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.

Celebrate the New Year at JASC's Kids New Year Day Camp!

Children will enjoy our popular Calligraphy and Ikebana activities, plus new this year, playing the traditional Hanetsuki game and making their own Hagoita paddle. 

Lunch features JASC's special Teriyaki burger, with snacks also provided. 

This is a very popular camp every year, so don't miss out! 

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!

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. 

Start 2026 off with a cozy evening at the January Soup & Rice on the 23rd. 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!

Save the Date: Cranes & Cocktails 2026

Cranes & Cocktails—JASC’s annual fundraising benefit—returns on Thursday, April 30, 2026 at Artifact Events.

Join us for a lively evening celebrating 80 years of JASC, featuring great food, meaningful stories, and ways to support the programs that strengthen our community. From our popular raffle to the silent auction, it’s a night you won’t want to miss.

Early Bird tickets are available for purchase on our website.

Join one of our January 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.)

Introducing Nihongo Table — launching January 2026!

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

JASC is partnering with The Nineteenth Century Charitable Association for a special panel discussion featuring Ross Harano, Linda Kawano, Erik Matsunaga, and Mike Tanimura. Together, they’ll reflect on the lasting impacts of World War II incarceration on their families, their lives, and the broader Japanese American community.

Join us on January 19 at the Nineteenth Century Club in Oak Park to hear their stories firsthand. This event is free and open to the public!

Learn more about JASC’s Oral History Project on our website:

Join Our Next Youth Volunteer Meeting! 



Come get involved with the JASC Youth Volunteer Group! 

It’s a great chance to earn service hours, build new friendships, and take an active role in the JASC community. 

We hope to see you there!  

Registration closes tomorrow, January 9th for Donguri Kai Winter Classes



The Winter Session period is January 12, 2026 - March 21, 2026

9 weeks with one class per week

Akemashite Omedetou!

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year and a joyful start to the brand-new Year of the Horse.

I heard that several Tampopo families attended the Buddhist Temple of Chicago (BTC)’s annual Mochitsuki (mochi-pounding) event after our last Tampopo class on December 27th. What a special experience! Mochitsuki is a rare opportunity to see traditional mochi pounding up close and in person. If you arrive with a prepared apron, participants are even welcome to help pound and shape the mochi—small children included.

Of course, freshly pounded mochi is also available for purchase. I’ve already heard that some families are eagerly looking forward to the next Mochitsuki event! The BTC kindly shared that they will continue to invite and welcome Tampopo kids (as well as Donguri kids), so if you missed the opportunity last time, please aim to join this year. Thank you so much to BTC for your warm hospitality!

Tampopo Kai is currently on winter break.

Registration for Winter Session 2 has not opened yet.

Please enjoy your break, and stay warm and healthy!

Naomi

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

Interested in learning Japanese or building up your language skills?

JASC language classes are led by native Japanese speakers and are a great way to strengthen your comprehension with in-person and online options.

NEW: We are opening another Beginner I class (online)!

How do JASC Japanese classes work? 

Our Beginners I and II classes operate in 4 sessions throughout the year with each session focusing on 3 chapters in the Genki I and II textbooks.

Beginners I Session 1 is the best match for introductory level Japanese, where students learn hiragana and basic vocabulary before building up to later sessions.

Join our Intermediate or Advanced Class - if you have studied Japanese for some time or have completed the Genki II textbook (or equivalent), you can try our higher level classes for more exposure and practice. 

You can always join a class mid-session! It may require some self study of previous chapters to keep up with the class, but students can join sessions at any time so long as there is capacity.

Please reach out to Ruby at rgrillier@jasc-chicago.org for additional information on language classes or to arrange for a free trial class.

Due to high demand for the Beginner I Session 1 classes, we will have to offer priority registration to currently waitlisted students before opening to the general public. Please join our waitlist to be considered for priority registration.

Beginning in 2026, new registrations will reflect updated tuition rates of $150 for JASC members and $180 for non-members, helping support the growing costs of program operations. We appreciate your understanding and thank you for continuing to support JASC as we approach our 80th year of service to the community.

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:

• Adult Day Services, 773-275-7212, seniors@jasc-chicago.org. 
• Home Support Services, 773-275-0097 x223, hss@jasc-chicago.org

We urge prospective clients and their families to tour our new facility on 5700 N Lincoln Ave and check out this wonderful program.

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.