May 2015 Newsletter
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In This Issue

45th Annual Meeting & Member Social!

45th Annual Meeting

Join us to celebrate a successful year! After the general meetingand election of Board members, enjoy a sake tasting withintroduction by Jinbeh owner Ben Matsuda. Enjoy sushi,
tempura, and more! See the list of nominees below.

Friendship Tree
Sendai Half Marathon
Irene Hirano Inouye
A-Kon 26
ILA Home Hosting
Calligraphy Classes
DMA Japanese Art Exhbit
Godzilla Screening
Photo Gallery
JASDFW Calendar of Events

Corporate Members

Platinum | $5,000

June 4, 2015 | 6:00 PM
Haynes and Boone, LLP
2323 Victory Avenue, Suite 700
Dallas, Texas 75219
REGISTER HERE
$38 Member | $42 Public
RSVP by June 1
More Information
NOMINEES FOR BOARD OF DIRECTORS:Japanese First Vice President
Takashi Kubota, NEC Corporation America
Treasurer
Teruo Higa, SCS Global Professionals, LLP
Elected Director, Term Ending 2016Mark Berry, Fujitsu Network Communications, Inc.
Elected Directors, Term Ending 2018
Ken Ohashi, 7-Eleven, Inc.
Harry Whalen, Frisco Economic Development Corporation
Robert Kantner, Jones Day
Masanobu Kobayashi, Mizuho Bank, Ltd.

Dallas-Sendai Friendship Tree Planted

The Dallas-Sendai Friendship Tree was planted on the Mori noSato grounds at the end of April. The Friendship Tree, a cherrytree, was made possible through your generous donations toour December 2014 year-end campaign!

Gold | $2,500

A plaque explains the symbolism of thetree in both English and Japanese.The Morino Sato nursing facility, destroyed in 2011by the earthquake and tsunami, has beenrebuilt with partial support from the Sendai
Relief Fund - $189,000 raised by JASDFW
from generous donors in North Texas. The
new building is scheduled to reopen onJune 26.
Sendai Half Marathon: Dallas Runners Race Well!
The City of Sendai held its 25th
annual half marathon on Sunday,May 10. Runners Elizabeth
Northern and Joshua Thompson,
accompanied by Mark Berry of
the Japan-America Society ofDallas/Fort Worth, represented theCity of Dallas in the race. (Photo: The delegation with Motoko
Kamei and Shogo Kamei, Chairman, Tohoku Japan AmericaAssociation.) Elizabeth Northern placed 1st in the sister city
competition and 11th overall female competition with a time of
1:19:24, and Joshua Thompson placed 7th in the sister citycompetition and 230th overall male competition with a time of
1:22:15. Dallas and Sendai have been International Friendship
Cities since August 29, 1997, and a Dallas team has
participated in the Sendai Half Marathon since 1996.
SMU Honors Irene Hirano Inouye

JASDFW and the Tower Center hosted a luncheon for Irene
Hirano Inouye, President of the U.S.-Japan Council, on May 15.
SMU conferred an honorary degree on Ms. Inouye as part of its
May 16 commencement ceremony. More Information.
Welcome New Members
C orporateBronze
Brierley+Partners
Constangy, Brooks, Smith &Prophete, LLP
Frisco Economic Development
Corporation
Hill+Knowlton Strategies
iiicareer/Gephyro Consulting
SCSK (USA)
Welcome New Members!
Individual & Family

Gary & Kim Stollar
John & Elaine Gilbert

JASDFW Membership

A-Kon 26: June 5 - 7
Celebrating its 26th year, A-Kon is the oldest
continually-running anime-based convention
in North America. A-Kon offers fansexperiences in a variety of interest areas,including independent film, J-Pop, andgaming. Be sure to check out JASDFW's activity booth on
Saturday, June 6 from 10 am - 5 pm. More Information
Weekend Home Hosting Opportunity in Fort Worth Area
Fort Worth Sister Cities is looking for hostfamilies from July 23 - 27 for high school
students participating in the 2015
International Leadership Academy. Studentsfrom Fort Worth's sister cities, including
Nagaoka, Japan, will attend. Contact
isabella@fwsistercities.org for more information.
Summer Calligraphy Classes

Online registration is fastand easy.

