AREAS OF INTEREST

Decoration Committee - Chair: Elishia Flowers
This committee consists of volunteers that set up for monthly lucheons, cooking club, and other FWJS events at the Kaikan (FWJS building). They usually set up the day before the event and arrive 2 hours early on the day of the event for any alterations.

Events Committee - Chair: Julia Dunaway
This committee plans events/food offerings for luncheons. Volunteers also help with food preparation for the monthly luncheons, as well as, Spring and Fall Festivals. Those that are interested, work in tandem with the decoration committee. 

Maintenance Committee - Chair: Samuel Sumner
This committee helps to maintain all building related maintance. HVAC, plumming, electrical, security and basic repairs.

Classical Dance - Chair: Chiga Oi
Classical dancers keep the tradition of Japanese folk dancing alive. They practice on Tuesdays from 11am to 1pm at the Kaikan. You can often see them performing at the Spring and Fall Festivals.

Corporate Outreach - Chair: Harvey Yamagata
Our corporate outreach group utilizes their marketing and social prowess to network with businesses to help increase awareness of the Fort Worth Japanese Society in the surrounding areas through various mail, email, and social media campaigns. North Texas Giving Day and other fundraising opportunities are also maintained by this committee.

Demonstrations Committee - Chair: Elishia Flowers
There are a lot of requests from all over the DFW area for demonstrations of various Japanese cultural displays, such as ikebana, origami, calligraphy instruction, and taiko demonstrations at local elemetary/high schools, grand openings, asian cultural events, anime conventions, etc. The demonstration committee receives those requests and if viable, will contact the requested groups and help find volunteers for those demonstrations if needed. 

Dondoko Taiko - Chair: Cassi Southerland
Dondoko Taiko has regular practice every Sunday at 4pm. They can be frequenly seen at the Spring and Fall Festivals, as well as demonstrations at local businesses in the DFW area. If you're a lover of great music, or just want to add to your workout routine, drumming just might be for you.  There is a small membership fee if you decide to join.

Grant Committee - Chair: Harvey Yamagata
There are a lot of improvments that could be done to the Fort Worth Japanese Society, but we are not always able to get the means to fulfull them. The grant committee helps out by researching and completing grants that could be beneficial to FWJS's growth.

History Project - Chair: David Bakutis
The Fort Worth Japanese Society History Project seeks to document the Japanese immigrant and Nikkei experience in and around the Fort Worth area. The project is conducted by the Fort Worth Japanese Society (FWJS) in collaboration with members of the Japanese Club at Texas Christian University (TCU). Many FWJS members have experienced internment, war, run-ins with family law, or other hardships related to their immigrant or Nikkei status. Because many of the founders and members of FWJS are aging, FWJS decided to document their experiences through video interviews for FWJS records and as a matter of history. While capturing elder members’ stories is of greatest importance, FWJS also hopes to interview the many younger members who are biracial or who are in interracial marriages, as well as the stories of nonmembers who are Japanese Nationals or Nikkei. This group is always looking for members interested in history, culture, film, and any other skills that would be beneficial to this project.

IT/Social Media Committee - Chair: Elishia Flowers
The IT/Social Media committee is really two committees in one. The IT group maintains all tech related goings on in the society. Websites, cloud storage, form creations and databases are routinely maintained by this group. Our social media group loves to keep everyone updated on the latest events though facebook, instagram, youtube and email.

Japanese Festival Committee - Chair: Elishia Flowers
Every spring and fall, the Japanese Festival committee springs into action by getting and organizing volunteers, working with the social media/demonstration/taiko/dance/tea ceremony(and more) groups, product procurement for areas like concessions, and coordinating with the Botanical Gardens.

Kurumi Ningyo - Chair: Irene Koscal
This group meets twice a month and works on various elegant works of art made out of paper, fabric, and other materials. Kurumi Ningyo meets on Thursdays at 10am-2pm.

Newsletter Committee - Chair: Harvey Yamagata
The newsletter committee works together with other various committees to provide the FWJS members with the most updated information about the happenings in the FWJS on a bi-monthly schedule. They gather pictures and news from members and compile it into a nice digital copy. The elder generation that have been grandfathered in still receive physical printed copies to be sent by post. We also work with the Japanese members to provide a version in their native language.

Wakabakai - Chair: Harumi Sharp
A Japanese ladies group that get together and connect with others while developing new friendships in the DFW area.