From the Desk of Consul General Osumi
2024/3/15


Essay Vol. 6
~Reflections on The Emperor's Birthday Reception and New Year's Party~
~Reflections on The Emperor's Birthday Reception and New Year's Party~
March 15, 2024
Yo Osumi
Consul General of Japan in San Francisco
Yo Osumi
Consul General of Japan in San Francisco
The Emperor's Birthday Reception
For any country’s diplomatic missions abroad, the national day reception is the biggest annual event. For the United States, the national day celebration is held on the fourth of July, while for the French, the fête nationale is celebrated on quatorze juillet (July 14th). In Japan, we celebrate our national day with a reception around the birthday of the Emperor, which is February 23rd.
However, this time of year often coincides with the Spring Festival or Chinese Lunar New Year. In San Francisco, 20% of the population is of Chinese descent, and this year, the Spring Festival was also celebrated during the same week as the Emperor’s Birthday. At the reception, I was greeted once or twice with good-natured wishes for a "Happy New Year.”
In my speech, I mentioned that the Japanese Imperial Family has a long history stretching back thousands of years, that the current Emperor is the 126th generation of that line, and that he is the symbol of the State and of the unity of the people. Last year, on the 30th anniversary of his imperial wedding to now-Empress Masako, His Majesty emphasized the importance of the Imperial Family sharing both joy and sorrow with its people. True to that word, in 2011, when the country was still reeling from the devastation of the Great East Japan Earthquake, their Majesties visited the affected regions, including Fukushima Prefecture. The image of His Majesty, who was Crown Prince at that time, sitting with evacuees and offering them words of sympathy was deeply touching for us all. His Majesty inspires us to be resilient in times of difficulty, even now. After the earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula on New Year’s Day, His Majesty has continued to express his utmost support for those afflicted. I concluded my speech by referring to His Majesty's words on the day of his enthronement in 2019: "I sincerely hope for the happiness of the people, the further development of the nation, and peace in the world.”
For any country’s diplomatic missions abroad, the national day reception is the biggest annual event. For the United States, the national day celebration is held on the fourth of July, while for the French, the fête nationale is celebrated on quatorze juillet (July 14th). In Japan, we celebrate our national day with a reception around the birthday of the Emperor, which is February 23rd.
However, this time of year often coincides with the Spring Festival or Chinese Lunar New Year. In San Francisco, 20% of the population is of Chinese descent, and this year, the Spring Festival was also celebrated during the same week as the Emperor’s Birthday. At the reception, I was greeted once or twice with good-natured wishes for a "Happy New Year.”
In my speech, I mentioned that the Japanese Imperial Family has a long history stretching back thousands of years, that the current Emperor is the 126th generation of that line, and that he is the symbol of the State and of the unity of the people. Last year, on the 30th anniversary of his imperial wedding to now-Empress Masako, His Majesty emphasized the importance of the Imperial Family sharing both joy and sorrow with its people. True to that word, in 2011, when the country was still reeling from the devastation of the Great East Japan Earthquake, their Majesties visited the affected regions, including Fukushima Prefecture. The image of His Majesty, who was Crown Prince at that time, sitting with evacuees and offering them words of sympathy was deeply touching for us all. His Majesty inspires us to be resilient in times of difficulty, even now. After the earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula on New Year’s Day, His Majesty has continued to express his utmost support for those afflicted. I concluded my speech by referring to His Majesty's words on the day of his enthronement in 2019: "I sincerely hope for the happiness of the people, the further development of the nation, and peace in the world.”


Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi
Glancing up from my notes, I was glad to see Speaker Emerita Pelosi, standing at the front of the audience, was listening attentively to my speech. When it was her turn to speak at the podium, she noted her relationship with the Imperial Family, including how moving it was to be bestowed the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun in 2015 by then-Emperor (now Emperor Emeritus) Akihito. Her remarks brightened the room; afterwards, everyone joined in in wishing His Majesty a happy birthday.
Speaker Emerita Pelosi expressed her pride in Japantown and the San Francisco Japanese American community. She also stated that it was her visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park during her trip to Japan for the 2008 G8 Speakers meeting that led to President Obama's historic visit to Hiroshima in 2016; that people from all over the United States come to Washington, D.C., to see the cherry blossoms on the Potomac River; that Prime Minister Kishida will come to the United States on an official state visit in April; and that the friendship and cooperation between the United States and Japan is progressing. I would be remiss not to mention that the fact that Speaker Emerita Pelosi was able to attend the reception this year was the result of daily efforts by my predecessor, former Consul General Noguchi, and others.
