by Tina Woo, Membership

World premiere by Brenda Wong Aoki and First Voice

Saturday , September 30 – October 1st, 2023

Soul of The City follows a storyteller who has no more stories to tell. Her husband is sick, her boy has moved away, and no one is listening to her stories. Pursued by demons and haunted by ghosts, the storyteller embarks on a journey to find the soul of San Francisco. This multimedia music drama is a ritual performance. Rooted in traditional Japanese theater and music and infused with contemporary spoken word and Asian American Jazz, the Soul of The City reveals the divine in us all.

The audience will arrive dressed in their personal regalia and will gather in the garden to put prayers, photographs or talisman on the Soul of The City sacred tree. A Shinto priest will bless us with a purification ceremony and willing participants will be given temple bells to call the ancestors. We will then go inside the theater. The audience will witness a ritual performance of jazz, storytelling, and poetry that is accompanied by photographs and images of Brenda’s family in San Francisco since the 1800’s. At the conclusion of the performance we will return to the garden for refreshments, renewed, recharged and inspired to carry on.

Written by Brenda Wong Aoki. Directed by David Furumoto with musical direction by Masaru Koga. Original music by Mark Izu, Masaru Koga, and Derek Nakamoto. Multimedia by Andi Wong and Olivia Ting. Costumes by Lydia Tanji. Performers include Brenda Wong Aoki, Caroline Cabading, Masaru Koga, devorah major, Jimi Nakagawa, Derek Nakamoto, and Kenneth Nash.

PURCHASE TICKETS HERE

by Armand Gutierrez, President

July is over, and so is the hot weather towards the end of the month and we all survived 90+ temps. If I could accurately predict the weather, I would be a wealthy man. But, alas, my mortal powers are limited to just keeping fit for the upcoming ski season, so I have no predictions for August. But keep in mind, there is talk about another El Niño year.

NSC Annual Membership Meeting and Luau Picnic

The NSC Annual Membership Meeting and Luau Picnic were held on Saturday, July 22nd, and the weather was great, a great crowd of 55+ people, and a number of new faces. Everyone dined on a variety of cuisine, the new board was introduced, and a short discussion on family memberships was presented. If you missed this event now you will have to wait until next year.

2024 NSC Jackson Hole – 27 January to 3 February

Applications are coming in so if you haven’t sent yours in then what are you waiting for? Jackson Hole is always a big favorite and lodging spaces are getting taken up. For those of you that have made a deposit then August 15^th is the due date for the second payment. Go to the NSC website and download the Jackson Hole Flyer, fill it out, and send it in (don’t forget your check). As an added incentive, you can go down (literally) as an NSC Legend just by taking this simple fall line run (AKA Corbet’s Couloirs):

Here is the sign up form for Jackson Hole weeklong trip.

2024 JACKSON HOLE FLYER

QotM: Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

by Carolyn Wong, Nisei Ski Club Member

What could be better than a drive along the backroads in San Mateo County?

Doing it with a group of your best ski buddies.

This driving tour will start at the Steven’s Creek County Park and travel the backroads through Pescadero, along the coast through Half Moon Bay, and end at the Rossotti’s Alpine Inn for lunch.

The Driving Tour is being led by an experienced tour leader. We will travel as a group (caravan) while enjoying the roads and the scenery. Any car is welcome.

Date Saturday, September 9, 2023

Meet at the Stevens Creek County Park main parking lot (drive past the small parking lot on the right and turn left to go up the hill, we will meet in the parking lot on the left near the bathrooms) at 9:30 AM. We will depart at 10:00 AM.

There will be a rest break at the Arcangeli Grocery, known for their artichoke bread, in Pescadero for a rest stop before we head north up the coast.

SIGN UP FORM HERE

https://www.alpineinnpv.com/

by Jeanne Katsuro, Vice President

Join us and celebrate – Nisei Ski Club’s 65th Anniversary. NEW DATE

A banquet is planned for the following date –

Date: Saturday, October 28,2023

Location:       China Stix Restaurant https://www.chinastix.net/

                     2110 El Camino Real,

Santa Clara, CA 95050

Time – 5:00pm

Come out and get reacquainted with past presidents and your NSC members.

It’s going to be a fantastic evening!!

For more information, please send updated emails to

Jeanne Katsuro vicepresident@niseiskiclub.org

Here are some pics from our NSC 60th Anniversary DInner in 2018

by Karen Soo, Newsletter Editor

Hey Fellow Chefs,

Since Julia Child and I share the same birthday, we’re taking this month off to celebrate.

