Today’s dedication ceremony included a ribbon cutting at the front gate of the tea garden, a traditional raising of a thousand paper cranes, release of koi into the garden’s pond and a traditional breaking of a sake barrel. Previous to the event, a plaque honoring Hirose was placed on the wall of the tea house.

Emceed by Benh Nakajo, the program included remarks by Consul General of Japan Hiroshi Inomata, San Francisco Recreation and Park General Manager Phil Ginsburg, San Francisco Japantown Foundation President Donald Tamaki and Don Hirose, Jack’s son. Inomata joined San Francisco Supervisors Eric Mar and Ross Mirkarimi in the sake barrel breaking.

Watch videos of remarks.

Members of Hirose’s family were present with friends and community members, as well as representatives from the San Francisco Japantown Foundation, the San Francisco Parks Alliance, the San Francisco Recreation and Park Commission, the San Francisco Recreation and Park department.

The San Francisco Recreation and Park Commission on Aug. 18 approved naming the tea house after Hirose, who was the concessionaire of the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park in the 1960s, running the tea house and gift shop until 1992.

Hirose, a founding member of the Japantown Foundation board, died on Dec. 25, 2009. He was 86.

The effort to name the tea house after Hirose was led by the Foundation and supported by tea garden concessionaire Carol Murata and the staff of the city recreation and park department, notably department general manager Phil Ginsburg and department property manager Tom Hart.

Before taking over the concession, Hirose had already become one of the city’s first Asian American CPAs after having served in in World War II as part of the U.S. Army’s Military Intelligence Service. During the war, Hirose and his family were forcibly relocated to the Tanforan Assembly Center in San Bruno, Calif., before being moved to the Topaz concentration camp in Utah.

The San Francisco Japantown Foundation’s mission is to support cultural, community and educational activities for San Francisco Japantown. The Foundation provides grants to not-for-profit organizations, groups and individuals conducting projects aligned with or further the Foundation’s mission.

The San Francisco Recreation and Park Commission today approved naming the tea house in the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park after the late Jack Hirose, a philanthropist who donated $500,000 through the San Francisco Japantown Foundation to fund improvements to the tea garden structures, including the tea house.

The effort to name the tea house after Hirose was led by the Foundation and supported by tea garden concessionaire Carol Murata and the staff of the city recreation and park department, notably department general manager Phil Ginsburg and department property manager Tom Hart.

After remarks by Hart, Japantown Foundation president Don Tamaki and board member Sandy Mori testified at the meeting and Murata showed the commissioners photos of the renovations. Mori and board members Bob Hamaguchi and Diane Matsuda were instrumental in making sure the community’s support for the naming of the tea house was communicated to the commission.

Commission President Mark Buell, Vice President Tom Harrison, and Commissioners Paige Arata, David Lee and Larry Martin voted unanimously in support of the new name.

Hirose was the concessionaire of the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park in the 1960s, running the tea house and gift shop until 1992. Before taking over the concession, Hirose had already become one of the city’s first Asian American CPAs after having served in in World War II as part of the U.S. Army’s Military Intelligence Service. During the war, Hirose and his family were forcibly relocated to the Tanforan Assembly Center in San Bruno, Calif., before being moved to the Topaz concentration camp in Utah. Read more about Jack’s life on nichibei.org.

In addition to approving the naming of the tea house after Hirose, the commission also approved the placement of a plaque to recognize Hirose and authorized the department general manager to approve the wording on the plaque.

A dedication ceremony for the new tea house name is planned for October 2011.

The San Francisco Japantown Foundation’s mission is to support cultural, community and educational activities for San Francisco Japantown. We are dedicated to preserving and honoring Japantown’s history, to welcoming and serving its residents, visitors, businesses, congregations and community organizations, and to supporting the growth and development of the community’s Japanese cultural theme. The Foundation provides grants to not-for-profit organizations, groups and individuals conducting projects aligned with or further the Foundation’s mission. For more information, visit http://sfjapantownfoundation.org.

The Foundation selected ten nonprofit projects and activities to participate in its 2010 matching grants program.

These projects will be awarded up to $4,000 through the matching grants program instituted by the Foundation.

The Foundation selected the projects based on criteria outlined in its submission guidelines and on how well each applicant advanced the Foundation’s mission to support cultural, community and educational activities for San Francisco’s Japantown or the Japanese American community.

Read our Feb. 23 announcement on the ten nonprofit projects we selected.

Horibuchi is the manager of the Café at New People,  the entertainment venue in Japantown showcasing films, art, fashion and a variety of specialty boutiques and ongoing monthly events. Horibuchi’s husband, Seiji, is chairman of VIZ Media, the owner of New People.

Ono is a vice president and manager of the Japantown branch of Union Bank, a position he’s held since Sept. 2009.  Union Bank in March 2008 donated $10,000 to the Foundation in support of our ongoing efforts to support Japantown and the Japanese American community.

