Arigato Tomodachi

Yayoi  no kotoba

Kyou kiguu nimo US capital de muryou no tsua gaidansu wo ukerukotogadekimasita. Watashi ha DC ga totemo kiniirimashita! Watashi ha amerika ga nihon ni konnnani takusan no sakura wo okutta kotowo shirimasendeshita. Soshite, konoyouna subarasii koukei wo mirukotogadekirutoha, amerika ni kurumae ha omoimo shimasen deshita. sakura ga subarashii monyumento totatemono wo kakonde irunante! Sonna wakede watashi ha tsujo yori mo DC wo tanoshimu kotogadekita nodesu. Chito, arigatou!

Cherry Blossom Festival Opening Ceremony 2011

Letter from Yayoi:

I didn't know that Japan gave so many cherry blossoms to the US. So I had a lot of opportunities to enjoy DC more than adequately. And I'd never imagined to see such a beautiful view -cherry blossoms are surrounding wonderful monuments and buildings- here before I came to the US...! I liked DC very much! Today, I had the opportunity to get a free guided tour of the U.S. Capitol. Thank you, Chito!

US Capitol

Don't Leave Your Trash Can Out at Night

"Just another day at court," I said to myself as I trudged down to Judiciary Square to the Office for Administrative Hearings.  I didn't know what to expect -- and I was ready to pay the $150 fine for a loose trash can lid and for leaving the can on the sidewalk at night after trash collection.  Actually, this happened in my rental property in Southeast, and my tenant never notified me of the violation.  I also was in the service and headed to court with documentation in hand.

So how did it go?  100 times better than at the Traffic Court last week, where I had to pay a $100 fine despite the fact that I was at my car and only five minutes over.  The judge was unyielding -- wouldn't even reduce the amount of fine.  Not all watches are synchronized.  I don't believe parking tickets should be issued within 5 minutes of the violation time.  Additionally, parking attendants should show some discretion, and yes, even compassion when the driver is clearly at his vehicle and ready to drive off.
C'mon people, please be reasonable.  Perhaps you can treat me like this, but I certainly hope you don't treat our 15 million plus tourists like this.  Otherwise, it would take more than cherry blossoms to bring them back.

That's why I was HUGELY pleasantly surprised, when the nice folks at the Office for Administrative Hearings bent over backwards and actively listened to my case.  Despite the fact that I arrived one day early (Go figure), was poorly prepared, Mr. Rodney Coffer researched my case, actively listened to me and tried to understand, and resourcefully suggested that I go online and email to them my DD-214.  Minutes later, Mr. Darrell Cash came out and informed me that it was taken care of.  I was completely floored.  Am I still in DC?

What first-class service and the best I've ever been treated by the District of Columbia, bar none.  No, it wasn't because the fine was waived -- it was the way they took care of it -- their understanding, their flexibility, their customer service.  If more District offices worked this well and exuded such high-caliber customer service compassion, perhaps this city would operate so much better and become the world-class city it aspires to be.

It's cherry blossom time in DC and I really hope the parking attendants exude a little more compassion to our treasured guests next time.

Cherry Blossom Fest: Cranes for Japan and a Magical Ceremony

Misako Ballet Company

Beautiful Kimonos adorned the Ceremony

This year, during the National Cherry Blossom Family Day opening ceremony, families were asked to create small cranes using origami.  These cranes are not that simple to make -- in fact it takes a lot of creativity, perserverance and group work.

But once all their hard work was finished, the families watched their prized possessions get taken away -- they were asked to give them up.

The cranes will then be shipped to the Bezos Family Foundation in Seattle whose goal is to partner with children around the world to support their Japanese peers.

A view of the big pink lanterns that hung from the rafters of the Museum

 The Foundation has pledged to donate $2 for every paper crane it receives from the National Cherry Blossom Festival for rebuilding efforts in Japan.

The ceremony was amazing, as it is every year.  But next year, for the Centennial celebration, we should expect an even more amazing show.  The focus this year is on our unconditional and lasting support for Japan.

We were especially touched by the smooth jazz piano performance by Keiko Matsui who played a beautiful rendition of "Cherry Blossom."

The Take Dancers were just as magically impressive, blending east and west athletic-art form to communicate universal health and happiness.

These kids are working hard with their parents in making origami.

Also just as wonderfully impressive was the Washington National Opera, Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists.  Both tenor, Jose Ortega and Maryland native, soprano Jennifer Lynn Waters wowed the audience and made the cheery, pink petals flutter all around the Tidal Basin.