Yes, its a month long celebration.

See you next month with new recipe posting. If you have a family recipe that you would like to share with us, send me an email at newsletter@niseiskiclub.org

In the meantime, have a great summer and enjoy this..

Bon Appetite – Julia Child and Karen Soo share the same birthday.

by Karen Soo, Newsletter Editor

Another successful NSC picnic that took place on Saturday, July 22. Las Palmas Park.
According to the Evite, 55 current NSC members and potential new members came out. The weather cooperated and we got the best picnic spot #2 with tree covered shading.

The picnic tables were filled with delicious pot luck dishes and scrumptious desserts.  At the end of the day, I’m sure there were plenty of left overs.

A big thank you to Curtis O for starting the BBQ and making the hot dogs, hot links and ribs. I hoped you had the chance to taste some of the slow cooked ribs that fell off the bone.

While the BBQ was heating up, Nelson O grilled his Sous Vide Tri-Tip, that disappeared really quickly.

What was there to eat?

King Egg Rolls, Thai Fruit Dessert, Tuna Sashimi, homemade Focaccia, Chili, sushi rice, chicken wings, pasta salads, appetizers and plenty of different salads and desserts.

I heard one of the hits of the dessert tray was the home-made Guava cake with strawberry topping– Who ever made that, can I get the recipe?

Armand conducted his annual membership meeting. He introduced the new board and talked about the upcoming Jackson Hole trip and the possibility of including minors to our future weeklong ski trips.

A big thank you for Armand for getting the ice beer.

A big thank you to Frank for getting the iced soda and water.  I heard we ran out of soda and water – I OOPS.. My apologies, that won’t happen again next year.

A big thank you to Morgan for getting the permit for the Las Palmas Picnic spot #2 and getting NSC supplies from our shed.
A big thank you again to Curtis for BBQing and bringing all the picnic supplies.

A big thank you to Bill and Celeste for taking pictures of the picnic.

And a big THANK YOU TO YOU!! Thank you for getting off your seats to take the NSC group photo and bringing your entrées and desserts to share. Without your participation, the club will not exist.

I missed the picnic this year and you boys and girls. I hope to see you at the NSC 65^th Anniversary Dinner on Saturday, October 28, 2023. Sign Up.

Have a great summer.

by Tina Woo, Membership

World premiere by Brenda Wong Aoki and First Voice

Saturday , September 30 – October 1st, 2023

Soul of The City follows a storyteller who has no more stories to tell. Her husband is sick, her boy has moved away, and no one is listening to her stories. Pursued by demons and haunted by ghosts, the storyteller embarks on a journey to find the soul of San Francisco. This multimedia music drama is a ritual performance. Rooted in traditional Japanese theater and music and infused with contemporary spoken word and Asian American Jazz, the Soul of The City reveals the divine in us all.

The audience will arrive dressed in their personal regalia and will gather in the garden to put prayers, photographs or talisman on the Soul of The City sacred tree. A Shinto priest will bless us with a purification ceremony and willing participants will be given temple bells to call the ancestors. We will then go inside the theater. The audience will witness a ritual performance of jazz, storytelling, and poetry that is accompanied by photographs and images of Brenda’s family in San Francisco since the 1800’s. At the conclusion of the performance we will return to the garden for refreshments, renewed, recharged and inspired to carry on.

Written by Brenda Wong Aoki. Directed by David Furumoto with musical direction by Masaru Koga. Original music by Mark Izu, Masaru Koga, and Derek Nakamoto. Multimedia by Andi Wong and Olivia Ting. Costumes by Lydia Tanji. Performers include Brenda Wong Aoki, Caroline Cabading, Masaru Koga, devorah major, Jimi Nakagawa, Derek Nakamoto, and Kenneth Nash.

PURCHASE TICKETS HERE

by Karen Soo, Newsletter Editor

From San Jose Taiko

The 50th Anniversary concert, “50 and Beyond” will feature a medley of San Jose Taiko songs from the past and present – including classics and some new favorites – as well as give attendees a preview of the art/work that’s ahead in our limitless future.  As always, we will tell our story and the story of Japanese/Asian Americans in Silicon Valley through our music. It’s an event 50 years in the making and the culmination of our 50th Anniversary celebration!  Please join us at the California Theatre to help us celebrate this milestone.