After the other speeches, Speaker Emerita Pelosi, donning the traditional festive attire of a happi coat, joined me in the celebratory custom known as kagamibiraki, where we opened the lid of a sake barrel with wooden hammers. After the kagamibiraki ceremony, guests also enjoyed another festive tradition called mochitsuki (pounding rice into rice cakes) for the first time. The members of Kagamikai, a local organization dedicated to mochitsuki, gathered around a wooden mortar filled with steamed glutinous rice, each of them kneading the rice with long, thin wooden sticks. When they finished, they lifted the kneaded rice with the sticks and dropped it into the wooden mortar as if to offer it to the gods. Then, the rice cake pounding began. The mass of rice in the mortar was pounded rapidly with a huge mallet, all while being rotated by a turner, who called out "ee" and "hoi" to the person holding the mallet. It was a buzzing scene, with the turner’s calls punctuating the steady beat of drums as the mallet continued to knead the rice. Once the rice cakes were finished, I hoped that the Speaker Emerita would gamely try a piece—not only did she try it, she seemed to greatly enjoy it! I was relieved that they were to her liking, and that we could all enjoy this Japanese tradition together.


Proclamation, Grassroots Volunteers, and Recognition at San Francisco City Hall
One of the Consulate General's primary missions is to develop close relationships at the state, local, and grassroots levels. This year, a total of 13 elected officials, including State Senators Scott Wiener, Steve Glazer, Bill Dodd, and Josh Becker, as well as four mayors from Bay Area municipalities, attended the reception. Many of our sister city officials from our grassroots exchanges also attended.
Our jurisdiction covers Northern and Central California and Nevada, and when I attended the Aki Matsuri Festival in Las Vegas last fall, I received two certificates signed by U.S. Congressmembers from Nevada. It seems to be a custom in the U.S. to give certificates of commendation to organizers and guests at events. It was last fall, less than a month after I arrived at the Consulate General, and I received it thanks to the tireless work the Japanese and Japanese Americans in Nevada who support our activities.
At the Emperor's Birthday Reception, California Senate Majority Leader Lena Gonzalez, who will lead the State Senate delegation scheduled to visit Japan at the end of March, issued a proclamation to celebrate the Emperor's Birthday, which was read by the senators in attendance. In recent years, the governments of California and Japan have engaged in increasing exchange. In 2022, California Governor Gavin Newsom and then-Ambassador to the U.S. Koji Tomita signed a memorandum of cooperation, and in 2023, a large delegation of about 100 people, led by Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, visited Japan. The California State Senate has also sent an annual delegation to Japan for many years, and the Assembly is promoting exchange with Japan. Members of the Japanese House of Representatives also visited Sacramento in January, and I believe that the proclamation from Majority Leader Gonzalez reflects these closer ties.


Mayors Juslyn Manalo of Daly City and Anders Fung of Millbrae also brought their own proclamations. California is home to more than 100 sister city relationships with Japan, including those under the jurisdiction of the Consulate General in Los Angeles, and Daly City is planning to establish a sister city relationship with Izumisano City, in Osaka Prefecture. Daly City has a large Filipino population, and the mayor, who also happens to be of Filipino descent, read out the Proclamation very cheerfully, which made the event very exciting. I hope to build on these connections between Asian communities in the Bay Area in the future. Sister city relationships are supported by volunteer activities at the grassroots level, and these exchanges strengthen the foundation of the U.S.-Japan relationship. I thought their dedication was commendable, and when I thanked them in my speech, one of the grassroots officials thanked me for recognizing that commitment. In my speech, I appealed for cooperation in maintaining Japanese classes at local elementary and junior high schools as a message to the local government leaders in attendance. After all, language is the gateway to cross-cultural understanding, and it is my hope that the Bay Area’s Japanese educational programs will flourish for years to come.
At the reception, I also congratulated the City of San Francisco on its success in hosting APEC, especially as Japan looks forward to hosting the Osaka-Kansai World Expo in 2025. In Lands End stands a magnificent monument commemorating the 100th anniversary of the arrival in San Francisco of the first Japanese naval ship, the Kanrin Maru. The monument was a gift from Osaka City, just like the Peace Pagoda in Japantown. The year 2025 will be an opportune moment to remind ourselves of the historical relationship between our two cities.
