The Japanese characters above are pronounced
"yoo-u-ko-so" and literally means "Welcome" This
symbolizes the wonderful feelings towards friends and guests.

Building on 50 years of friendship.
This web site is dedicated to the relationship of the people of San José, California, USA and those of Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture, Japan.

The third oldest "Sister City" relationship, in 2007 and 2008 we celebrated our 50th Anniversary.

You may find helpful information about this program and the relationships that have, are and will exist between citizens of the two areas.

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General meeting:
The next public meeting is currently scheduled for August , 2010, 6:30 pm and is the regularly scheduled meeting for the 2nd Monday of the month.

The meeting location is the 4th Floor of the Central Computer Bldg, near the corner of Stevens Creek Blvd and Saratoga Avenue. Near FWY 280.
Click here for a map. We will have some interesting video for the meeting.

Plan for about 90 minutes meeting. RSVP: Secretary@sj-okayama.org.

Not a member yet? Want to be? Click "Join Us!" at the left and join us at this meeting which sets up our new Board members and the direction for next year's activities.

Want receive email notices of activities? Click HERE.

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Our YouTube, Channels: sjokayama50yr. We are in the process of moving them to a new channel, sanjoseokayama

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Did You Know? Comments by Bob Green, member and Secretary.

Japan suffered as much as twice normal rainfall in some locations and an average of 1.2 x normal over the country in the prior rainy season. Some locations had well in excess of one meter during that time. There was much damage from flooding and mud slides, including loss of life. Subsequently, they have had almost continual high temperatures in the 80s and 90s. Over 200 persons have died from heat stroke.

As it is the summer season, there are many people hiking in the mountains in Japan. But the "freaky" weather still continues in some areas with quick intense rain producing their equivalent to flash floods. This has caused some hikers to be stranded and have to be rescued. One rescue attempt resulted in the loss of five rescuers when their helicopter crashed in a narrow canyon. Take care when traveling in scenic Japan.

Now is the Obon season in Japan (and here as well). Look for many events in the SF Bay Area for the next weeks.

English language Japanese broadcasts from NHK (the Japanese public network) return to Channel 26.2, KTSF. The US network TTV has published a daily calendar of English language broadcasts on this channel. Japanese programs are shown mainly in weekday mornings and evenings.

There are many feature shows, including Begin Japanology and many NHK World broadcasts. Comcast is broadcasting this subchannel on channel 174, For those users. Dish and Direct TV users will not have access to this channel. You can also go to jibtv.com on the internet to watch the programs live. Some of my favorites are "Gentle Journeys", "Tokyo Eye", "Sense of Japan", "Four Seasons in Japan", and "Nihongo Quick Lesson" (simple language instruction).

TTV's web presence: ---
TTV's weekly calendar: ---

And if you want more Japanese TV, check out ChannelJ

On the Calendar:
Plan for the yearly activities, US and Japanese holidays
(Note if you you have a Google Calendar, you can link to ours)

Bay Area is the site of the 2010 America-Japan Grassroots Summit.
Consider hosting attendee(s) in your home for 3 days. There will be activities throughout the 9 Bay Area counties. A welcoming program at the San Francisco Giants and a wonderful parade and activities in San Francisco Japantown at the end of the visit. (August)

The opening ceremony for the Japanese American Museum of San Jose has been delayed from August to October. From their newsletter:

"Construction delays due to circumstances beyond our control prompted this difficult decision," Ms. Idemoto said.

Mark your calendar for the weekend of October 16 and 17, when a variety of celebrations will take place to commemorate the opening:

Saturday, October 16, 1:00 - 3:00 pm
The much anticipated grand opening ceremony will be paired with a party celebrating JAMsj curator and cofounder Jimi Yamaichi's 88th birthday.

Sunday, October 17, 1:00 - 3:00 pm
Join us in a family day celebration. We'll have workshops and entertainment for children and adults, followed by an open house at JAMsj. Details to follow."

www.jamsj.org

Have an appropriate item to go on the calendar? Contact the Secretary to get it put up.

Also note the official Japanese and US holidays are on the calendar.