By: Celeste Koyama, GVJCI Marketing & Social Media Intern

Growing up as a yonsei (fourth-generation Japanese American) in Honolulu, Hawaii, I was surrounded by diversity and had a pretty strong connection to my Japanese heritage. My grandfather was the President of the Kumamoto Kenjinkai, and for a few years, my family was on the Board for the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii (JCCH). However, as we grew older, our family participated in these organizations less and less. As a result, I started to become disinterested and disconnected from Japanese culture, as many of the other interns felt. But once I attended critical race theory classes at LMU, I found a renewed interest in my Japanese heritage. That’s why when my brother, who currently lives in Gardena, told me about an internship opportunity at GVJCI, I felt that this was the perfect opportunity not only to gain experience but also to reconnect with my heritage. 

It was truly an amazing experience working here at GVJCI. Up until this internship, I had only gotten a taste of the rich history and culture of the Asian and Nikkei community here in the South Bay area. This internship taught me so much about what it means to be a part of an organization that is truly passionate about serving its community and strengthening its bond with others. Everyone at GVJCI was so welcoming and friendly that it reminded me a lot of home in Hawaii. I was aware of the large Japanese-Hawaiian population in Gardena/Torrance, but it wasn’t until Matsuri that I experienced it first-hand. It was comforting to know that almost everyone I met had grown up in Hawaii or had family and friends there. As the others have mentioned, the Matsuri Bento-To-Go Fundraiser in June was the first time that all the interns could meet in-person after mostly working remotely. After reaching our goal of 1,200 bento pre-orders a week earlier than our deadline, it was amazing to see everything finally come together. Although we weren’t able to hold the full-fledged Matsuri due to COVID-19 concerns, I enjoyed listening to everyone’s favorite moments of Matsuri. This reminded me a lot of when my family volunteered at JCCH’s annual ‘Ohana Festival, which is a similar event with games, performances, and food. Knowing how hard the staff at GVJCI works to prepare for this event every year, I’m excited to come back in the future and see what Matsuri is like in full-swing. 

One of my favorite parts of this internship was Tanoshii Fun Camp. This was my first time working with children, so I didn’t know what to expect at first, but it turned out to be really fun!  The counselors and other interns were awesome to work with and the children were really energetic. My favorite memory from camp was the paper mache Pikachu activity, where you could really see everyone’s creative talents. While some made Pikachus, others decided to make foxes, unicorns, and other Pokémon. It was amazing to see them come out of their shells as the days went by, and it seemed like they enjoyed all of our activities.

You also may have noticed that the homepage and navigation menu for our website has a fresh new look! While at GVJCI, I noticed that some people, especially seniors, had trouble navigating our website. Since I had some experience with website design, I wanted to make their experience easier, and proposed that I redesign the home page and navigation. Originally, I had planned to make small changes to the website, but after learning of the frustrations people had, I realized there was much more we needed to change. I was nervous because the home page is often the most visited page on a website, so the changes I made were critical in telling GVJCI’s story.  Thankfully, everyone was supportive and excited for the changes I planned to make. As we had a limited budget and only two weeks before the end of my internship, I learned to problem-solve, stay organized, and work efficiently. After extensive research and collaboration with Stephanie and Cathy, I was able to complete everything in time, and I am glad that I could use my skills to create a positive impact within this community. This has also sparked my passion for UX/UI design, and I have decided to pursue it as a career! 
The past three months have flown by, and I sincerely thank GVJCI for an amazing experience this summer. GVJCI truly lives up to its mission to create a space to engage, share, and embrace the Nikkei experience, as they have done for me and many others. 

By: Joshua Yamane, Social Media and Marketing Intern
​
Hello everyone! I’m Joshua Yamane and for the past three months, I have served as one of the social media and marketing interns. I first heard about the internship from my grandmother. She sent an email which surprised me because every time I saw her with a phone, she was asking someone for help. I opened the email and read through the details of the job. To my surprise, the internship was at JCI, a familiar location since I visited often for F.O.R basketball and Sansei baseball pictures. I also happened to live about five minutes away from the facilities so I passed by frequently and came for the GVJCI carnival to get the Okinawan donuts. So, hoping I would get a chance to work at such a familiar place I sent in my application and hoped for the best. To my joy and grandmother’s, I managed to get the position.