On the day following the reception, the 23rd, there was a flag-raising ceremony held at the splendid, soaring San Francisco City Hall. The city invites representatives of other countries to celebrate their National Days by raising their countries’ flags, and at night, City Hall is lit up in the flag’s colors. At the ceremony, I hoisted the Japanese flag with the Mayor’s Chief of Protocol on the second floor of the City Hall balcony, and sang Kimigayo, the Japanese national anthem, with the Japanese and Japanese American representatives who were in attendance.
Throughout my career overseas, in all of the six countries and six cities to which I have been assigned, this was the first time I have witnessed such a level of hospitality. I was a little surprised—and more than a little honored—that they would go to such lengths. Although this is a region that has discriminated against and ostracized Nikkei and other minorities in the past, and where many social issues are still prevalent today, I thought it was commendable that over its long history, the Bay Area has established a tolerant and diverse culture that recognizes its ties to Asia.


Revitalizing Japan's Rural Areas and Fukushima Recovery
While I was living in Japan, whenever I would travel around the country with my family, we would always talk about the distinct charms of each of Japan’s 47 prefectures. Since arriving in the Bay Area, I have been making efforts to promote the export of Japanese agricultural and marine products. However, I strongly believe that the best way for people to understand the diversity and appeal of Japan’s many regions is to not only consume regional products, but to meet people from all over the country. Those face-to-face, human interactions might spur a desire to visit those regions. I hope that this effort will be scaled up and eventually help revitalize local economies and businesses, especially rural ones.
We also saw the Emperor’s Birthday reception as a useful opportunity to promote those regions, and with the help of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, we invited Ms. Chieko Sasaki and Ms. Kaori Sasaki, who run a restaurant in Iitate Village, to attend the reception to promote reconstruction in Fukushima Prefecture. They served their homemade doburoku (a type of unfiltered sake), which they named "Hakuro," to guests at their booth. In addition, we served sushi made with a varietal of Fukushima rice called "Ten-no-tsubu" and distributed samples of the rice to visitors at a special booth.
In my speech, I mentioned Fukushima three times. I was advised by a local staff member who helped me with my speech to say "Fukushima Prefecture" instead of "Fukushima.” It seems that the image of Fukushima from the time of the earthquake still features in people’s minds. It made me wonder: What can we do to improve that image of Fukushima? Recently, I have been telling people I meet about the Wakamatsu Colony, the first settlement by Japanese immigrants in the area, which was established in 1869. I have not yet visited Wakamatsu Colony, but it is located more than two hours’ drive inland from San Francisco. Initially, I thought “Wakamatsu” was the name of a person, but it turns out to have a geographical namesake: Aizu Wakamatsu, a city located inland in Fukushima Prefecture. It seems that after the Boshin War, the first Japanese immigrants from Fukushima, who came to California in search of a fresh start, settled further inland after the peak of the gold rush. In another connection to the present, California has made it a state policy to combat climate change and promote clean energy, and Fukushima is the center of renewable and hydrogen energy in Japan. This shared commitment to sustainability has the potential to help improve Fukushima’s image here in California.
It was remarkable that two women traveled all the way from Iitate Village to San Francisco and were able to introduce doburoku at their exhibition booth. Seeing their work, I thought, “What could be more moving than meeting real people from regions like Fukushima—people who are making every effort to rebuild their communities—and hearing their stories face-to-face?”
I also took Millbrae Mayor Anders Fung to the booth to meet the Sasakis, whom he told, "Thank you both for coming here – it's wonderful. I wish you all the best," and drank a glass of doburoku with great relish. The two women were so pleased that they took a commemorative photo with us to take back home to Iitate Village. After the reception, my wife also took a photo with them along with the Consul General of Luxembourg's wife, who is the president of the League of San Francisco Consular Corps. Ms. Sasaki said, "Once you come back to Japan, please come visit Iitate Village if you have the time!"
I felt that giving people the opportunity to see the Sasakis’ cheer and optimism would be very meaningful for the image of Fukushima in the future.
