Tuesday, July 29, 2014

A Journey Back in Time "Evening at Panama Hotel"

by Keiko P.
Sometimes, I have a great pleasure meeting with distinguished member of our community through my work at local public library. Sarah is one of them, who introduced me to a Japan-America society event in Seattle, "A Journey Back in Time 'Evening at Panama Hotel.



  • Friday, September 12, 2014
  • 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM
  • 605 1/2 S Main St, Seattle, WA 98104






This is a great opportunity to visit this historical hotel featured in the book, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. I assure you that reading this book ahead of time the event even more memorable. 

As below, we will hear about past and present of the building and the surrounding community, which was once called Japantown. See you there!


Event Schedule 
5:30 pm    Registration opens  
6:00 pm    Welcome Speech - Ambassador Michael Michalak
6:10 pm    A Talk by the owner of Panama Hotel, Ms. Jan Johnson
6:30 pm    Networking/Social time 
8:30 pm    End

Parking: Street Parking

Event Page



Introduction to Panama Hotel in Japanese

Monday, July 28, 2014

Our granddaughters, again

by Aleks
it was 2 years ago that Lynnda and I took our granddaughters - then 2 y.o. (minus 2 days) Sophie  and 7 y.o. (minus 4 weeks)  Ellie  to Seattle Japanese Garden. We did it again, when Ellie visited from Maine this July: the girls are now respectively: almost 4 and almost 9 y.o.  This time Sophie's new brother Nick and their mother also came with us.

SJG • 7/23/14 - by the Kobe lantern

Ellie remembered Sophie well and wondered if she grew up much, was curious about her baby brother and eager to repeat the Japanese Garden adventure. Sophie claimed not remembering Ellie ('I was 2 years old!'), but as soon as the girls got together the aura of familiarity enveloped them:  familiar circumstances, familiar grounds and probably familiar feelings.  They walked together, held hands and looked like old friends in no time: it was almost as if the time stood still for their meeting in our beautiful Japanese Garden.

SJG • 7/23/14  - checking the fuzzy under-leaves of r. yakushimanum

Ellie still keeps haiku travel journal and this is what she wrote in it on the end of the day:

SJG • 7/23/14 - chasing crows in the orchard

Sofie chased crows,
wet socks  -
Japanese Garden

SJG • 7/23/14 - 'lots of plants, really pretty'

Japanese Garden,
lots of plants –
really pretty

SJG • 7/23/14 - obligatory parting pic on the WPA bridge: till we meet again


•  •  •  •  •
 I have really neglected this blog and the JG bloom-blog this summer, spending time away from the internet and in the wonderfully sunny weather we are having in Seattle, but I really wanted to post a few pics from very interesting cont. ed class we had in June on Contemporary Way of Tea with Mrs. Naomi Takemura; I will do so in a few days.