Diablo Japanese American Club — Local services in Concord

8/8/15

2015 is the second year I've attended the Japanese Cultural Center's Summer Festival. It is going on this weekend (August 8th and 9th) and has a variety of activities and Japanese foods - great fun for your whole family!

Adults can shop at a couple small booths for trinkets and small goodies. Children's games with prizes are in the lawn area at the back of the Center. Food booths include fire-roasted chicken with rice and cucumber salad and edamame ($8), udon soup ($5), teas and ice cream and sodas ($1-2 ea) and beer, BBQ beef (this was the best) 3 skewers for $6, fried tempura, and gyoza ($5). The lines moved quickly and food is served fast. Tons of tables and chairs are under a shade structure so you can eat and enjoy the cool breeze!

The bonsai displays outside are beautiful and the plants are between 15 and 150 years old this year!

Inside the Center are beautiful plant/floral displays and calligraphy lessons. There is also a band and dancers that perform. Tonight at 7:30 and tomorrow at 6:30 pm will be a group dance. It's only a couple simple moves and is the traditional Japanese dance to call the spirits of the dead.

The event is small but it's very fun. A shuttle from Ygnacio Valley High School will pick you up if you don't want to try to find parking on Treat. It's free...

Great East Bay and Tri-Valley community resource for Japanese Americans and non Japanese alike. They have many clubs within The Club to support you and your family's interests in Japanese culture and activities, such as taiko drumming, ikebana floral arranging, Diablo Nippongo Gakuen - a pre K through high school language and cultural school that accepts both kids of Japanese ancestry and who are not, senior citizen activates, youth and adult basketball leagues.

The big community fund raising event the Club puts on the second weekend of August every year is DJAC's Summer Festival. It's 60 years strong. There is the time honored family made reasonably priced Japanese food and snacks - such as grilled teriyaki sticks, melt in your mouth tender gyoza (fried dumplings), sushi, udon, mochi, manju, tempura.

Lots of live entertainment and cultural demonstrations throughout the two days - martial arts, taiko drumming, bon odori dancing, massive ikebana and bonsai displays (you don't see this much at the other Bay Area Obon Festivals).

Free to get in, but parking can be tough during Festival weekend because it's...

2 generations have now attended/attending the Japanese school which is a part of the larger club. The Japanese school is structured in a way to be fun while still being academic. The overall club hosts and annual obon festival which is a great family affair with food, drinks, games for the kids, Japanese cultural demonstrations and of...