New Year's Party (January 31)
Due to space constraints at the official residence, in addition to the Emperor's Birthday reception, to which we invite mainly Americans, consular delegations, and Japanese Americans, we also hold a separate New Year's party, to which we invite mainly Japanese residents. This year, we held it on January 31. At the beginning of my speech at the New Year's party, I expressed my condolences for the victims of the Noto Peninsula earthquake that struck Japan on New Year’s Day, and spoke about last fall’s APEC summit, which was the largest conference in San Francisco since the founding of the UN in 1945, focusing on Prime Minister Kishida and Foreign Minister Kamikawa's activities during the week (see the second entry in this series for details). I also laid out the Consulate’s key goals for the year: to provide excellent consular services; to strengthen our outreach efforts; to maintain and strengthen ties with Japanese Americans, and to strengthen ties between Japanese American and Japanese communities; to support the development of the next generation; to strengthen grassroots ties such as sister city relations, ties between Asian American communities, and state and local governments; and to support activities related to Japanese business and enterprise that will help strengthen Japan's economic, technological, and soft power. All of this is easier said than done, but we will do our best.
While I was living in Japan, whenever I would travel around the country with my family, we would always talk about the distinct charms of each of Japan’s 47 prefectures. Since arriving in the Bay Area, I have been making efforts to promote the export of Japanese agricultural and marine products. However, I strongly believe that the best way for people to understand the diversity and appeal of Japan’s many regions is to not only consume regional products, but to meet people from all over the country. Those face-to-face, human interactions might spur a desire to visit those regions. I hope that this effort will be scaled up and eventually help revitalize local economies and businesses, especially rural ones.
We also saw the Emperor’s Birthday reception as a useful opportunity to promote those regions, and with the help of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, we invited Ms. Chieko Sasaki and Ms. Kaori Sasaki, who run a restaurant in Iitate Village, to attend the reception to promote reconstruction in Fukushima Prefecture. They served their homemade doburoku (a type of unfiltered sake), which they named "Hakuro," to guests at their booth. In addition, we served sushi made with a varietal of Fukushima rice called "Ten-no-tsubu" and distributed samples of the rice to visitors at a special booth.
In my speech, I mentioned Fukushima three times. I was advised by a local staff member who helped me with my speech to say "Fukushima Prefecture" instead of "Fukushima.” It seems that the image of Fukushima from the time of the earthquake still features in people’s minds. It made me wonder: What can we do to improve that image of Fukushima? Recently, I have been telling people I meet about the Wakamatsu Colony, the first settlement by Japanese immigrants in the area, which was established in 1869. I have not yet visited Wakamatsu Colony, but it is located more than two hours’ drive inland from San Francisco. Initially, I thought “Wakamatsu” was the name of a person, but it turns out to have a geographical namesake: Aizu Wakamatsu, a city located inland in Fukushima Prefecture. It seems that after the Boshin War, the first Japanese immigrants from Fukushima, who came to California in search of a fresh start, settled further inland after the peak of the gold rush. In another connection to the present, California has made it a state policy to combat climate change and promote clean energy, and Fukushima is the center of renewable and hydrogen energy in Japan. This shared commitment to sustainability has the potential to help improve Fukushima’s image here in California.


It was remarkable that two women traveled all the way from Iitate Village to San Francisco and were able to introduce doburoku at their exhibition booth. Seeing their work, I thought, “What could be more moving than meeting real people from regions like Fukushima—people who are making every effort to rebuild their communities—and hearing their stories face-to-face?”
I also took Millbrae Mayor Anders Fung to the booth to meet the Sasakis, whom he told, "Thank you both for coming here – it's wonderful. I wish you all the best," and drank a glass of doburoku with great relish. The two women were so pleased that they took a commemorative photo with us to take back home to Iitate Village. After the reception, my wife also took a photo with them along with the Consul General of Luxembourg's wife, who is the president of the League of San Francisco Consular Corps. Ms. Sasaki said, "Once you come back to Japan, please come visit Iitate Village if you have the time!"
I felt that giving people the opportunity to see the Sasakis’ cheer and optimism would be very meaningful for the image of Fukushima in the future.
New Year's Party (January 31)
Due to space constraints at the official residence, in addition to the Emperor's Birthday reception, to which we invite mainly Americans, consular delegations, and Japanese Americans, we also hold a separate New Year's party, to which we invite mainly Japanese residents. This year, we held it on January 31. At the beginning of my speech at the New Year's party, I expressed my condolences for the victims of the Noto Peninsula earthquake that struck Japan on New Year’s Day, and spoke about last fall’s APEC summit, which was the largest conference in San Francisco since the founding of the UN in 1945, focusing on Prime Minister Kishida and Foreign Minister Kamikawa's activities during the week (see the second entry in this series for details). I also laid out the Consulate’s key goals for the year: to provide excellent consular services; to strengthen our outreach efforts; to maintain and strengthen ties with Japanese Americans, and to strengthen ties between Japanese American and Japanese communities; to support the development of the next generation; to strengthen grassroots ties such as sister city relations, ties between Asian American communities, and state and local governments; and to support activities related to Japanese business and enterprise that will help strengthen Japan's economic, technological, and soft power. All of this is easier said than done, but we will do our best.