TWO SHOWS!

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14 – 2 PM AND 7:30 PM

California Theatre
345 S. 1st St.
San Jose, CA 95113

For tickets https://taiko.org/50th

by Armand Gutierrez, President

Once again July is coming in warm-to-hot temperatures, but nothing quite as bad as what’s transpiring on the East coast. Last year’s celebration of our country’s founding was quite a spectacle and I suspect this year’s celebrations will be even greater. So do your part over the 4^th of July weekend by raising Old Glory high above and into the field of blue.

NSC Objectives for this Season

This past season there have been two initiatives that I presented to the board for discussion: family memberships and the FWSA Website Award. The first is controversial, while the second is not.

Family Memberships. The concept of family memberships was born as a result of another way to increase our membership, something that has remained steady over the past few years but took a nosedive during the COVID pandemic. However, preliminary research indicates that, while technically feasible, there are a number of considerations: Constitution/By-Laws changes, insurance, family membership fees, annual ski week, age limits, parental responsibilities, and most important – membership approval. Frank Chang, our treasurer, suggested a series of forums to bring this discussion to the membership and, based on feedback, have a required membership vote. Since we don’t have regularly scheduled meetings I would like to hold these forums at the following events: NSC Annual Membership Meeting and Luau Picnic, the planned 65^th Reunion Dinner, and at the Farewell Dinner on our Jackson Hole ski week.

FWSA Website Award. As part of the FWSA International Travel team I’ve been exposed to the many programs that FWSA sponsors or supports. When I learned about the Historical Club Award I realized that the Nisei Ski Club met all the requirements and, with a little bit of work from the board, we submitted the requisite historical material and subsequently NSC was designated as an FWSA Historical Club. Well, with some changes to our website I think we can win the Website award (novice category) as well. Karen Soo has already been making changes and additional changes will be forthcoming.

Mt. View Obon Festival

The festival will be held July 15-16 so mark your calendars for this annual event. In the past, organizers of the festival have asked NSC for volunteers to work the various booths. Well, this year they have reached out to Karen Soo to see if NSC would be able to provide volunteer support for this year. Check out details this month to sign up.

NSC Annual Membership Meeting and Luau Picnic

The NSC Annual Membership Meeting and Luau Picnic is scheduled for July 22^nd/ Saturday so mark your calendars. As usual the club will be providing beverages and a lunch entree and you can bring a favorite side dish. Details will be on the Picnic Flyer.

FWSA 90^th Annual Convention

The FWSA 90^th Annual Convention was held from 15-18 June, in Boise, ID. This was my first time attending (16-18 June) in two capacities: 1) to assist Debbie Stewart (VP International Travel) with the Silent Auction and her Snow Sports Leadership Academy presentation, and 2) to provide NSC representation.

At the luncheon, Keynote Speaker Genia Fuller-Crews, a World Freestyle Champion and Honored Member of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame (https://skihall.com/hall-of-famers/genia-fuller-crews/), shared her story of competing in and winning World Freestyle Championships (70s) and her work with the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame for equality of recognition. And at her table during the Banquet were four of her buddies that also competed, and won, in freestyle (ballet, moguls, aerials) competitions and are also in the Hall of Fame

As a delegate representing NSC I attended various seminars, entitled to make nominations for the various open positions (I didn’t) and to vote during the elections (I did). Debbie Stewart also invited me to sit in as her guest at their board meeting. The board meeting was quite similar to our board meetings, but with a little more parliamentarian rules. Next year’s FWSA Convention is being held in Reno and hosted by our very own Bay Area Sports Council (BAC) and Sierra League & Council.

Here is the sign up form for Jackson Hole weeklong trip.

2024 JACKSON HOLE FLYER

QotM:  Your greatness is not what you have, but what you give.

by Karen Soo, Newsletter Editor

Come on out and volunteer your time to help out the local community.

Mountain View Buddhist Temple is having their annual Obon Festival.

Dates – Saturday, July 15^th and Sunday, July 16^th.

The Obon Committee has developed a link for our members to volunteer

though their new volunteer webpage https://sangha.mvbuddhisttemple.org/obon/

For more information about the Obon (parking, hours, etc.), please go to the Obon website https://obon.mvbuddhisttemple.org/

If you have questions, please contact the Obon chairpersons

Sandy and Yuki    mvbt.zone13@gmail.com.

Thank you for stepping up to the plate to VOLUNTEER!