Akemashite Omedetou (Happy New Year)! It’s only mid-December, but it feels like the New Year has arrived especially early. Walking through the aisles of Tokyo Central, many of our favorite foods like kuromame (sweet black soybeans), ko mochi (sticky rice flour cake), yokan (sweet red bean paste), and “designer” kamboko (cured surimi), are already on display. Carrying on the tradition of showcasing tasty dishes that our parents and grandparents lovingly prepared, we can now add our twist to the time-honored family recipes like kimpira gobo (braised burdock root), ozoni (Japanese new year mochi soup), and tempura (deep-fried seafood/vegetables). As the door to 2022 slowly opens, our BWA family looks forward to an array of in-person gatherings and face-to-face conversations that have been absent for so many months. Getting back to normal may be a stretch, but when given the green light, we’ll be willing and ready!

• Thank you very much to Chieko Otsuki for your donation to Senior Lunch. Your generosity during our luncheon absence is greatly appreciated.

• 17 members attended our Bingo event on December 5th. Thank you to our committee for putting together another fun afternoon of challenging games and raffle prizes that everyone enjoyed.

• Thank you to friends, family, and Sangha members who supported our Tupperware fundraiser in 2021. This fundraiser is doing well, and we plan to continue until April 2022.

• Pending RMC approval, we are hoping to resume Senior Lunch in January. If you are interested in attending, please inform Alison to order a bento.

• Our next BWA meeting will be on January 16, 2022. More information to follow via email.

Lastly, let’s give warm congratulations to our new OCBWA President, Lynn Black, and her cabinet for the years 2022-2023:

President - Lynn Black

Co-Vice Presidents - Rumi Nakatani and Noreen Kamimura

Treasurer - Alison Yoshihara

Recording Secretary - Jan Shoda

Corresponding Secretary - Janet Sakahara

Auditor - Linda Ishibashi

Religious Chairperson - Karen Nakagiri

Hospitality - Lily Hara and Sharon Saldana

Membership - Nancy Hara and Joni Ukegawa Nakaso

Publicity - Chris Nakamura

Activities - Linda Hara, Karen Nagayama, and Betty Yamasaki

Advisors - Jodi Hisamoto, Marion Nishimura, and Irene Yamanishi

For any questions about BWA or its activities, please email us at bwa@orangecountybuddhist.org.

In Gassho, 
Chris Nakamura