These projects will be awarded up to $4,000 through a matching grants program instituted by the Foundation. Selected projects will have until April 30, 2010, to fulfill their match by asking individuals to contribute to the Foundation and earmarking their donation for their specific project.

The Foundation selected the projects based on criteria outlined in its submission guidelines and on how well each applicant advanced the Foundation’s mission to support cultural, community and educational activities for San Francisco’s Japantown or the Japanese American community.

For more information on how to donate, visit http://www.sfjapantownfoundation.org/donate.

The following ten projects and activities have been selected to participate in the matching grants program:

The nihonmachiROOTS Community Engagement Project increases community engagement for the Japantown Better Neighborhoods Plan and builds a multi-generational, multi-ethnic network of community members to work on issues affecting Japantown. The project is also focuses on building trust and consensus within the community and determining issue priorities. The Japantown Foundation will match up to $2,000 in donations earmarked for this program.

The 2nd Annual J-POP SUMMIT Festival is a pop culture-themed street fair that covers the grounds of Post Street from Webster to Buchanan to the Peace Plaza of Japantown. The festival is hosted by NEW PEOPLE in cooperation with the Japantown Merchants Association. The Japantown Foundation will match up to $2,000 in donations earmarked for this program.

The Rosa Parks Elementary School Japanese Bilingual Bicultural Program, a San Francisco Unified School District alternative elementary school program offering Japanese language and culture in addition to the standard English based curriculum. Japanese is taught by sensei, native Japanese speaking teachers, who bring authentic Japanese language, and a personal perspective to Japanese culture into the classroom on a daily basis. The program will conduct numerous cultural events throughout the year. The Japantown Foundation will match up to $2,000 in donations earmarked for this program.

The National Japanese American Historical Society’s annual summer Japantown Cultural Heritage Tourism Youth Leadership Internship engages high school and college age youth in a two-month internship designed to: Engage young people in Japantown historic and cultural preservation; Increase visits by youth and the general public to Japantown; Increase participation by youth and the general public in Japantown activities by promoting what the community has to offer; and Develop youth leadership in Japantown. The Japantown Foundation will match up to $2,000 in donations earmarked for this program.

Kanrin Maru 150th Anniversary Celebration, fiscally sponsored by the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California, commemorates the 150th anniversary of the arrival of Kanrin Maru to San Francisco, the first official Japanese ship to land on American soil and to celebrate 150 years of history between the United States and Japan and the roots of the Japanese American community. The Kanrin Maru’s arrival signaled an important chapter in the beginning of official relations between the United States and Japan, seven years after Commodore Matthew Perry sailed to Japan to end two centuries of Japan’s self-imposed isolation. The Japantown Foundation will match up to $2,000 in donations earmarked for this program.

The Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival Parade’s Kanrin Maru 150th Anniversary Floats. This year, the Cherry Blossom Fesrival Parade will welcome specially created floats to celebrate the historic celebration of the Kanrin Maru’s arrival to San Francisco. The Japantown Foundation will match up to $2,000 in donations earmarked for this program.

The 18th Annual Kodomo no Hi (Children’s Day) Festival and School Visit Program, run by the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California, allows children and their families to learn about and embrace Japanese culture through hands-on activities; to enjoy traditional and contemporary Japanese and Japanese American arts and entertainment; and welcome them to our safe, prosperous and culturally vibrant Japantown community. The Kodomo no Hi Program preserves and honors San Francisco Japantown’s rich history for its residents, businesses, visitors and community organizations while supporting the growth and development of the community we live in and serve. The Japantown Foundation will match up to $2,000 in donations earmarked for this program.

The Michiya Hanayagi Dance Studio will perform at various community events throughout the year. After 55 years of teaching, her contributions towards promoting the Japanese culture through classical dance gained her the prestige of being honored in 2004 as one of the recipients of The Foreign Minister’s Commendation in Commemoration of the 150 th Anniversary of the U.S.-Japan Relationship. The Japantown Foundation will match up to $1,000 in donations earmarked for this program.(note: I think Hanayagi Sensei received the Foreign Minister’s Commendation for her contribution and skills separate and apart from the 150th Anniversary. Please check as this is a big deal.)

The Nikkei Community Internship Program run by the California Japanese American Community Leadership Council offering college students throughout California an opportunity to obtain experience supporting the work of various community organizations and increasing their understanding of contemporary issues affecting Japanese Americans. The goal of the program is to support the development of the next generation of community leaders. The Japantown Foundation will match up to $2,000 in donations earmarked for this program.

