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This year, Setsubun falls on February 3rd.
Let’s invite good fortune in and send all the bad luck (and oni!) packing as we welcome spring.
Click on graphics below to learn more information
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Mike Takada Receives 2026 Outstanding Community Leader Award
We are proud and excited to share that former JASC CEO and Board Member Mike Takada has been named a 2026 Outstanding Community Leader by the Chicago Cultural Alliance. Nominated by JASC, this honor recognizes Mike’s longstanding dedication, leadership, and service to the Chicago community. We are thrilled to celebrate this well-deserved achievement.
He will be recognized during the CCA Mosaic Gala - more details on the event coming soon!
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JASC 2026-2027 Scholarship Applications Now Open!
Deadline to apply is April 1, 2026 at 11:59 PM.
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JASC 6th Annual New Year Card Contest
Share your creativity with the JASC community!
Size requirements and deadlines have been extended, so there’s still plenty of time to participate.
All ages are welcome . This is a fun, creative winter activity for kids, teens, and adults alike.
The deadline to enter is approaching! Submit your artwork today!
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Due to the freezing weather, Soup & Rice is postponed
We have changed the date of our first Soup & Rice to Friday, January 30th.
Proceeds will support A Just Harvest’s work assisting those facing food insecurity. Delicious soup made by volunteers, rice made by JASC staff, and a community meal for a good cause. What a great way to start the New Year!
Soup chefs and setup volunteers needed! Sign up online by clicking here or contact Jenn at JASC at 773-275-0097, ext. 228 or email her at jtrautetter@jasc-chicago.org See you in two weeks!
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Setsubun (節分) is the day before the beginning of spring in Japan’s traditional (lunar-based) calendar.
In 2026, Setsubun falls on Tuesday, February 3.
On this day, people traditionally throw roasted soybeans from inside the house out through the entrance door while shouting, “Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!” (“Demons out! Fortune in!”). This ritual is meant to chase away bad luck and welcome good fortune.
Afterward, we eat roasted soybeans—one for each year of our age plus one—for good health, happiness, and overall good fortune. Many people also eat ehomaki, a long sushi roll that is not cut into slices. While eating it, you face the year’s lucky direction, which changes annually. The lucky direction for 2026 is south-southeast.
One important rule: you must stay silent until you finish the entire ehomaki. Otherwise… your good fortune might escape!
So have fun celebrating Setsubun by throwing roasted soybeans and chasing bad spirits out of your home! Don't forget to say, Oni-wa Soto! Fuku-wa Uchi!"
Tampopo Winter Session 2 starts on Saturday, February 7, 2026.
Registration is now open!
I look forward to seeing many of you then!
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Join one of our Ikebana classes!
Sign up today to claim your spot in a relaxing, interactive class that will introduce you to the art of Ohara style flower arranging!
Now introducing: the Bring a Friend discount! Register for two and get 10 off total class fee. (That's $5 per person.)
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The February Nihongo Table is partnering with the
Japanese Culture Center!
Nihongo Table is JASC’s new monthly Japanese language & culture meetup designed to be low-pressure, social, and fun. Whether you’re learning Japanese, thinking about starting, or simply love Japanese culture, you’re welcome here.
Each session features a theme of the month and may include casual conversation practice, games, crafts, mini cultural activities, and plenty of conversation starters to help everyone feel comfortable. No experience required—just curiosity! Japanese tea and snacks will be provided.
Join us for a relaxed, judgment-free space to practice, connect, and enjoy Japanese culture with others.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Ruby Grillier at rgrillier@jasc-chicago.org
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Thank you for attending our first Day Camp of the Year!
Our 2026 New Years Day Camp was a big success! It was fantastic seeing our participants showcase their skills in calligraphy and ikebana activities. We hope everyone had a great time and we look forward to hosting another cultural camp in the near future!
