Thank you to all those who joined us on Riverdale Dunes Golf Course last week for a great day of fundraising and golfing! We had incredibly beautiful weather, incredibly delicious food (thanks to Miki Hashimoto of Tokio) and an incredible amount of fun between sake tastings, J-pop dancing and swinging those clubs. All proceeds from this event and the raffle support Japanese education programs in Colorado including study abroad scholarships, school visits and the Japanese School of Denver. Thank you to our sponsors and golfers for making this year a sucess. And a big….

Congratulations to our 2021 Raffle Winners!

• Grand Prize: Two international round trip tickets on United Airlines
  Ticket # 1401 - Bob Frankmore

• 2nd Prize: Two domestic round trip tickets on United Airlines
  Ticket # 1440 - Herman L. White

• 3rd Prize: A stay at Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort
  Ticket # 532 - Jason Baker

• 4th Prize: United Airlines flight simulator experience for four
  Ticket # 326 - Sandi Moilanen

• 5th Prize: $500 gift card to Big O Tires donated by Sumitomo Corporation of Americas
  Ticket # 92 - Isamu Hashimoto

JASC’s Junko Goodwin with Tagawa Gardens’ Lauren having a great time on camera!

JASC’s Junko Goodwin joined Lauren at Tagawa Gardens this past month to bring a fun and lively online workshop focused on Japanese gardens and aesthetics to our community. The program culminated with how to create your own kokedama (moss ball) at home. Support our event partner by purchasing a prepared DIY kit from Tagawa Gardens ($40). Alternatively, you can purchase materials on your own from any garden supply store. Click here for the materials list. Once you have your materials, view the kokedama workshop video on JASC’s YouTube channel and try out your green thumb at home!

As you may know, Japan America Society of Colorado is one of 38 societies who are part of the National Association of Japan America Societies (NAJAS). This week, from Aug. 31 - Sept. 2 JASC is honored to be hosting the NAJAS Annual Meeting. Attendees will include Executive Directors and Board representatives from 30 Japan America Societies from around the country and virtual participation from other U.S. societies and partner societies in Japan. This is a way for all JAS to connect and learn from one another. The meeting will open with a live, virtual Keynote Address via Zoom from Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the United States, Tomita Koji. His talk will be followed by in-person talks from Congresswoman Diana DeGette (Denver-1), and former Tokyo Bureau Chief of the Washington Post and current JASC Board Member T.R. Reid. Other distinguished speakers will include Joseph Young, former Charge d'Affaires, U.S. Embassy in Tokyo and Ambassadors Masafumi Ishii and Kurt Tong on the topic of Geopolitical Strategy. Presentations will be offered by the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission, Japan Foundation, and Sasakawa Peace Foundation. All of this shared knowledge is re-invested right here at Japan America Society of Colorado as we use what we learn to provide quality programs for our members and gain access to new speakers for future events. We are excited to welcome our national partners to Denver!