Japanese Students Walk for National Epilepsy

Yokohama Hayato Senior High School during the National Walk for Epilepsy

More than 100 Japanese 10th-grade students from Yokohama Hayato Senior High School in Yokohama, Japan are visiting DC.  The students arrived last week, just two days after the earthquake shook the island nation, creating a tsunami that flooded the east coast.

Their trip is sponsored by Sakura Educational Exchange USA, a Rockville-based nonprofit, and serves as an opportunity for the students to learn about American culture and practice English, 

The students have collected donations for the Japanese Red Cross.  They have really connected with the American students and shared cultures.  The group also planted a tree on the grounds of Rockville High as a symbol of friendship between the two schools.

It's pretty amazing that these Japanese students are moving on in their lives and supporting other worthy initiatives such as the National Walk for Epilepsy  despite experiencing the great tragedy back home.

Despite living thousands of miles away these kids want to make a difference and support the 3 million Americans who live with seizures as well as their friends and family who support them.

The walk has grown to an event with 8000 participants and has raised several million dollars for the cause.

The walk included a pre-rally with music and guests, face-painting and a short, non-competitive, family-oriented walk.

Thanks for the Fresh Water, Gang

I want to wholeheartedly thank the DC Surfriders and the DC Capital Striders for providing mission-critical support and a huge morale boost during the National Marathon.  It was great to see the DCCS after a very steep climb up Connecticut to Adams Morgan (Mile 7) and the Surfriders at Mile 21 once we crossed over the historic Frederick Douglas Bridge over to the scenic Anacostia Park.

Surfriders know how to have fun

Surfriders cleaning up the River.

Thanks for your great support in cleaning up our beautiful Rivers.  Clean fresh water, our basic renewable resource, leads to healthier living for everybody.

Back on my Feet Runs National Marathon

I am excited about running into friends from Back on my Feet (BOMF) during the National Marathon two weeks ago. In a sense BOMF and RUNIN share many similar values.

Back on My Feet gives the homeless a second chance to regain control of their lives. The program's mission also exemplifies several of Runin DC's core values. The first of these is "reflecting on relationships" or seeing how we are all connected. Back on My Feet is not a handout; it is about partnerships and seeing ourselves in others. While running and training, the homeless and the trainers support and challenge each other to strive higher.

Back on My Feet is also about "understanding" or empathizing with people--no matter how different they may appear at first glance.

The neat thing about running is that it is a great equalizer. When we're running hard up a hill, it doesn't matter what socioeconomic status you come from. You are working extremely hard -- rich, middle class, or poor -- all of us have to climb the same hill and have to rely on our God-given strengths and stamina to do it.


The next value is "negotiation," which is exemplified by Back on My Feet's emphasis on goal setting. Participants of the program--both trainers and homeless runners--make a commitment to themselves and each other. This is an especially meaningful decision for the runners, who examine their current lot in life and ultimately know that they can do better.

Their response is to commit to running a few miles each day as early as 6am. The "innovation" value is illustrated in the uniqueness of the idea itself. Back on My Feet shows that love for humankind and strength of spirit has endless applications.

Finally, RUNIN is about "Navigation." Likewise Back on My Feet helps the homeless strive to finish the run, train for the next race and aspire to get back on their feet and become both customers and contributors to this great social running continuum.

Yayoi Featured in AFP

WASHINGTON — Hundreds of Americans braved the cold in the US capital late Thursday in a show of support for quake-hit Japan ahead of an annual celebration of cherry trees donated to the city almost 100 years ago.

Ahead of the annual Cherry Blossom Festival, celebrating the blooming of the pink-flowered trees throughout the city, officials hailed Japanese "resilience" and the US-Japanese friendship at a vigil held on the monument-lined Mall.

The event also collected donations for the Red Cross to help victims of the massive earthquake and tsunami that devastated the country earlier this month, killing more than 10,000 people and unleashing a nuclear crisis.

"It's such a cold evening, but the very fact that you are here today really moves my heart. It's very special," said Ichiro Fujisaki, the Japanese ambassador to the United States.

"Everything started on what I call 3-11... This is a very tough fight but the consolation is that people around the world are trying to be with us, and especially Americans," he said, on a podium decked with Japanese and US flags.

Families and tourists, as well as local US and Japanese officials, observed a minute of silence at the event, entitled "Stand with Japan."