Imperial New Year’s Poetry Competition
Do you know Japan’s oldest poem? It is a waka poem sung by the deity Susanoo no Mikoto in the Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matters), one of Japan’s oldest literary sources. Susanoo no Mikoto, who had been banished from heaven to the Land of Izumo for offending his sister Amaterasu no Mikoto, got drunk and slew a monstrous eight-headed, eight-tailed serpent in order to save the beautiful Kushinada no Hime, whom he proceeded to happily marry. The poem is said to have been composed upon their wedding:
The history of Japan, dating back to before its written records, can be said to be the history of waka poetry. The richness of sentiment conveyed by waka poetry is the essence of Japanese culture. Nowadays, people from California are traveling to Japan in droves. Although they may be surprised by Japanese food and anime, or delighted by its cleanliness and safety, I am convinced that these sentiments are ultimately manifestations of a sense of admiration for the Japanese sense of beauty.
At the New Year's party, I also introduced the Imperial New Year's Poetry Reading. The first Imperial New Year’s Poetry Reading was convened in the middle of the Kamakura period (1185-1333), meaning that it has been held yearly for nearly 1,000 years. I have never heard of anything like this being done continuously for so long anywhere else in the world. This year's theme was the character read as "wa," meaning peace and harmony. His Majesty the Emperor wrote:
「をちこちの 旅路に会へる人びとの 笑顔を見れば心和みぬ」
Ochikochi no / Tabiji ni aeru / Hitobito no / Egao wo mireba / Kokoro nagominu
"Seeing the smiles of the people / I meet during my many journeys / throughout the country / fills my heart with peace.”
In her poem, Her Majesty the Empress looked back on her visit to Hiroshima when her daughter, Princess Aiko, was a junior high school student:
「広島をはじめて訪(と)ひて平和への深き念(おも)ひを吾子(あこ)は綴れり
Hiroshima wo / Hajimete toite / Heiwa e no / Fukaki omoi wo / Ako wa tsuzureri
"How moved I was to read / my daughter’s deep feelings for peace / after her first visit / to Hiroshima.”
Princess Aiko was impressed by the fact that waka poems from the Middle Ages have been passed down through the millennia to the present day, and wrote:
「幾年(いくとせ)の難き時代を乗り越えて和歌のことばは我に響きぬ」
Ikutose no / Kataki jidai wo / Norikoete / Waka no kotoba wa / Ware ni hibikinu
"Surviving centuries of hardship / the words of waka poems / touch my heart today.”
In addition to Their Majesties’ poems, the Reading counted 15,270 poems submitted from all over Japan and overseas. Out of those, one by Ms. Haruko Kawasaki, who lives in Los Angeles, was selected as one of this year's winners. The poem read:
「かの日々に移り来し人等耕しし 大和と呼ぶ里アマンドの花」
Kanohibi ni / Utsurikishihitora / Tagayashishi / Yamato to yobu sato / Amando no hana
"In days gone by / those who came before / cultivated / the home called Yamato / almond blossoms.”
As residents of California, we can relate to the sentiment of this poem. In case you might be interested, the theme for next year's poetry festival is the character read as “yume,” meaning "dream.” I hope there will be a winner from Northern California, to compete with this year’s strong showing from the South.
Conclusion: Praying for Noto's recovery
At the New Year's party, we toasted with a famous sake called “Seikai Hakuho,” a daiginjo from the Takazawa Sake Brewery in Himi City, at the base of the Noto Peninsula in Toyama Prefecture. According to Takazawa Sake Brewery's Facebook page, even if the damage there was not as severe as in the most remote part of the Noto Peninsula, their brewery was quite a mess, and the water supply was cut off for a long time. I hope that everyone who attended the event kept the ravaged region in their thoughts, and that our enjoyment of their sake might cheer up those afflicted by the disaster.
We will continue to support the movement toward recovery.