Now, what does the story about getting the internship mean? The story represents everything that GVJCI stands for and its mission. They have smartphone classes to teach the seniors how to use their phones; seniors like my grandmother. JCI’s mission is to spread the Nikkei experience and culture. Respecting and aiding elders certainly falls into that category as Japanese culture prides itself on taking care of its seniors. Being a gosei or fifth-generation Japanese-American, I only have a faint trace of my rich Japanese heritage. I cannot speak or understand Japanese. I am not particularly fond of adzuki beans, sashimi, or ume which are obviously extremely popular in Japanese cuisine. The disconnect I felt with my culture always saddened me as I wanted to proudly say I am Japanese. I was always a little envious of those who had parents or family members that spoke their native language and had strong cultural ties.

Despite my disjointed connection, the internship really helped me understand my Japanese culture and embrace it. My responsibilities included managing the social media of GVJCI, creating flyers for programs, and generating new creative ideas to increase engagement with followers. I worked entirely remotely for the first part of my internship so I could not see the fruits of my labor until the Matsuri fundraiser. Because I could not see the results of my work, I found the initial portion of the internship difficult and tedious. I could not come up with original captivating designs. With the copyright rules and proper diction that needed to be followed, the job seemed much more rigorous than I initially thought. However, thanks to the trust and feedback I constantly received from Stephanie and Cathy, they guided me and I would like to think I got the hang of it.

Everything finally started to piece together at Matsuri. Walking into the office for the first time, meeting all the staff members, and setting up the tents validated the work I was doing. On the day of Matsuri, I along with two other interns Celeste and Noah put up stories and took pictures and videos of the event. Actually obtaining the pictures that would later be used was also a ton of fun because I could fashion the photos how I wanted them. Seeing so many people come out and enjoy all the hard work that was put in was indescribably gratifying. 

​After Matsuri, there was around a month until the next major event; the Tanoshii Fun Camp. This was by far one of my favorite experiences as an intern. The kids were so much fun to be around and definitely made the early mornings worth it. The work felt so rewarding as I knew I was giving back to the same Japanese-American community that I was raised in.

As a business economics major, learning how to market and network is crucial to success. I had no experience with social media or marketing outside of social media use in my personal life. Thankfully, GVJCI accepted me with open arms and mentored me. Learning how to effectively relay a message clearly and concisely through social media platforms taught me so much about factors I hadn’t even considered. I don’t know what I envisioned the internship would look like, however it was so much more and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.

By: Joshua Yamane, Social Media and Marketing Intern
Hello everyone! I’m Joshua Yamane and for the past three months, I have served as one of the social media and marketing interns. I first heard about the internship from my grandmother. She sent an email which surprised me because every time I saw her with a phone, she was asking someone for help. I opened the email and read through the details of the job. To my surprise, the internship was at GVJCI, a familiar location since I visited often for F.O.R basketball and Sansei baseball pictures. I also happened to live about five minutes away from the facilities so I passed by frequently and came for the GVJCI carnival to get the Okinawan donuts. So, hoping I would get a chance to work at such a familiar place I sent in my application and hoped for the best. To my joy and grandmother’s, I managed to get the position.

Now, what does the story about getting the internship mean? The story represents everything that GVJCI stands for and its mission. They have smartphone classes to teach the seniors how to use their phones; seniors like my grandmother. JCI’s mission is to spread the Nikkei experience and culture. Respecting and aiding elders certainly falls into that category as Japanese culture prides itself on taking care of its seniors. Being a gosei or fifth-generation Japanese-American, I only have a faint trace of my rich Japanese heritage. I cannot speak or understand Japanese. I am not particularly fond of adzuki beans, sashimi, or ume which are obviously extremely popular in Japanese cuisine. The disconnect I felt with my culture always saddened me as I wanted to proudly say I am Japanese. I was always a little envious of those who had parents or family members that spoke their native language and had strong cultural ties.

Despite my disjointed connection, the internship really helped me understand my Japanese culture and embrace it. My responsibilities included managing the social media of GVJCI, creating flyers for programs, and generating new creative ideas to increase engagement with followers. I worked entirely remotely for the first part of my internship so I could not see the fruits of my labor until the Matsuri fundraiser. Because I could not see the results of my work, I found the initial portion of the internship difficult and tedious. I could not come up with original captivating designs. With the copyright rules and proper diction that needed to be followed, the job seemed much more rigorous than I initially thought. However, thanks to the trust and feedback I constantly received from Stephanie and Cathy, they guided me and I would like to think I got the hang of it.