Looking to improve your Kanji? Machiko Hanafusa, a licensed

Individual Membership
Hatamoto - $1,000
Samurai - $500
Tomodachi (Friend) - $100
Regular Individual/Family - $40
Student/Educator - $25
Join or renew online
C orporate Membership
Platinum - $5,000
Gold - $2,500
Silver - $1,000
Bronze - $500
Friend - $100
Join or renew online now!
Contributions are tax-deductible tothe full extent allowable by law.

JASDFW Online

www.jasdfw.org

calligraphy instructor, is offering summer calligraphy classes.
More Information
machihana@gmail.com
Dallas Museum of Art: Between Action and the Unknown
From February 8 - July 19, the DMA
is showing decades of masterworks
by Kazuo Shirago and Sadamasa
Motonaga, leaders of the post-war
avant-garde movement Gutai. Take
advantage of this rare opportunity toview this important collection.
More Information
Screening Godzilla: The Japanese Original
Experience the 1954 classic on the big screen on
Tuesday, May 26 at 8:55 pm at the Alamo
Drafthouse Richardson.
More Information
Thank you, Volunteers!
Sun & Star Legacy Award Dinner& Silent Auction

May Festival Volunteers

Rachel Berglund
Binnie Bracken
Junko Cummings
Luke Friesen
Rachel Heisel
J.J. Jenkins
Bruce Jones
Nancy Kerstetter
Bob Kerstetter
Molly Lam
Austin Lockhart
Ryutaro Makino
Diane Montgomery
Josh Murillo
Yuki Nemoto
JoAnn Prindle
Mark Prindle
Tony RubertiCynthia Samilton
Chrystal Sanders
Casey Sanders
Reiko Shinde
Keiko Suzuki
Candi TamAmanda WhiteWilliam Wolfgram

Aaron Bakutis
Hiroko Beaudoing
Machiko Hanafusa
Motoko Ishihara
Aki Ishikawa
Sarah Ishikawa
Ai KohTakako Kosaka
Hiroaki Matsumoto
Shione Matsuo
Ayako Minor
Chrystal Sanders
Yi-an Wu
Leila Wyatt
Chiyomi Wyatt
Chunyan Zhang

Photo Gallery

The 2015 Sun & Star Award was presented to Yoshiyuki Kasai for his outstanding
contributions to U.S.-Japan relations. Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller received theBridges-to-Friendship Award, and Ambassador and Mrs. Thomas J. Schieffer served
as Honorary Hosts. Thank you to all of our guests and volunteers for participating in atruly spectacular evening!

May is Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month and full of festivals and outreach.
Thank you to our volunteers for sharing Japanese culture with DFW!

JASDFW Calendar of Events

June 445th Annual Meeting

June 5 - 7

A-Kon 26

August 9

Sōbetsukai (Farewell Party) for Young Ambassadors

August 17

Japan-America Friendship Night with the Texas Rangers

September 19 2015 Sun & Star Golf Classic at Cowboys Golf ClubOctober 2-4

Plano Celebrates Japan: An Exchange of Japanese Arts &Culture

October 27

Otsukimi (Moon-Viewing)Upcoming Events & Activities
February 8 - July 19

Exhibit - Shiraga/Motonaga: Between Action and the Unknown
Hoffman Galleries, Dallas Museum of Art
MoreMay 23 | 9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
2 for the Price of 1 Entry to Japanese Gardens
Fort Worth Botanic Garden
MoreMay 28 | 6:00 - 7:00 PM
Cocktail Tour at The Ann & Gabriel Barbier-Mueller MuseumDallas
MoreMay 29
Eat, Shop, and Explore Works of Art in H Mart
Carrollton & Plano
MoreJune 7
9th Annual DFW Dragon Boat, Kite and Lantern FestivalLas Colinas Urban Center on Lake Carolyn in Irving, TXMore