The First Full Week- Business Association

We met with Kathy Sakamoto, Executive Director of the JBA. After attending her Zumba session, we were sent out into the public to meet and talk to the various shops and restaurants in the area to ask them about parking. We also got a chance to interview the community about their thoughts on Japantown as a whole. Many talked about their appreciation for the warm community that they've gotten to be apart of and as I have begun to also experience myself. While it would've been nice to really sit down with all of these establishments and really get to know them, speaking briefly and at least helping them get an outlet for a voice was wonderful still.

We got a chance to learn some of the past establishments here in Japantown, such as previous coffee shops and other specialized and general stores that have helped this community grow. And more amazingly, Japantown is pushing to stay modern and connected with the rest of the world, while still holding on to old values of a tight knit community and a great respect to their predecessors.
Some of the other opportunities we got here through the internship were dancing, which I was not ready for. At all. I had an exciting time though. On Monday we had an opportunity to work out with the seniors at the Akiyama Wellness Center, doing Zumba. I had never done Zumba before so the new experience was a real treat. On Wednesday, we also got to practice Hula; again, something I haven't gotten to do before. I like to dance, but I've never taken anything near a formal lesson before.


Getting to meet up with the San Francisco interns was a wonderful change of pace. We've been working hard within this community to just get the work assigned done, but also connect with the people who live and work here. Meeting up with the other interns brought different experiences. Aside from the excruciating drive up and back in traffic I really did enjoy myself. Hearing what other interns got to experience and how they were doing in general was really nice. Meeting up with them was almost exactly like seeing old friends and catching up like we hadn't seen each other in years.

We also got a chance to meet with other active members of the community. We got to meet Steve Nakajo, founder of Kimochi, and talk with him about the differences of Japanese, American, and Japanese-American cultures. We also saw got to see his genuine care for the community. The workshop we got to take part in gave us a chance to think about all of the different ways that one can give back to the community. The events and organizations varied from sports to academics, senior help to youth help, and cultural and business opportunities. It brought to my attention how diverse a microcosm can, and often times needs to be.