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Japanese Conversation Table:
Thursday, February 12, 2026
2月の日本語お話会は2月12日（木）です
開催日：2月12日
開催時間：午後12:00から2:00まで
参加費：１人/１回10ドル
日本語で交流したい方へのお知らせです。（日本語の会話クラスではありません。）
普段あまりほかの方との交流のない方、一人でお住まいの方、思いっきり日本語でおしゃべりしてみませんか？
楽しい話題や暮らしのアイデアを分け合い、ちょっとした悩みや不安など、皆で話し合えば解決法がでてくるかも知れません。いろいろなことを日本語で話し合い、英語社会で溜まったストレスを解消しましょう。
このプログラムに興味のある方、参加したいと思われる方は、Eメールで川口ケイclasses@jasc-chicago.org とルビー・グリリエー rgrillier@jasc-chicago.org
または電話：773-275-0097内線226, までご連絡ください。
Calling all native Japanese speakers to our monthly gathering of fellowship and connection with other native Japanese speakers! Please note this is not a Japanese language class but rather a time for fellowship while speaking in fluent Japanese.
Date: Thursday, February 12, 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm
Cost: $10 per person, per session
Location: JASC 5700 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago IL 60659
JASC's Conversation Table welcomes everyone to share their experiences, ideas, and stories through social interaction and offers an opportunity to expand their social networks with others in the local community.
If you know someone who would like to participate, please contact Kay Kawaguchi by email at classes@jasc-chicago.org or call her at 773-275-0097 x 226 and leave a message to RSVP. Kay can answer any questions about the program in Japanese or in English. You may also reach out to Ruby Grillier at rgrillier@jasc-chicago.org
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Join us for a fun and festive Kids Cooking Class celebrating Setsubun and Valentine's Day!
Children will learn how to make Eho-maki sushi rolls for good luck, a comforting bowl of Kenchinjiru (Japanese Vegetable Soup), and finish with a sweet Chocolate muffin to celebrate Valentine's Day.
Hands-on, delicious, and full of seasonal tradition! This class is always a memorable fun experience for all the kids!
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After last year’s sold-out success, we are thrilled to host our Family Miso-Making Workshop this President’s Day (2/16).
February’s chill is the perfect backdrop for this cozy, hands-on tradition. It’s a wonderful way for kids (ages 4+) and caregivers to bond while learning and cooking with miso.
Lunch will be included and you will take home your homemade miso paste, which will need to be set aside to ferment for 6 months or more before it's ready to eat.
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Grab Your Early Bird Tickets Before They're Gone!
Grab yours before the offer ends and be part of a special evening celebrating JASC’s 80 years of service and community.
Early Bird Tickets: $175
Available through February 12, 2026
Regular Ticket Price: $200 (after February 12th)
Join us on Thursday, April 30, 2026, at Artifact Events for an evening of celebration, inspiring stories, great company, and meaningful impact.
Early Bird tickets are the best way to save—and they won’t be around for long. February 12 will be here before you know it, so be sure to secure your spot before the offer ends.
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JASC’s Adult Day Services provides older adults with a safe, engaging environment that supports their physical, mental, and emotional well-being through customized care plans and daily activities like art, music, and dance. Located at 5700 N. Lincoln Ave., our program also offers respite for family caregivers and the added support of two on-staff Registered Nurses.
Interested in Adult Day Services?
For more information, you can contact us:
We urge prospective clients and their families to tour our new facility on 5700 N Lincoln Ave and check out this wonderful program.
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Full Spectrum Features’ latest short docudrama, Enough, will be featured at Chicago’s Day of Remembrance 2026, an annual gathering that marks the signing of Executive Order 9066 and honors the many generations shaped by Japanese American incarceration. Rooted in the decades-long history of the Japanese American Redress Movement—from the lead-up to the 1981 Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (CWRIC) hearings through the passage of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988—the film turns to community memory and testimony to ask what it takes to confront harm honestly and pursue repair over time.
Following the screening, a panel of community members and practitioners will reflect on how the legacies of Redress speak to present-day struggles around state violence, surveillance, and displacement. Panelists include Becky Ozaki (Yonsei, granddaughter of a CWRIC testifier), Mary Samson (Sansei, Redress organizer), Dr. Britt Brooks (family therapist and clinician), Brian Tee (director and actor), and Scott Sakiyama (attorney and anti-ICE advocate). Together, they will consider how practices of storytelling, accountability, and care can interrupt repeating patterns of removal and state violence—both within families and across communities.
