Mochitsuki Thank Yous! Arigatou Gozaimasu!

Dear All,

Thank you to those of you who attended our annual community Mochitsuki celebration. We hope you enjoyed the mochi pounding and shaping, bento lunch by Tako Grill, daifuku, Crafty Ladies pop-up, our epic raffle and connecting with our community. Whether it was your first time or your fifteenth time, we hope you found it enjoyable and memorable. We hope you’ll keep coming back!

We’d like to say a big “thank you” to the Embassy of Japan in the United States, Minister Masaru Sato, Ms. Fumiho Suzawa, Minister Tomoaki Ishigaki and all of the Embassy of Japan staff who joined us on Saturday. We appreciate their continued interest, support and friendship. We are also thankful to community member and leader, Ms. Erika Moritsugu, Deputy Assistant to the President and Asian American and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Senior Liaison and her husband and son who also attended.

We are also thankful to the creative Crafty Ladies led by Nancy Yamada who donated $1,000 to our Chapter and $1,000 to the JACL DC Graphic Novel Project, kicking off fundraising for this historic educational project. You’ll hear more about this exciting project in the coming year. Thank you to the members: Barbara Sakamoto, Mitsuko Furuhashi, Michelle Amano, Jean Marumoto, Sonia Misawa, Eileen Roulier, Joy Aso, Barbara Nekoba, Shirley Bertoni, Debbie Omori, Meghan Bertoni, Lori Kasamatsu, Barbara Ikejiri, Yoko Morita and Janet Nuzum.

A special thanks to our culture-bearers and mochitsuki, rice pounding, leaders, Kota Mizutani and Erika Ninoyu.

Also, thank you to our wonderful volunteers, Chris Yamamoto, Lauren Iwamiya, Kazuma Parkinson, Erika Suzuki, Cristina Hayashi, Barbara Nekoba who helped with the details before, during and after the event.

A big thank you to our chairs, Marilisa and Edson Mori, Emcees John Tobe and Janice Faden, raffle organizer Janet Nuzum, registration leader, Kim Hirose as well as the tireless board, Brad and Lori Sakaguchi, Michelle Amano, Ryosuke Shibuya, Noriko Sanefuji, Bridget Keaveney and Jack Shimabukuro.

Lend a hand and make some new friends! If you are interested in volunteering for next year’s Mochitsuki or an upcoming event, please send us an email at jaclwdc@gmail.com.

We hope you have a safe and peaceful holiday season.

On behalf of the JACL DC board,

Linda Sato Adams and Julie Abo, Co-presidents, JACL DC Chapter