Cultural Exhibits

By GERRYE WONG
Special to the Hokubei

For two nights in San Francisco this month, patrons at fundraising events were given the opportunity to reminisce and/or learn about the “Swinging Chinatown Days: The Golden Age of Chinese Nightclubs,” the title of an exhibit being shown at The Old Mint, 88 Fifth St. in San Francisco.

To start down memory lane, Cynthia Yee and her Grant Avenue Follies ladies presented their night of nostalgia at the Four Seas Restaurant in the middle of Chinatown before a sell-out dinner crowd of over 200.

SAN JOSE — Remember those special dolls that you were not allowed to touch when Grandma displayed them in March? It’s that time of year…to celebrate the Japanese tradition of Hinamatsuri, Girl’s Day.

Hinamatsuri occurs on March 3, the third day of the third month. It is a day to honor girls and wish them health and happiness. Displays of hina ningyo (ornamental dolls) are placed on tiered platforms that can have as many as seven tiers with the top tier reserved for the emperor and empress.

The Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California, 1840 Sutter St. in San Francisco Japantown, is hosting its own shikishi exhibit from Jan. 19 to Feb. 21.

Submit your shikishi board with “Hatsu Yume” (First Dream) as the theme. You do not have to be an artist or have any art background to submit an entry. All ages are welcome.

However, you can only submit entries actually drawn on or pasted onto a shikishi as they will be displayed in the JCCCNC Conference Rooms.

The Consulate General of Japan’s Japan Information Center, 50 Fremont St., Suite 2200, in San Francisco, will present “Representations of Kimono in Clay” from Jan. 26 to March 4.

An opening reception and presentation will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 26, from 6 to 7:50 p.m.

The artist, Shigemi Sanders, uses raku firing, a 400-year-old Japanese firing method that uses low-temperature firing and reduction to bring out an earthy appearance.

BERKELEY — UC Berkeley students will build a giant California roll on Sunday, Nov. 8, from 12 to 1:30 p.m. on upper Sproul Plaza.

The students plan to construct a 330-foot-long roll, starting at the plaza fountain just north of the intersection of Bancroft Way and Telegraph Avenue and going north to Sather Gate. Their goal is to best the current world record of 300 feet set in Maui in 2001.

On the organizers' grocery list are at least 536 sheets of nori, 102 pounds of dry rice, 167 pounds of a fish-based product called surimi, 67 pounds of cucumbers and 67 pounds of avocados.

NEW YORK — San Francisco-based origami artist Linda Mihara was involved in the creation of an origami rainforest for Conservation International on Sept. 21.

In connection with the meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, and on the eve of Climate Week, Conservation International rallied a high-profile team in support of tropical forests and their role in the effort to slow climate change.

PALO ALTO — Shoko Kazama, the official calligrapher of Kencho-ji in Kamakura, will visit Palo Alto this month during her second tour of the U.S.

Kencho-ji ranks first among Kamakura’s five great Zen temples and is the oldest Zen training monastery in Japan, dating back to 1253.

Kazama will have a solo exhibition from Tuesday, Nov. 10, to Monday, Nov. 30, at Kimura Gallery, 482 Hamilton Ave. in Palo Alto. For more information, call (650) 322-3984.

The Ohara Ikebana School’s Northern California Chapter will hold an exhibition celebrating its 45th anniversary on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 24-25, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the San Francisco County Fair Building, Lincoln Way and 9th Avenue in Golden Gate Park.

Ikebana demonstrations will be given by Hoei Miyazaki and Suiko Maruyama on Saturday from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. and by Grand Master Suiyo Fujimoto on Sunday from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.

Admission is free. For more information, contact Suiko Maruyama, chapter president, at (510) 494-8220.

San Francisco Chanoyu (tea ceremony) instructors Kimika Soko Takeuchi and Larry Sokyo Tiscornia of the Urasenke School of Tea, will host several events in October.

Thursday, Oct. 1, 7 to 8 p.m.: “Tsukimi” Tea
“Tsukimi” (harvest moon viewing) is the time of the year when people enjoy the harvest moon with family and friends. Traditional sweets and usucha (thin tea) will be served.

The fee is $20. Call (415) 752-6944 or e-mail teatimes@chanoyu.com for information, reservations, and location.

INDEPENDENCE, Inyo County — The Manzanar National Historic Site’s non-profit partner, the Manzanar History Association (MHA), recently launched an online store at www.manzanarstore.com.

The store features more than 200 books, videos, gifts, and other items related to Japanese American history, Japanese culture, World War II, the 1940s, the nature and history of the Owens Valley and Sierra Nevada region, national parks, and more.

Proceeds from MHA sales support educational and interpretive programs at the Manzanar National Historic Site.