The program invites attendees to think with the panel about what “enough” looks like when it comes to justice: How do we honor the labor of those who fought for Redress while recognizing what remains unfinished? How can we speak with urgency about current harms without losing sight of the slow work of healing across generations? A guided discussion will offer space for reflection, questions, and shared commitments to ongoing community care.
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The Chicago Northside Origami Group, together with OrigamiUSA, will be holding
an origami convention March 6-8 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Magnificent Mile.
Please join us for a fantastic weekend of folding fun! Open to all origami
enthusiasts of all ages and skill levels.
Details here:
https://origamiusa.org/cocon2026
Questions? Contact June Yamasaki at june.yamasaki@gmail.com
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The Buddhist Temple of Chicago Asoka Society invites you to a conversation with acclaimed novelist/playwright Yu Miri. Yu is currently in residence at the University of Chicago as a Visiting Research Associate in East Asian Languages and Civilizations. Her residency is part of "Re-Staging a Japanese American Chicago," a project sponsored by UChicago's Center for East Asian Studies. Yu will carry out oral history interviews with members of Chicago's Japanese American community and use those as the basis for a new theatrical playscript. "Re-Staging" is based on projects she has carried out in Japan working with residents in areas affected by the 3/11 tsunami and Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011.
Yu and project co-organizer, Michael Bourdaghs, (Robert S. Ingersoll Distinguished Service Professor in East Asian Languages and Civilizations) will be make a public presentation about their plans, including a video introducing Yu's previous theatrical productions. The event is open to all who are interested in learning more about the project. It will be held at the Buddhist Temple of Chicago (1151 W. Leland Avenue) from 2:00-4:00 on Saturday, February 7, 2026. Please note that this session will be videotaped by King Horse Films for use in a documentary film about the project
If you plan to attend, please register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/restaging-a-japanese-american-chicago-a-conversation-with-miri-yu-tickets-1978936551497?aff=oddtdtcreator
More information about the project is available at: https://ceas.uchicago.edu/re-staging-japanese-american-chicago
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Trio WAZ at Elastic Arts
Saturday, Feb. 7th | Elastic Arts | 8:30AM
Elastic Arts, 3429 W Diversey Ave #208, Chicago, IL 60647
For the last 24 years, Trio WAZ has performed together, making it one of the longest standing experimental music trios in Chicago. Trio WAZ is an eclectic experimental group made up of the time honored members: Edward Wilkerson Jr. - one of the great saxophone and clarinet players on the Chicago scene, Tatsu Aoki - a prolific artist, composer, musician, educator, and consummate bassist and Shamisen Lute player, and Michael Zerang - a percussionist focusing extensively on improvised music, free jazz, contemporary composition, puppet theater, experimental theater, and international musical forms. Each brings their own unique arsenal of musical savvy mixing it up with their distinct dispositions to interplay and an incomparable synthesis of musical actuality. Come listen and burn off the extra carbs from celebrating National Fettuccine Alfredo Day, remember to bring your own leftover Chardonnay!"
8:30pm Start
Tickets available at the door. $20/ $10 with Student ID
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Taiko Beginner Workshops
AIRMW Cultural Hub (4875 N Elston Ave. Chicago, IL 60630)
$60 / person Payment is non-refundable. We accept Paypal / Venmo / Cash / Checks.
Instructors will vary depending on the workshop date.
Minimum of 7 participants required for workshop to proceed. Maximum of 20 participants.
Monday, Feb. 2nd
Kids & Adult Workshop: 6:30- 8:00PM
Register HERE.
Payment due upon registration and nonrefundable*
*If you are no longer able to attend the workshop, please consider your registration fee a donation to AIRMW and Tsukasa Taiko. We appreciate your understanding & support.
If you'd like to pay via Venmo / Zelle, send us an email.
For questions email: tsukasataiko@gmail.com
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Emma Wilkinson is a PhD student at Northwestern University who is working with Dr. Annette D'Onofrio to research Chicago-based JAs and their sociolinguistic contexts.Please consider helping her with her research!
If you or someone you know is interested in participating, please fill out the survey linked here or navigate to the following url: https://tinyurl.com/nikkeilang . It will ask for some demographic information to check study qualifications and will also ask for your availability. The interview typically takes about an hour to an hour and half. Please also let me know if you would like more information about the project, or if you have any questions.
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