Walt’s reach into numerous social and academic circles ran deep and broad. As such a long time member of JETAA, we wanted to make sure Portland chapter members who knew him well were aware of his passing.

An informal gathering of friends and family will be held from noon on August 1 at Walt’s home and garden, located at 33345 Meadowbrook Dr., Scappoose, OR.  Guests are asked to bring food and beverage, a chair, and any pictures you might want to share.

The obituary is posted online here.  

Anyone is free to contact Jarod Bishop with questions they might have.  For those who cannot be there on August 1, Jarod will be happy to pass along messages, photos, or anything else that people would like to share.

We were asked to pass this message along to JETAA Portland members by Walt’s wife Non. Some JETAA members already know about this, but you never know who might have had a close connection that isn’t already aware, so we thought it would be a good idea to notify the chapter.

Send emails to jarodbishop@gmail.com

Jarod Bishop
503-412-8873 phone

Related posts:

1. Origami Workshop

Note the change in the date and the location for August

When: Friday, August 13th, 2010, 7–11 p.m.
Where: Bush Garden Lounge (900 SW Morrison St)

Summer has finally arrived, so let’s enjoy it Japanese style! Don your yukata, happi coat, jimbei or other Japanese summer garb and join us for the August J-Kaiwa at Bush Garden Lounge. Karaoke with English and Japanese songs will start around 9 p.m. Whether you are pera pera or your Nihongo knowledge is sukoshi dake, all are welcome.

Related posts:

1. J-Kaiwa May 2009
2. J-Kaiwa June 2009
3. Professional networking and Tabemashou!

Where: Osaka-ya (7007 SW Macadam Avenue, Portland)

Happy hour is from 5:30pm to 6:30pm.  We will be there until after 7:30pm.  Come join us anytime.

Contact VP to RSVP

Related posts:

1. Tabemashou! JETAA Portland's Japanese Restaurant Review Group
2. Tabemashou! January 2010
3. Tabemashou! July 2010

Date:  Saturday, August 28
Location:  Jade Teahouse & Patisserie (7912 SE 13th, Portland, OR 97203)
Time:  1:00pm
Title:  The Scarlet Gang of Asakusa by Yasunari Kawabata

You can check availability of the Book Club titles by visiting the following websites:

• Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com
• Powell’s Books: http://www.powells.com/
• Multnomah County Library: http://www.multcolib.org/
• Clackamas County Library: http://www.co.clackamas.or.us/lib/

Visit the Book Club page for more details.

Related posts:

1. Book Club June 2010
2. Book Club July 2010
3. Book Club September 2009

JETAA’s 6th Annual golf outing at McMenamins Edgefield is coming soon! It has always been a lot of fun for everyone, even those who don’t usually golf. Again this year JETAA members and friends will compete for the coveted SUGOI“green jacket” (see story below). The date is set for Sunday, August 22nd at 10:30am. This is a joint event with J-Kaiwa and everyone is welcome, so RSVP early since we have only 20 spots. Even if golf is not your game, everyone is meeting for lunch afterwards so join us for the fun at McMenamins Edefield!

Join us August 22nd.  RSVP to  sports@jetaaportland.com

JETAA Portland’s Annual Masters Golf Tournament
When: Sunday, August 22nd at 10:30am
Where: At McMenamins Edgefield’s Pub Course in Troutdale (www.mcmenamins.com)
Cost: $5  for 12-holes.  JETAA Portland is covering the rest of the fees (lunch afterwards is betsu-bestu).

RSVP to  sports@jetaaportland.com

Bring: Your golf clubs or $4. You really only need a wedge and a putter. If you don’t have clubs, the course can rent them to you for $4 (set of two clubs-wedge and putter). Plan on losing & finding a few golf balls in the tall grass.

What if I am not so good at golf?
The Masters Golf Tournament is a “best ball tournament” played in teams of 4, so this is for golfers of all levels. We need experienced players and rookies! All 4 players tee off, and then you go hit from the best spot. So it is a team concept.  There are several convenient stops along the way where you can get a cider, beer, or other wonderful McMenamins beverage. Even if you hate golf, you can join the “peanut gallery” and have lunch afterwards.

To The Winner…
Everyone will be competing for the coveted “SUGOI Green Jacket” that has mysteriously made its way to Portland. This is now a Masters tradition. Read the history of the SUGOI Green Jacket below.

Join Us for Lunch
After golf, we will all meet for lunch & kampai at the Powerstation Pub at approximately 12:00pm. The official Green Jacket ceremony will take place at 1pm. If you are joining only lunch, and are trying to find us on the expansive Edgefield property, you can call JETAA Sports Chair Britt Sexton at 503.750.9245.

Reserve Your Spot
Spaces are limited to the first 20 people. RSVP to reserve your spot or if you have any questions: sports@jetaaportland.com

Below is the history of how the SUGOI Green Jacket Came to JETAA Portland:

It is with great honor that JETAA Portland chapter has acquired the prestigious traveling green jacket to be bestowed up the winner on our annual JETAA Masters Golf Tournament at McMenemins Edgefield. The following profiles the extensive travels of this garment from inception to it’s current destination at the humidity-controlled chamber in JETAA Portland’s Britt Sexton’s water-heater closet.

In 1962 the Sugiyama United Golf Invitational (S.U.G.O.I.) commissioned the production of “the Green Jacket for the winner of their new annual golf tournament. The adventure begins. The work was performed by the friend of the daughter of the most exclusive tailor shop in Saitama, well-known for their work on the mawashii of Sumo wresters.

The jacket was cut from the finest green-and-white checkered polyester available at the time, and hand-stitched to the size of the likely winners. Inspector #5 closely checked the garment for flaws, but accidentally dropped cigarette ash on the right sleeve, burning into the polyester. The sleeve was replaced, and the garment delivered by Kuro Neko to the SUGOI in time for the tournament.