"The blossoms will epitomize the story of the resiliency of the people of Japan," Washington, DC Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton said.

Yayoi Nagayama, 25, came to New York for a vacation on March 3, but feared for friends and family back home in Fukushima, the site of a damaged nuclear power plant now spewing radiation.

"I'm very nervous about my hometown. I have no idea what I can do for my friends and family," she told AFP, adding that she would be returning to Japan next month.

American Chris Hudler, 31, who taught English in another hard-hit area from 2007 to 2009, said he had come to "show support."

"I have a lot of friends, students affected by this earthquake," he added.

The event concluded with a march around the Tidal Basin, the main area of the festival, which is expected to attract a million visitors in the next two weeks.

The annual event commemorates the 1912 gift of 3,000 cherry trees from the mayor of Tokyo to the city of Washington.

"Stand for Japan" at the TIdal Basin

Spirit of Hope and Rebuilding at the Tidal Basin

Yayoi with Ambassador Ichiro Fujisaki

Yayoi is visiting us from Japan.  She was in NYC when the deadly earthquake and Tsunami struck Honshu.  Sadly, Yayoi's parents still live in Fukushima, just 18 miles from the Daiichi power plants.

The plant was old with inadequate safety features.  When the natural disaster hit, the electricity supply was hampered, knocking out the cooling system.  Nuclear power needs coolant.  And without coolant, the reactor quickly heats up and is susceptible to failure.

A couple of days later, the plant exploded, spewing radiation into the atmosphere.  The radiation has spread south over Tokyo and northeast over the Pacific Ocean.

Today, Yayoi and I attended the National Cherry Blossom Festival "Stand for Japan".  We were deeply honored to attend and show our unyielding support for our partnership with one our greatest ally.

"Everything started on what I call 3/11 — earthquake, tsunami and nuclear incident — and we are still struggling," he said. "This is a very tough fight, but the consolation is people around the world are trying to be with us," said Ambassador Fujisaki.

After the ceremony, the Ambassador and a crowd of several hundred walked around the Tidal Basin with glow sticks in hand, waiving support for  one of America's closest Tomodachi, Japan.

I love Japan -- it's culture, it's language, it's people. Living in DC, I don't get the opportunity to meet a lot of Japanese.  That is why I am truly proud and elated that every year, my hometown showcases the largest festival celebrating the Japanese  culture and the biggest Japanese street festival in the world.

Maximum India, Maximum Inspiration

I was blessed to get a front-row seat to enjoy famous Indian singer-songwriter, Raghu Dixit perform a amalgamation of Indian and American rock tunes.  Not familiar with Indian crossover Rock, but I soon became a huge believer.

I've never been to the exotic land of India, although I've been dying to all my life. I've never got to personally experience the art, culture and architecture of this extraordinary country called India, until today, when I journeyed to the Kennedy Center.

In school, we talked a lot about the influence of India on technology and IT.  And yes, just a short trek from the campus of George Washington Univ. to a tremendous three-week festival showcasing the incredible influence of India on everything cultural -- featuring dance, music, cinema, literature, arts and crafts, food, you name it.  Everything including the heat, and lots of it.


Yes, the most exquisite performing arts stage in the world was transformed to an splendid Indian palace showcasing ancient artifacts, enchanting crafts from the streets of Bombay and Delhi, a silk shop from Chennai and an impressive display featuring the famous words of Mahatma Gandhi (in bone-shaped letters).


















Beyond the visual arts, was the culinary arts, and I truly enjoyed my soupy bowl of chicken tikka massala and luscious saffron rice made by some of the country's top chefs (12 in total), including the head chef at the Taj Mahal Palace who recently cooked for Barack Obama.

Besides the intricate jewelry -- an elaborate headdress made of diamonds and pearls -- contemporary artists and Bollywood stars rocked the night away in a nightclub space called "The Monsoon Club" which is shaped like a frozen monsoon.

Curator, Alicia Adams, explained the name of the three-week Festival: "India is about maximum -- the maximum number of people, the maximum heat you will ever tolerate, the maximum number of possibilities."

Say, ever heard of Indian rock fusion? Perhaps not, but if you have the finger on the pulse, you'll soon hear the folksy beat of this quickly emerging rock cult called the Raghu Dixit project.

I was blessed to get a front-row seat (well, standing room) to enjoy the famous Indian singer-songwriter, Raghu Dixit perform a amalgamation of Indian and American rock tunes that made me feel like India had become that one country that I've never visited, but I truly got to know.