Mr. Okita, President of the Kumamoto Prefecture Association of Southern California has been incumbent since 2010. He was born at POW camp in Crystal City, Texas during WW2. He grew up in his parents' hometown, Mifune, Kumamoto until he graduated from Mifune High School. In 1964, he returned to Los Angeles and served in the military during the Vietnam War. After graduating from USC, he has been working for Vons until the present. He loves Karaoke and flamenco dance.
Introducing our former President Mr. Fukuoka(2001-2007)
前会長 福岡健二氏をご紹介
Kenji Fukuoka：Pioneer Spirit Honoree(Nominated by Nanka Kenjinkai Kyogikai)
福岡健二：パイオニアスピリット受賞者
Kenji Fukuoka was born in 1946 and is the second son to Mitsutaro and Setsu Fukuoka of Kumamoto, Japan. At the tender age of 16, he moved to Nagoya and later to Tokyo to financially support his family. While working in Tokyo, he entered a youth program where he was selected to visit Hawaii and Los Angeles for a brief stay. During this trip, Fukuoka became determined to live in America.
In 1974, while attending Sangyo Noritsu University, he made a decision to further his education by attending school abroad in Los Angeles. Four years later, he married Hatsumi Kobayashi. Fukuoka prior to retirement, he spent many years beautifying Los Angeles homes as a gardener and landscaper. He became a United States citizen in 2001.
For more than 40 years, from the 1970s to the present, Fukuoka has been very active in helping and volunteering with the Japanese community and nonprofit organizations. He has served the Nikkei community as president of the Nanka Kenjinkai Kyogikai, Kumamoto Kenjinkai, and Taisho Club; and served as vice president, chairperson and other important positions for many other Nikkei organizations. In 2013, he received the Honorable Ryokuhakuji Yukousho Award from the Japanese government and the Testimonial Award from the Kumamoto prefectural government.
One of his most prominent volunteering contributions was in 2016. The Kumamoto region was hit with a 7.0 magnitude earthquake on April 16, 2016. Shortly after this tragic event, Fukuoka spearheaded the Kenjinkai Kyogikai's "Kumamoto Earthquake Relief Fund Drive." For the next 11 months, Fukuoka spent countless hours and days visiting various Japanese events and collected more than $130,000 in donations. What is so amazing is that after receiving several hundred donations, he personally wrote more than 850 thank you letters with a receipt to every donor. 100 percent of the initial donation money was first sent to the "Special Relief Fund Account," created by the governor of Kumamoto prefecture. The remaining donations, were thereafter sent to Kumamoto through the office of the Consul General of Japan in Los Angeles.
Today, Fukuoka continues to participate and volunteer with the Japanese speaking community and organizations. His contributions are well displayed and this award is well deserved. He and his wife Hatsumi have two daughters, Emi and Akiko.
Naoki was born in Kumamoto and moved to the U.S. when he was a month old. Every summer, he spent his time at the local elementary and middle schools in Kumamoto. One summer, his mother invited an exchange student from Kumamoto, Tsuda-kun, to a BBQ at her parents’ house to play Tsugaru shamisen for them. There, Naoki was intrigued by the shamisen.
“This is what I want to do when I return to Kumamoto!” These are the words Naoki said immediately after the second time he heard Tsuda-kun’s performance in Irvine. He was enthralled by the technical pieces and the taiko-like playing style of the instrument. He was 10 years old at the time, and they were two months away from moving to their hometown (formerly known as 'Nishigoshi') for a year.
After returning to Kumamoto, his mother immediately took him to the local folk song class where he could learn Tsugaru shamisen. Naoki, who looks more like his white father, was clearly different from others in the class. With the exception of his instructor, Chikuhou-sensei, his class was made up of students the same age as his grandparents. He had no clue what the older generation was speaking in the beginning, so his mother had to interpret for him. During his stay, he only had time to practice the shamisen for 15 minutes before school in the morning and up to an hour on the weekends due to his other hobby, baseball. Still, “Love is what makes you good at something!'' His shamisen skills improved rapidly, and it was clear to everyone his lessons were paying off.
Chikuhou-sensei, who is dedicated to the revival and development of folk songs, received requests for events one after another. Naoki learned the joy of playing in front of an audience, and he was very fortunate to have the opportunity to play solo at various events. He also had invaluable time learning from Fukui-sensei, who has taught two national Tsugaru shamisen contest winners from Kumamoto later.
Fortunately, requests for performances continued even after returning to the U.S. At first, he was nervous, so his mother had to introduce him and his playing lists for him. However, she says she can still remember clearly that he was in his element once he started playing his shamisen.
Through Tsugaru shamisen, he and his family have traveled to many places in Kumamoto and Southern California. He and his mother stood on stage in front of hundreds of people, and also had the opportunity to tour the press conference room at Anaheim Angels Stadium. He has also performed in front of Mr. Kazuo Inamori, former chairman of Japan Airlines, on the Queen Mary.
These experiences are all thanks to the people who have connections to Kumamoto.
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