Everything finally started to piece together at Matsuri. Walking into the office for the first time, meeting all the staff members, and setting up the tents validated the work I was doing. On the day of Matsuri, I along with two other interns Celeste and Noah put up stories and took pictures and videos of the event. Actually obtaining the pictures that would later be used was also a ton of fun because I could fashion the photos how I wanted them. Seeing so many people come out and enjoy all the hard work that was put in was indescribably gratifying. 
After Matsuri, there was around a month until the next major event; the Tanoshii Fun Camp. This was by far one of my favorite experiences as an intern. The kids were so much fun to be around and definitely made the early mornings worth it. The work felt so rewarding as I knew I was giving back to the same Japanese-American community that I was raised in.
 
As a business economics major, learning how to market and network is crucial to success. I had no experience with social media or marketing outside of social media use in my personal life. Thankfully, GVJCI accepted me with open arms and mentored me. Learning how to effectively relay a message clearly and concisely through social media platforms taught me so much about factors I hadn’t even considered. I don’t know what I envisioned the internship would look like, however it was so much more and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.

By: Lise Tarui, GVJCI Program Development Intern

​My name is Lise Tarui, and I have been one of GVJCI’s Program Development Interns this summer. As a Japanese American who grew up in the United States, I lacked a strong Japanese community; I felt that the only resource I had to access Japanese culture was my family. Although I am lucky to be nisei, meaning I still have relatively close connections to Japanese culture and history, being born and raised in Los Angeles still gave me an Americanized upbringing. The result of this was feeling disconnected to my Japanese heritage.
 
My undergraduate education is what really ignited my desires to learn more about Japanese culture and history and to find pride in my identity. Despite feeling disconnected to my heritage in high school, I have since been committed to taking Japanese language courses and contributing to Nikkei Student Union (a Japanese culture club), and my dream for my future career is now to help strengthen U.S.-Japan relations. With that being said, I sought out this internship at GVJCI to help me reach my career plans.
 
My internship offered me more than I could have imagined. My main duties as a Program Development Intern included planning programs to help engage the South Bay Japanese American community, assisting in GVJCI’s Annual Matsuri Fundraiser, and drafting lesson plans and activities for the TANOSHII Fun Camp.
 
Through planning programs, I learned how to think creatively and to adapt plans. My first program I developed and led was the ‘Smartphone Photography Club’ that was part of the Tomodachi Program Series; this club provided a space for older adults in the community to learn more about smartphone photo, editing, and sending features, discuss any difficulties and questions they had, and share what they learned. This program was a great success and was the first time I felt very proud of my contributions to GVJCI and the South Bay Japanese American community in general.

​Another program I developed was not as much a success, but still taught me a lot. This program began as a way to connect South Bay Japanese Americans to Japanese individuals who were physically in Japan. However, due to logistical issues, this program was tabled and changed into a Scrapbooking Club. This club was meant for individuals to share and discuss their Japanese American experiences through scrapbooking. This club eventually changed to an art and writing program with the same ends, known as ‘Sharing Japanese American Experiences: Educating Younger Generations through Art.’ The pieces that were to be created through this program were meant to be shared with the campers at the TANOSHII Fun Camp. Despite adding an online submission option to the program, we did not get many submissions or participants and had to cancel the program. Although I was disappointed that this program couldn’t be executed, I still took with me the experiences of planning this program, adapting to difficulties, and thinking about ways to share the unique experiences of Japanese Americans in the area. Additionally, I learned that the best laid plans do not always work out.
 
My experience helping at GVJCI’s Annual Matsuri Fundraiser was extremely fulfilling. Starting with my article about this event, I learned a lot about the history of matsuri at GVJCI, the history of matsuri in general, and what this event means to people in the community. At the event, I worked with the other interns for the first time and learned how to fill in wherever I was needed. I was also able to see how thankful people were for how this event brings the community together.

The TANOSHII Fun Camp was my favorite experience of my internship. Drafting the plans for the activities and lessons weeks before and then watching it all unfold in the weeklong camp was an amazing experience. Being a counselor forced me to use my leadership skills. I found myself taking initiative, asking for help, and delegating with both the kids and the other counselors. The connections I made with the campers and the counselors made me wish that that exhausting week didn't have to come to an end.

Overall, I could not be happier with my experience interning at GVJCI and working with the GVJCI staff. I am positive that I will be returning to volunteer; I feel a deep connection to this community now and am committed to doing my part to contribute what I can.

By: Lise Tarui, GVJCI Program Intern

GVJCI is extremely proud of its tradition of hosting matsuri every year. This event has been put on for decades and continues to bring the community together. ​