“What’s Next for J-Town? A Young Adults’ Perspective on San Francisco’s Japantown,” is a research project by Aya Ino focusing on the next generation of young adults and their interests, followed by a collective analysis on perspectives of San Francisco’s Japantown. With a growing need to keep this specific population vibrant within our community, research will be conducted through surveys and creative online tools to assess the needs of those who are 19 to 35 in age. Results will be presented and available for all stakeholders of Japantown including merchants, residents, churches, organizations, and individuals, in hopes that future events will reflect the collective perspectives voiced by the next generation. The Japantown Foundation will match up to $2,000 in donations earmarked for this program.

This was the Foundation’s third round of grantmaking since being founded in December 2006.

1. The matching period will now end on April 30, which is one month longer than the original end date. We made this change in response to feedback from organizations that five weeks was too short a timeframe.

2. We will accept donations prior to the Feb. 22 start of the matching period, provided that the donation is made directly to the Foundation and that the organization/group earmarked on the donation is accepted into our matching grants program. If we receive donations for an organization/group that is not accepted into the matching grants program, we will either return the donation(s) to the donor(s) or write a check for the cumulative amount of the earmarked donations without a match, whichever is preferred. We made this change in response to the desire by any organization/group that wants to get a head start on soliciting donations, even prior to the start of the matching period.

3. Organizations/groups accepted into the matching grants program will not be able to donate to the Foundation in order to cover the difference between the amount of earmarked donations received by the Foundation and the $2,000 maximum. This is a clarification of an existing intent of our original rules that all individual donations counted in the matching grants program come from sources other than the organization/group benefiting from the Foundation grant.

I shared these changes in an email to the folks who attended the Monday meeting. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at grants@sfjapantownfoundation.org.

The matching grants program will provide up to ten (10) organizations or groups with funding of up to $4,000, fifty percent of which will come from individual donors and the other fifty percent from a dollar-for-dollar match from the Foundation.

An organization/group must first qualify for the matching grants program by submitting a project application.  The Foundation will select up to ten (1o) organizations/groups based on how well their proposed projects meet our mission to support cultural, community and educational activities for San Francisco’s Japantown and/or the Japanese American community.

Applications are due on Monday, February 15, 2010, at 5 p.m. Pacific Time. Applications must be received – not postmarked – by this date and time. Applicants can use this form or apply online starting January 26. The Foundation will notify applicants by February 22 if they have been accepted into the 2010 matching grants program.

Organizations/groups selected for the matching grants program will then be asked to encourage donations be made to the organization/group through the Foundation and we will match those earmarked donations dollar-for-dollar up to the amount requested by the applicant, but not more than $2,000, for a possible total grant of up to $4,000. The Foundation will announce the grant totals on April 5, 2010.

Read the complete submission guidelines and apply either online or download a PDF.

The San Francisco Japantown Foundation will announce details of its 2010 matching grants program at a community meeting on Monday, January 25, at 4 p.m. in the Union Bank Japantown branch conference room, 1674 Post Street, San Francisco.

Like many nonprofit organizations, the Foundation was affected by the severe economic downturn and was unable to provide grants in 2009.  For 2010, organizations selected by the Foundation will be asked to match the amount of money given to them by the Foundation from other individual or corporate resources.

The San Francisco Japantown Foundation envisions a Japantown that inspires respect for the past, embrace of the present, and a commitment to a place and a community that is culturally vibrant, prosperous, safe, inclusive, engaging, and attractive to residents and to visitors. The Foundation was formed in December 2006 through generous initial endowments by Kintetsu Enterprises of America, the late Jack Hirose, and Hats and Amey Aizawa. The Foundation has since received additional donations from Minami Tamaki LLP, Union Bank and other benefactors.

The foundation’s mission is to support cultural, community and educational activities for San Francisco Japantown. We are dedicated to preserving and honoring Japantown’s history, to welcoming and serving its residents, visitors, businesses, congregations and community organizations, and to supporting the growth and development of the community. In particular, we support activities that reflect the Japanese American experience, and activities that engage Japanese of all generations and experiences in America.

Foundation board members will share details of the matching grants program at the Jan. 25 community meeting. Attendance at the meeting is not a requirement for being accepted into the matching grants program, but it’s highly recommended so prospective applicants have a chance to ask questions.

Those unable to attend the meeting will be able to download a matching grants program packet from this website after Jan. 25.

The Foundation is requesting RSVPs to the Jan. 25 meeting by emailing names and organizational affiliations by Jan. 22 to info@sfjapantownfoundation.org. Contact board member Keith Kamisugi at keith@keithpr.com or 415-874-5550 with any questions.

Media can download this text in a DOC file at http://www.box.net/shared/44ljytuge7.

The San Francisco Japantown Foundation mourns the loss of our board member Jack Hirose, who passed away on Christmas Day. We honor Jack’s great legacy from his contributions as a local businessman and as one of the community’s most generous philanthropists. The Foundation wishes to express our deepest condolences to the Hirose family. Information on services pending.