Spotlight on PABU, a Culinary Partner of our New Year’s Celebration on Jan. 8

The San Francisco Japantown Foundation’s special New Year’s Celebration on January 8, 2015, will feature osechi ryori, the traditional food and presentation prepared to celebrate the New Year. Because of the complex preparation required for the dishes, we’ve partnered with several restaurants to provide our guests with the most authentic experience possible.

One of these restaurants is PABU San Francisco, which opened in the summer of 2014 as a partnership between Chef Ken Tominaga (left in above photo) and star restauranteur Michael Minna (photo, right). Located in the Financial District, "PABU combines rustic, old-world Japanese charm with modern, urban sophistication to create a dynamic, social dining experience."

With PABU, Chef Tominaga and Minna are executing a modern take on traditional Izakaya-style dining and the restaurant has already been showered with rave reviews. Food critic Michael Bauer put PABU on his short list of the Best New Restaurants in 2014.

Chef Tominaga attended the Akasaka Cooking School in Tokyo. He studied the craft of sushi masters and adapted their recipes to reflect his personal style while staying true to Japanese tradition. He made his mark on the Bay Area food scene as owner of Hana Japanese Restaurant in Sonoma.

PABU and Chef Tominaga's contribution to the osechi ryori will be a dish involving buri, or grilled yellowtail. In osechi ryori, grilled fish are exquisitely presented in addition to preserved vegetables. All are prepared to be eaten at room temperature, and can be kept for several days without refrigeration. These morsels are tightly packed into exquisite lacquer boxes called jubako. In the original and classic fashion of small plates, osechi ryori offers tastings of a large variety of dishes–each with its own meaning and a definitive hold on every aspect of the flavor profile.

The San Francisco Japantown Foundation expresses our deep appreciation to Chef Tominaga and PABU General Manager Anthony Kinn for partnering with us on our New Year's celebration.

The public is invited to join us and experience the traditional Japanese New Year dining experience of osechi ryori on January 8 at the Hotel Kabuki. More event information and tickets are available online.

Spotlight on Sushi Ran, Culinary Partner of Our New Year's Celebration

The San Francisco Japantown Foundation’s special New Year’s Celebration on January 8, 2015, will feature osechi ryori, the traditional food and presentation prepared to celebrate the New Year. Because of the complex preparation required for the dishes, we’ve partnered with several restaurants to provide our guests with the most authentic experience possible.

One of these restaurants is Sushi Ran (SushiRan.com), the highly acclaimed restaurant by Yoshi Tome located in Sausalito. With top rankings from Michelin and Zagat Survey, and three stars from San Francisco Chronicle food critic Michael Bauer, Sushi Ran has amazed diners for almost 30 years.

The restaurant was a culinary partner of our 2013 event and we’re thrilled they’re returning for our 2015 event.

For this year's event, Sushi Ran will be preparing buta no kakuni (braised pork belly) and a vegetable dish using Okinawan style vegetables.

Sushi Ran features a vibrant fusion of traditional Japanese and Pacific cuisine. "We are passionate about what we do, and take special delight in introducing our guests to new wines, great cuisine, and surprising pairings of food with wine and sake."

In addition to its rankings from Michelin and Zagat, the restaurant was picked as one of the top three restaurants in Sausalito by USA Today Travel.

In addition to playing a major role in our New Year's celebration, Sushi Ran is welcoming guests to its own celebration on New Year's Day at 4 p.m. The free event will feature dancing, drumming, sake barrel breaking, treats for kids, sake tasting for adults, and a traditional Japanese blessings.

The San Francisco Japantown Foundation osechi ryori event will be on Thursday, January 8, 2015, from 6-8:30 p.m. at the Hotel Kabuki in Japantown. This is the San Francisco Japantown Foundation’s primary fundraiser and allows us to continue providing grants to Japantown and Japanese American-related nonprofit organizations.

Buy your tickets or sponsorships here, or by contacting Keith Kamisugi at keith@japantownfoundation.org.

Spotlight on Sanraku, Culinary Partner of Our New Year’s Celebration

The San Francisco Japantown Foundation’s special New Year’s Celebration on January 8, 2015, will feature osechi ryori, the traditional food and presentation prepared to celebrate the New Year. Because of the complex preparation required for the dishes, we’ve partnered with several restaurants to provide our guests with the most authentic experience possible.

