“Thanks for a wonderful evening! Our group really enjoyed the sake and jazz…such a treat to hear fantastic music in an intimate and beautiful setting!”
– Clare R.
“Thank you so much! One of the nicest evenings we’ve had in quite a while.”
-Bruce Rosenthal
“The concert was GREAT! Keigo was also a charming, warm person and a great performer. As for the sake: I’m not sure which this one was, but I’ve never had any sake quite like it; it was the most sparkling of the group and had an almost citrus flavor. Delicious! The others were excellent as well. Very smooth and easy to enjoy.”
-Steve Rindsberg
“It was a great event. My friends and I enjoyed the music and sake tasting. Thank you for organizing this wonderful event.”
A Family’s Living Legacy of the Japanese Internment Camps
Cincinnati native Denny Kato presented to a very engaged audience at the Pleasant Ridge Presbyterian Church May 9. The presentation featured a well-curated collection of photos from the camps, as well as historical details and moving personal anecdotes from Denny’s family and others who were incarcerated. The event was held in May in honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. It was sponsored by P&G with promotional support from the Japanese American Citizens League, Cincinnati Chapter.
Craig McKee of Channel 9/WCPO posted this article about Denny on May 15 based on an interview conducted just before our presentation.
Dr. Kimiko Gunji, Professor Emeritus of Japanese Arts & Culture, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, demonstrated how to make “Ichigo Daifuku” (a type of mochi) for 25 lucky participants on March 15, 2023. Her assistant, Diana Liao, demonstrated how to prepare “matcha,” which paired well with the mochi. Gunji-sensei signed copies of her book, “The Art of Wagashi.”
JASGC member Denny Kato was interviewed on May 17 by WVXU’s Lucy May. After retiring from a career in restaurant management in 2014, Kato took a deep dive into his family’s history, including time spent during WWII with other Japanese-American families in an internment camp. Listen to the full interview here.