Do you know Japan’s oldest poem? It is a waka poem sung by the deity Susanoo no Mikoto in the Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matters), one of Japan’s oldest literary sources. Susanoo no Mikoto, who had been banished from heaven to the Land of Izumo for offending his sister Amaterasu no Mikoto, got drunk and slew a monstrous eight-headed, eight-tailed serpent in order to save the beautiful Kushinada no Hime, whom he proceeded to happily marry. The poem is said to have been composed upon their wedding:
八雲立つ Yakumo tatsu The many-fenced palace of Izumo
出雲八重垣 Izumo yaegaki Of the many clouds rising—
妻籠みに Tsumagomi ni To dwell there with my spouse
八重垣作る Yaegaki tsukuru Do I build a many-fenced palace:
その八重垣を Sono yaegaki o Ah, that many-fenced palace!
出雲八重垣 Izumo yaegaki Of the many clouds rising—
妻籠みに Tsumagomi ni To dwell there with my spouse
八重垣作る Yaegaki tsukuru Do I build a many-fenced palace:
その八重垣を Sono yaegaki o Ah, that many-fenced palace!
The history of Japan, dating back to before its written records, can be said to be the history of waka poetry. The richness of sentiment conveyed by waka poetry is the essence of Japanese culture. Nowadays, people from California are traveling to Japan in droves. Although they may be surprised by Japanese food and anime, or delighted by its cleanliness and safety, I am convinced that these sentiments are ultimately manifestations of a sense of admiration for the Japanese sense of beauty.
At the New Year's party, I also introduced the Imperial New Year's Poetry Reading. The first Imperial New Year’s Poetry Reading was convened in the middle of the Kamakura period (1185-1333), meaning that it has been held yearly for nearly 1,000 years. I have never heard of anything like this being done continuously for so long anywhere else in the world. This year's theme was the character read as "wa," meaning peace and harmony. His Majesty the Emperor wrote:
「をちこちの 旅路に会へる人びとの 笑顔を見れば心和みぬ」
Ochikochi no / Tabiji ni aeru / Hitobito no / Egao wo mireba / Kokoro nagominu
"Seeing the smiles of the people / I meet during my many journeys / throughout the country / fills my heart with peace.”
In her poem, Her Majesty the Empress looked back on her visit to Hiroshima when her daughter, Princess Aiko, was a junior high school student:
「広島をはじめて訪(と)ひて平和への深き念(おも)ひを吾子(あこ)は綴れり
Hiroshima wo / Hajimete toite / Heiwa e no / Fukaki omoi wo / Ako wa tsuzureri
"How moved I was to read / my daughter’s deep feelings for peace / after her first visit / to Hiroshima.”
Princess Aiko was impressed by the fact that waka poems from the Middle Ages have been passed down through the millennia to the present day, and wrote:
「幾年(いくとせ)の難き時代を乗り越えて和歌のことばは我に響きぬ」
Ikutose no / Kataki jidai wo / Norikoete / Waka no kotoba wa / Ware ni hibikinu
"Surviving centuries of hardship / the words of waka poems / touch my heart today.”
In addition to Their Majesties’ poems, the Reading counted 15,270 poems submitted from all over Japan and overseas. Out of those, one by Ms. Haruko Kawasaki, who lives in Los Angeles, was selected as one of this year's winners. The poem read:
「かの日々に移り来し人等耕しし 大和と呼ぶ里アマンドの花」
Kanohibi ni / Utsurikishihitora / Tagayashishi / Yamato to yobu sato / Amando no hana
"In days gone by / those who came before / cultivated / the home called Yamato / almond blossoms.”
As residents of California, we can relate to the sentiment of this poem. In case you might be interested, the theme for next year's poetry festival is the character read as “yume,” meaning "dream.” I hope there will be a winner from Northern California, to compete with this year’s strong showing from the South.
Conclusion: Praying for Noto's recovery
At the New Year's party, we toasted with a famous sake called “Seikai Hakuho,” a daiginjo from the Takazawa Sake Brewery in Himi City, at the base of the Noto Peninsula in Toyama Prefecture. According to Takazawa Sake Brewery's Facebook page, even if the damage there was not as severe as in the most remote part of the Noto Peninsula, their brewery was quite a mess, and the water supply was cut off for a long time. I hope that everyone who attended the event kept the ravaged region in their thoughts, and that our enjoyment of their sake might cheer up those afflicted by the disaster.
We will continue to support the movement toward recovery.
Recommended Information
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