1962: Mr. Takeo Yamauchi wins the inaugural tournament. Mr. Yamauchi, a retired salaryman and longtime club member, was well-known for his excessive drinking, which often led to him forgetting his own name. This led to embarrassing moments introducing himself as Mr. Uchiyama.

1965: Mr. Akio Takeda wins the jacket, and proudly wears it everyday to his favorite coffee shop. The coffee stain on the left sleeve is from his reign.

1982: The first foreigner wins the Jacket. Walter J. Smokenkleen wins the coveted prize after 13 years as club member.
Smokenkleen, a writer of English for all of the big stationary and t-shirt companies, was widely regarded for his work on such phrases as “We play yacht in the wide nature.” (shopping bags), and “Let there be estimated percentages for everyone!”” (stationary).WJ was also a controversial figure. The appearance of T-Shirts with “Donald Duck can perhaps be described as a parody of a human being” led to rioting on Japanese college campuses and forced the Prime Minister to cancel a state visit.

As Walter accepted the green jacket, he announced his retirement and impending move back to the US. When asked for the reason of the sudden announcement, he responded, “For beautiful human life.”
Due to the extremely-high land prices, the Sugiyama golf club announces it is selling out to a larger developer, ending the annual tournament. Walter would get to keep the jacket.

2004: Clarence Smokenkleen, grandson of the master, now living in Troutdale, OR donates the jacket to JETAA for a tax-nondeductible donation of $2.49.

2005: 10 groups competed furiously for the championship, finally won by John Thomas, Britt Sexton, & Mark Jones.

2006: Tournament took hiatus due to course scheduling issues.

2007: Tournament Won by the team of Stephanie Coombs, Mark Wadniziak and Jarod Bishop.

2008: Tournament won by the team of Britt Sexton and his ringer teammates (hand-selected from around the world) to reclaim the coveted SUGOI Green Jacket. The SUGOI Green Jacket has now come full circle and rests comfortably back in its cozy spot in Britt Sexton’s water-heater closet.

Who will win it this year? Join us August 22nd.  RSVP to  sports@jetaaportland.com

Related posts:

1. JETAA Masters Golf – August 15th
2. Shokoukai Softball Tournament
3. 2009 Calendar of Events

Beginning at 5pm at the Plaza, the celebration will include special guests Justice Michael Gillette of the Oregon Supreme Court, former Poet Laureate of Oregon Lawson Inada, the Minidoka Swing Band, Portland Taiko and many others. A special collaborative project between Portland poet and writer Kaia Sand, Sisters of the Road, Transition Projects, Inc. and Oregon Nikkei Endowment will be just one part of this special and free event.

The celebration then continues at the Bill Naito Legacy Fountain, just steps away from the Plaza. Bring your family and friends to enjoy community sponsored music, crafts, food and a festive beer garden to celebrate this award-winning landmark.

Related posts:

1. Mochitsuki 2010
2. Portland Japanese Garden Special Event for JETAA Members
3. Japanese Consulate of Portland Volunteer Opportunites

Wednesday, August 11, 7:30-9:30pm

O-Bon is the name of the Buddhist memorial festival that dates back more than a thousand years. Over a three-day period in mid-August in Japan, families gather to pray for the spirits of their ancestors. The Garden celebrates this festival with obon dancing and later Reverend Kodachi chants prayers on the Moon Bridge, as members light the tōrō nagashi lanterns and think of their loved ones as they watch the lanterns drift across the Upper Pond.

This is a members only event at night; a rare opportunity to see the gardens at night, with candlelight.

Related posts:

1. Sip Sake and Watch the Autumn Moon Rise over Portland
2. Portland Japanese Garden Special Event for JETAA Members
3. PSSCA Volunteers Needed

Where: Kale (1628 SW Jefferson, Portland)

Contact VP to RSVP

Related posts:

1. Tabemashou! May 2010
2. Tabemashou! August 2010
3. Tabemashou! October 2009

Note date change!

Date:  Wednesday, July 21
Location:  Jade Teahouse & Patisserie (7912 SE 13th, Portland, OR 97203)
Time:  1:00pm
Title:  Tokyo Vice

You can check availability of the Book Club titles by visiting the following websites:

• Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com
• Powell’s Books: http://www.powells.com/
• Multnomah County Library: http://www.multcolib.org/
• Clackamas County Library: http://www.co.clackamas.or.us/lib/

Visit the Book Club page for more details.

Related posts:

1. Book Club June 2010
2. Book Club August 2010
3. Book Club September 2009

FUROSHIKI: Boundless curiosity from the world of square-cloth

Lecture and Workshop on Furoshiki

Dating back to the Edo Period furoshiki, literally meaning bath mat, is a square cloth dyed in a striking array of colors and patterns from subtle to vibrant.  Originally used to wrap and carry items, the furoshiki is now used as gift wrappers, table coverings and decorations.  It is the original tote bag, only infinitely more versatile and steeped in rich history.  

FUROSHIKI: Boundless curiosity from the world of square-cloth is an intimate lecture and workshop led by Akiko Sakai, Naomi Ando, and Keiko Fukuda, who are all instructors from the Furoshiki Study Group in Kyoto, Japan.

Admission Free.  Space is limited.  Reservation is required.

Monday, July 12, 2010, 2pm World Trade Center Portland

Plaza Conference Room

121 SW Salmon St., 2WTC

Portland, OR 97204

RSVP to culture@cgjpdx.org

Sponsored by Portland General Electric

Supported by Japan-America Society of Oregon

Related posts:

1. Origami Workshop
2. Kabuki Lecture and Performance Event
3. May Book Club & Author Lecture