| | Please Welcome Our New Intern, Iris Kim! Many of you may have already met Iris. Here's a little bit that she wrote about her interest in JASSC: Greetings to the wonderful JASSC Society! I have always been interested in Japanese culture, even though it was never formally introduced to me. The media I fell in love with were tightly entwined in the Japanese sphere: the many expressions and dialects, the beautiful storytelling, and the art style these shows presented. I have experience organizing events, fundraising, and doing graphic design. I am not an expert in all of these fields, but they are valuable experiences that I would love to contribute to help grow this society. Thank you for having me as your intern!
| | | | | Conversation Over Cookies CreateSpace at Library 21c (1175 Chapel Hills Dr, Colorado Springs, CO 80920) 06 Sep 2025, 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM 04 Oct 2025, 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM At this event, Japanese speakers will stay in place at a table with a board/card game and English speakers will jump around where they want to play. We will try to speak in Japanese as much as possible! Any level of speakers are welcome! Bring your own water bottles and some cookies or snacks to share if you can. Since the space is limited, please register using the button on this page. If you have questions or need to cancel your registration, please email Ayumi Peek at ayumiohishi@gmail.com. This activity is free of charge for JASSC members. We will ask $5 donations/family from non-members. | | | | | Colorado Dragon Boat Festival This Weekend! The Sloan's Lake (Denver) festival is this weekend, September 6-7. See https://www.cdbf.org/ for important information about schedules, parking and shuttles. This is a BIG festival, with some 200,000 people expected to attend. There will be lots of entertainment, food and interesting activities besides the actual races. Both this and the Brighton festival are free and open to the public. Race Start: 8:00am Every Day Saturday Festival: 10:00am – 7:00pm Sunday Festival: 10:00am – 5:00pm THERE IS NO PARKING ONSITE! FREE Shuttles from the Auraria Campus to the festival. Please use one of the validation codes below for $10 parking at the 5th Street Garage, Cherry, or Elm Lot. Address for 5th Street Garage: 1351 5th St. Denver, CO 80204 Validation Code: 1102202 There is a second Dragon Boat Regatta and Night Market in Brighton, CO, on Saturday, September 27th.at Riverdale Regional Park. See the same web page above for details. | | | | | Baguni Mart in Pueblo Our friend Sean of Asiana Market tells us about their new store opening in Pueblo, Baguni Mart. Here's a note from Sean: Location: 961 US-50, Pueblo, CO 81008 (this is next to the Lowes store, on the north end of Pueblo) BAGUNI means 'basket' (かご) in Korean. Since we are focused on Korean and Japanese groceries, we decided to name the store using Korean words that relate to our store and can be pronounced easily. Also, we found out that many of the customers come to visit our main store, "Asiana Market" located in Colorado Springs, from Pueblo. Since Puelo does not have an Asian Grocery Store, we are hoping to scratch the back for customers who live in Pueblo. The concept of the store will be similar to Asiana Market; we will carry most of the items that Asiana Market carries. However, we will make a Ramen station at Baguni Mart, where customers can cook their ramen. Also, we will have many ready-to-eat foods like Kimbab, Onigiri, Musubi, etc We are at the end phase of construction, and we are hoping to grand open the first week of September. | | | | | | | Virtual JET Info Session (USJETAA) In partnership with the JET Program USA Office (Embassy of Japan), USJETAA will be hosting another Virtual JET Program Info Session on Tuesday, Sept 16th @8:00–9:30 PM ET via Zoom. Our last info session had over 200 registrants. This is free and open to the public. Info Session Details: What to Expect: - Firsthand Experiences: Hear from a panel of JET alumni who will share their personal experiences living and working in Japan on JET.
- Application Tips: Guidance from a JET Program Coordinator on the process and what makes a strong application.
- Q&A Session: Ask your questions and get real-time answers.
Registration & Details: https://www.usjetaa.org/news/jet-info-session-september-2025 | | | Korean American Society of Southern Colorado Festival September 20 10 AM - 6 PM Korean Festival Acacia Park in Downtown Colorado Springs Learn More | | | | | Mark your calendar for the annual Japanese Cultural Festival and Bazaar on Saturday, October 25th, starting at 10 am. Admission and parking is  free, so everyone is welcome to come and enjoy many Japanese cultural presentations while browsing and shopping for authentic Japanese goods from one of our many community vendors. Visitor registration is encouraged but not required! It just helps us get a good headcount. :) If you would like to register as a vendor, volunteer, workshop host, or performer, please continue reading below.  Important Change in Location! Like our other major events this year, we are moving the Bazaar to the Pikes Peak United Way Family Success Center (1520 Verde St., Colorado Springs). We've enjoyed working with UCCS for over 12 years, but the cost of holding events at universities and colleges has risen exponentially, and in order to keep this event low cost to vendors and free for visitors, we decided to make the move for this event, like our other big ones this year. | | | Registration Now Open for All Roles We're looking for Volunteers, Vendors, Performers, and Workshop Hosts for this culture bonanza! - Please fill out the application form here for each role that you plan to participate in (i.e., please fill out the form twice if you are going to be a volunteer and a performer).
- Our team should confirm your application in one to two weeks.
- If you don't see an email confirmation in that timeframe, please check your spam box, and then contact us at bazaar@japanamerica.org.
- Vendors, performers, and workshop hosts are approved on a case-by-case basis. Participants must demonstrate a clear connection to Japanese culture.
Please share this event page and the application form widely, and with anyone you know who is interested in joining the fun! More Info Coming Soon! Check back frequently for info such as... - Vendor lists
- Activities for kids
- Performances
- Food
- Workshops
| | | | | Japan Cruise and Tour Opportunities Our president, Wayne Stout, met this company at the recent NAJAS 2025 Conference in Lexington, Ky. As a member of Japan Society, JASSC members are eligible for a 5% discount on our 2026 cruise program, Journey Japan. Please be sure to enter NAJAS2026 along with your chapter in the Group Code section of the registration form online. If you would like additional information for group travel, you can contact us at this email address to discuss further, or check the website. | | | | | Other Interesting Organizations Want more news? Check out these other organizations supporting Asian Americans in Colorado and beyond!
- Golden Lotus Foundation - The GLF is working hard to build a botanical garden and tea house in Colorado Springs. They are always looking for volunteers, so sign up for their newsletter if you are interested!
- NAJAS - the National Association of Japan America Societies is the hub of all other JAS in the US.
- Japan America Society of Colorado (Denver) - JASC is our closest sibling organization, with most of their happenings located in Denver. They have a community e-bulletin which they send out monthly as well.
- El Pomar Foundation - Elevating Leadership Development Program. The ELD program is run by the El Pomar foundation and creates "greater access and support for people of color in Southern Colorado to tap into their leadership potential for the benefit of community." Their quarterly meetings are free to attend and convene advisory councils for the following groups: Asian / Pacific Islander, Black, Hispanic, and Native American.
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- Asian Pacific Islander Business Community of Colorado Springs - this new organization is building better connections to and awareness of Asian-led businesses in Colorado Springs. The link is to their linktree, which includes a newsletter signup.
| | | | | About JASSC JASSC web site Send us your news! Let us know what you’d like to see in the next newsletter. Please email the editor, Rayna Lindsey
rayna@japanamerica.org Did you know that you can edit your own address, phone and email information right on the japanamerica.org website? Simply enter your email and password in the upper-right corner and click Login. Don't know your password? Click Forgot Password and the website will help you out. You will also find a secure password-protected online member directory. Use it to look up names, addresses, phone numbers and emails for other members.
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