Shin-Issei members from the United States and Japan held their quarterly Zoom networking event on April 17 celebrating the sakura season. Participants were asked to share a story or memory related to the hanami season or come up with a haiku, the traditional Japanese short poem with a 5-7-5 syllable cadence. The stories and poems prompted humorous follow-ups from the group and we closed with many smiles and laughter. The Shin-Issei Group was honored to have new USJC President and CEO Audrey Yamamoto join at the beginning to give her remarks on taking on this new role, and they continue to explore ways to contribute to the U.S.-Japan relationship by engaging USJC members with bilingual and bicultural proficiencies.
To inquire about the Shin-Issei affinity group, please contact [email protected] or one of the steering committee members: Aya Iwasuji (NoCal), Ichiro Sekimitsu (HI), Masami Tyson (TN), Nori Tarui (HI), Tatsuki Tomita (NoCal), Toshiki Masaki (MI), Vince Okada (HI), Yuko Watanabe (WA), and Yumi Higashi (NY).