As most of you are aware, Sakura Foundation is the co-presenter of the annual Cherry Blossom Festival (CBF) with Tri-State/Denver Buddhist Temple. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, we are again unable to hold our in-person festival, which is the largest annual revenue generator for both Sakura Foundation and the Temple. But we won't let the pandemic [...]
History Colorado has included Sakura Square in its most recent exhibit which opens on May 29th and runs through August 31, of next year. A description of this unique and powerful exhibit is best explained by the museum itself: “History Colorado is launching an initiative that examines the impact of architecture and design on our [...]
Nearly five decades ago, our Issei (first generation) and Nisei (second generation) ancestors executed a risky and ambitious vision to establish Sakura Square as a destination that honored and preserved our Japanese and Japanese American cultural heritage and community. This precious gift has now been handed down to us to preserve and enhance for future [...]
Three quarters Japanese and born and raised in Hawaii, I’ve always been somewhere in between. I am a gosei, my great-great-grandparents having moved to Hawaii to seek a new life. Coming from humble beginnings, my grandparents Yoshikage and Shinobu Fukunaga (formerly Okami) moved to Oahu from the outer islands where they met and started a [...]
Asian Avenue magazine has devoted their entire expanded May edition to celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander month! The issue highlights 100 Asians to know in Denver and beyond, as well as 33 AAPI organizations to follow, donate to, or get involved with in Colorado. We are proud to share that the following leaders have been [...]
Sakura Foundation is proud to announce that Chibi no Gakko has partnered with the Foundation as its newest program offering. “Chibi,” as it is affectionately called, has been teaching children about Japanese and Japanese American (JA) culture and heritage since 1996. The organization is comprised of volunteer, certified Colorado teachers who offer the program every-other [...]
Sakura Foundation is a proud community partner with Asians*in Focus, whose 2020 Asians*Unmasked photo/voice project highlighted the lives of Asians at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Their newest initiative, heARTS hope, focuses on mental health awareness and suicide prevention for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. Individuals are invited to tell a story [...]
I’m a Yonsei, fourth generation Japanese American (JA), born and raised in Colorado. My mother’s side is originally from Okinawa, Japan and my father’s side hails from Hiroshima, Japan. Both sides of my family moved to Hawaii to work the plantations and during their time there, Hawaii became an integral part of their life. My [...]
On March 11, 2011, a devasting earthquake and tsunami hit the Tohoku region of Japan, resulting in nearly 16,000 deaths, more than 6,000 injuries, and thousands of people still missing from the region. Five years later, Sakura Foundation presented Tohoku Today, an informative and entertaining event which brought together community members and more than a [...]
2020 was quite a year! Sakura Foundation was fortunate to have held one in-person event, our sold-out genealogy workshop in February, before the pandemic changed all of our lives. However, we were still able to complete our Mirai Generations Leadership Program Class of 2020 session, award three community grants and three scholarships, offer elements of [...]