One of these restaurants is Sanraku (sanraku.com), a Japanese restaurant with locations in the Union Square area and in the Metreon entertainment center. The highly rated Sanraku celebrated its 25th anniversary in September. The restaurant was a culinary partner of our 2013 event and we're thrilled they're returning for our 2015 event.

Sanraku is planning on preparing a cod dish similar to the one below (actual dish subject to change), and we look forward to sharing their delicious presentation with our guests at our January 8 event.

We're honored to have Sanraku partnering with us on our event. The restaurant's first location opened in 1989, specializing in first class quality Japanese cuisine. In 1992, they added upscale "Sanraku Four Seasons" next door, which included a new sushi bar. Sanraku opened up it's Metreon location in 1999.

Sanraku strives to serve the highest quality Japanese food, consisting only of fresh and quality ingredients. "We strive to be Japan's best ambassadors of its culinary arts and culture," states the restaurant on its website. Known for authentic and delicious cuisine, Sanraku offers some of the city's finest Japanese cuisine options.

The San Francisco Japantown Foundation osechi ryori event will be on Thursday, January 8, 2015, from 6-8:30 p.m. at the Hotel Kabuki in Japantown. This is the San Francisco Japantown Foundation's primary fundraiser and allows us to continue providing grants to Japantown and Japanese American-related nonprofit organizations.

Buy your tickets or sponsorships here, or by contacting Keith Kamisugi at keith@japantownfoundation.org.

Celebrate the New Year with Osechi Ryori and the Japantown Foundation

Part of the Japantown Foundation's mission is to support cultural activities in Japantown and in the Japanese American community. We usually do this through our grants program, but once a year in January, we put on our own cultural event centered around osechi ryori, the traditional food and presentation prepared to celebrate the New Year.

In osechi ryori, certain dishes are carefully prepared and presented on New Year’s Day to wish for good health, happiness, and prosperity.

Our osechi ryori event will be on Thursday, January 8, 2015, from 6-8:30 p.m. at the Hotel Kabuki in Japantown. Buy tickets or sponsorships.

Pabu, Sanraku, Sushi Ran, Yama-sho, and Delica will once again prepare dishes that reflect a particular regional style of cooking of Japan that will serve as an added treat to the traditional Japanese New Year dishes that will be prepared.

Many nikkei (Japanese Americans) and nihonjin (Japanese nationals) families no longer have the time or knowledge to make osechi dishes. So in a tribute to remember our own cultural heritage and to share this special tradition with individuals interested in Japanese culture and tradition, our annual osechi ryori event was created to provide guests time to reflect, reminisce, and respect the symbolic meaning of each of the dishes offered as well as partake in great food that cannot be found in any restaurant or local market.

Join us this coming January to experience an authentic and exquisite Japanese New Year Banquet.

We have been so grateful for the overwhelming support from our past sponsors and want to say thank you for supporting Osechi Ryori 2015, again.

Buy tickets or sponsorships online.

Aya Ino Joins Japantown Foundation Board of Directors

The San Francisco Japantown Foundation board of directors elected Aya Ino as a director on September 15, 2014.

Aya is Director of Development and Communications at the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC), overseeing and directing the fund development, marketing, and membership departments of the organization.

A native San Franciscan, Aya grew up in the heart of Japantown attending Nihonmachi Little Friends (NLF), the Japanese Bilingual Bicultural Program (JBBP) and has performed with San Francisco Taiko Dojo since 1990.

In 2011 she served as a founding faculty member of a start-up public high school in Manhattan, New York City, writing grants and developing a national standards-based curriculum in Government and Economics. Aya graduated from the University of California Los Angeles in 2008 and earned her Masters in Education from Columbia University in 2012.

In 2010, the Japantown Foundation awarded Aya with a matching grant for “What’s Next for J-Town? A Young Adults’ Perspective on San Francisco’s Japantown.” The research project focused on the next generation of young adults and their interests, and was followed by a collective analysis on perspectives of San Francisco’s Japantown.