nagasaki and meet up with the rest of the delegation.

Lantern Lighting Festival at Como Park in August

2008-11-02T17:56:00.000-08:00

It seems like yesterday that we were enjoying summertime. Now we're heading into winter and the long awaited trip to Nagasaki with Mayor Chris Coleman is nearly here. The Mayor will travel to Saint Paul's sister city of Changsha, China prior to Nagasaki.

The trip to Nagasaki will promote cultural, educational and business connections. Please stay tuned for updates while we are there.

Upcoming travels to Nagasaki

2008-11-01T08:19:00.000-07:00

Plans are underway for SPNSCC members to join Mayor Chris Coleman and others on a trip to Nagasaki, Japan in November. Please continue to check this blog for more information.