Community

SACRAMENTO — The Asian Community Center has announced ACC Team, a new telecommunications education and assistance program in multiple languages.

ACC will be one of the 30 community organizations in California, serving as a resource for limited English speakers when it comes to understanding and resolving issues with their phone bill (both land line and cell phone bills) – for free.

ACC can provide a workshop regarding:

• Understanding phone bills
• Avoiding unnecessary charges and lowering phone bill costs
• Spotting and resolving fraudulent activity

by J.K. YAMAMOTO
Hokubei Mainichi

The Foreign Minister’s Commendation was presented to long-time Japanese American community leader Hatsuro Aizawa on Sept. 25, but there was one thing missing from the ceremony — the honoree.

Consul General Yasumasa Nagamine, who hosted the event at his official residence in San Francisco, announced that Aizawa had been hospitalized the night before. Although he was in stable condition and wanted to attend the ceremony, his doctor told him not to, Nagamine said.

BERKELEY — Maestro Kent Nagano, who has been with the Berkeley Symphony for 30 years, conducted his last concert as music director on Sept. 18 at UC Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall.

The evening included a piece commissioned by the symphony’s board for the occasion, Kurt Rohde’s “Bis Bald” (German for “see you soon”) and the presentation of a proclamation by Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates. Kathleen Henschel, the symphony’s board president, also recognized Nagano.

Optimistic rebels from all walks of life are invited to the national Radical Women conference, “The Persistent Power of Socialist Feminism,” to be held at the San Francisco Women’s Building, 3543 18th St. in the Mission District, from Friday to Monday, Oct. 3-6.

The major goal of the four-day public event is to produce an education and action plan to focus and strengthen the feminist movement. Speakers include numerous Asian and Asian American activists and scholars.

MILLBRAE — The third annual Millbrae Japanese Culure Festival will be held on Sunday, Oct. 5, from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Civic Center Plaza, 1 Library Lane.

The event, which will feature entertainment, food, and arts and crafts, is presented by the City of Millbrae and its Japanese Culture Committee, whose members include Kathleen Kimura, Akiko Soda and Yukiko Tanaka. Performers and artists from all over the Bay Area have been invited to participate.

A heavy mist welcomed the volunteers who turned out at the National AIDS Memorial Grove volunteer work day sponsored by the San Francisco Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League on Sept. 20.

Volunteers from Nakayoshi, a JACL young professionals' group, and the chapter members joined in to dig over 1,200 holes for one- and five-gallon plants along the southern slope of the grove. Though exhausted, the volunteers were able to smile as they looked at the hillside after all of the plants were in the ground.

LOS ANGELES — Anne Spencer is the recipient of the Rev. Hoshin Fujikado Scholarship for 2008.

The $500 award is given annually to encourage the study of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism.

Spencer is a member of Idaho-Oregon Buddhist Temple, where she is in the Buddhist Churches of America’s Minister’s Assistant Program.

She has been taking additional classes at the Institute of Buddhist Studies, which is located in the Jodo Shinshu Center in Berkeley.

The government of Japan will present its annual commendation to Masao Shirachi of Salinas to celebrate his longevity, as well as to express its appreciation of his contribution to society.

The government honors centenarians who are Japanese or of Japanese descent on Respect for the Aged Day (Sept. 15) each year, with the aim of raising people’s awareness of the well-being of the elderly in our communities, both in Japan and abroad.

SAN JOSE ­— In conjunction with the second annual Spirit of Japantown Festival, Santo Market will celebrate its 62nd anniversary next week.

An anniversary sale will be held Wednesday, Oct. 1, to Saturday, Oct. 4, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (coffee window opens at 6 a.m.).

Santo Market was founded in 1946 by George Yoshijiro Santo. The first location was on the corner of 5th and Jackson streets in San Jose Japantown. Within the year, the store moved next door to a bigger space.

Wartime Rationing

by KRISTYN TANAKA
Hokubei Mainichi

SAN JOSE — A dream, passion, a lot of motivation and some serious grassroots action — that was the recipe two women mixed up to create Spirit of Japantown.

At only two years old, this infant is growing fast. The second annual Spirit of Japantown will be held Saturday, Oct. 4, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., centered around 5th and Jackson streets.