August 1, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
JapanWNY to Join the National Association of Japan-America Societies (NAJAS)
The Japan Culture Center of Western New York (JapanWNY), an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to fostering cultural exchange and community connections between Japan and WNY, is excited to announce its acceptance as the 39th member of the National Association of Japan-America Societies (NAJAS). NAJAS is the largest nonprofit organization supporting bilateral US-Japan relations across culture, diplomacy, business, academia, and other spheres.
JapanWNY operates the Buffalo-Kanazawa Sister City Committee, among the longest-running sister city organizations in the US. Recent initiatives have included a youth jazz band exchange, and a Q&A session with David Joiner, author of Kanazawa, the first English-language novel to be set in that city.
JapanWNY collaborates with local partners including the Japan Group of Buffalo, Friends of the Japanese Garden, and Rochester-Hamamatsu Sister Committee on Japan-related programming across Western New York. Regular activities include Japan Culture Day and the Buffalo Cherry Blossom Festival, alongside, workshops, movie screenings, and visits to and from Japan.
In celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Buffalo-Kanazawa relationship in 2022, JapanWNY led a large-scale restoration of the Japanese Garden in Delaware Park, along with the commissioning of a mural and commemorative byobu folding screen. Following the Noto Peninsula earthquake earlier this year, the group quickly organized a grassroots fundraiser for Ishikawa Prefecture, raising over $5000 from small donors through gold-leaf crafts and the release of a charity song by artists The Molice in Japan and Letter to Elise in Buffalo. Later this month, JapanWNY will sponsor “Replaying Japan: The International Japanese Game Studies Conference” at the University of Buffalo, further showcasing the group’s commitment to a wide range of community-building endeavors.
Membership in NAJAS bolsters JapanWNY’s efforts to expand its collaborative work and pursue new projects, including an expanded walking path in the Japanese Garden. Backed by the combined strength of its 39 members, NAJAS provides JapanWNY with an unmatched platform to introduce grant-supported programming and learn from and grow with fellow member societies. With this membership, JapanWNY aims to amplify its impact, reach a wider audience, and promote deeper cooperation and understanding between the US and Japan in innovative and exciting ways.
To become a member of JapanWNY, visit www.japanwny.org/registration. For further information or inquiries, please contact events@japanwny.org.
About the National Association of Japan-America Societies:
The National Association of Japan-America Societies, Inc. (NAJAS) is a private, nonprofit, non-partisan membership organization consisting of 39 independent Japan-America Societies located in the United States and Canada. NAJAS offers public affairs, business, cultural and educational programs about Japan and U.S.-Japan relations to the general public through our member Japan and Japan-America Societies. With a membership that cuts across usual group boundaries (business, diplomatic, political, academic, security, cultural) and includes Americans and Japanese, NAJAS incorporates a variety of perspectives on U.S.-Japan relations and forms the largest private network supporting a bilateral relationship in the United States
Learn more: https://us-japan.org
Media Contact:
Misha D. Clive (they/them)
misha@us-japan.org
