The Bulletin - Japanese American Citizens League

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
Seasons Greetings
And Best Wishes for the New Year
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
Bulletin 1
Editorial
Donations $55
By Hazel Asamoto
A.Karazian
Ralph & Marie Maki
Irene & Jerry Omori
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.
Bulletin Staff
Editor:
Hazel Asamoto
Staff Writers:
Eva Hashiguchi, Roy Ebihara
Typist/layout:
Joyce Ito
Circulation:
Hazel Asamoto
Collators/Mailing:
Betty Ochi, John Ochi,
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
Shig Igarashi, Karen Sodini,
The staff and I wish you,
Greetings of the Season and a Happy New Year
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]
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
Bulletin 2
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
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always available and willing to help wherever needed at all CARP functions. They’ve celebrated their 62 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
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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.
Bulletin 3
(Photos of Joe and Kay Negrelli)
Bulletin 4
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.
Bulletin 5
From John Ochi: Smithsonian Magazine November 2013
Bulletin 6
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.
Bulletin 7
Cleveland Japanese American Citizens League
3097 Ashwood Rd.
Cleveland, OH 44120
NON PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
CLEVELAND, OHIO
PERMIT NO. 4108
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
DATED MATERIAL – PLEASE DO NOT DELAY
Recipe of the Month
Buckwheat Noodles
(Served for New Year’s Eve)
1 pkg. soba (noodles)
2 sheets nori, toasted
& crumbled
Garnish: sliced
bamboo shoots,
tempura/boiled
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)
3-4T. soy sauce
½ t. sugar
¼ t. salt
2 green onions, finely
chopped daikon (white
radish)
Combine dashi, soy sauce, sugar and salt. Bring to
boil. Add green onion and daikon
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
Bulletin 8