By TIM YUJI YAMAMOTO, Rafu Contributor
A group of approximately 120 guests attended the Terminal Islanders Club’s annual New Year’s luncheon to celebrate the Year of the Dragon on Jan. 14 at The Grand in Long Beach.
Fifteen original Terminal Islanders with their immediate families, relatives, friends and Kenjin-kai guests gathered to see everyone and catch up on how they were doing.
“You-ra, genki?”(“Are you guys fine”?) “Me-ra genki”(“We are fine”), they said in Taminaru-ben, a crude way of mixing up English and Japanese phrases in their own Terminal Island fishermen’s language.
June Miyamoto Donovan, president of the Terminal Islanders, greeted everyone and started the program by asking for a moment of silence to remember and pay respects to the members that had left us during the prior year. One noticeable empty seat was that of Minoru Tonai, an original resident and the prior club president, who passed away last year.
Min was not only a community leader; he had a vast knowledge of the history of Terminal Island, and knew more about families’ histories and connections than some of the families themselves.
Los Angeles Maritime Museum Director Marifrances Trivelli spoke briefly on “Taminaru,” one of the exhibits that shows how much the community of close to 3,000 played a role in the fishing industry and the history of Terminal Island. Trivelli explained how what was to be a short-term exhibit is now ongoing since the spring of 2018.
After lunch, a video of the presentation of the Heritage Award to the Terminal Islanders at Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach this past November was shown. It included Ryujin Taiko performing and the ondo dances that followed: “Hokkai no Abarembo,” “Pokemon Ondo” and “Yoru ni Kakeru.”
Entertainment was provided by Tokyo-born Rayko Tak, a bilingual vocalist, composer, multi-instrumentalist, front of the symphonic rock band Lolita Dark and actress. She led the guests in singing the New Year’s song “Oshogatsu no Uta.” She also sang several classic songs such as “Koko ni Sachi Ari” and “Ue wo Muite Aruko,” among a few other favorites.
Year of the Ryu (Dragon) birthday guests were announced and given a small memento of a dragon. Raffle drawing prizes were also given to guests with winning tickets.
Ending the luncheon was ondo dancing of “Hokkai no Abarenbo,” “Tanko Bushi,” and “Anpanman Ondo” between the banquet tables with many of the attendees participating. During the Obon season, members also participate in various ondo dances around Southern California while wearing their Terminal Islanders happi, drawing the curiosity of people wanting to know more about the group.
The next Terminal Islanders event will be their annual picnic at George Bellis Park in Buena Park with a tentative date in June.
Photos by TIM YUJI YAMAMOTO
Tradition on the Farm
INTO THE NEXT STAGE: Chinese Medicine Book Puts Finger On Health
‘20 Feet from Stardom’ Wins Grammy
The Passion, Energy, and Beauty
‘Yokohama Yankee’ Author to Speak at JANM
Oshogatsu Shikishi
LYO Airdrop on LYOTRADE
INTO THE NEXT STAGE: ‘Interview’ Inadvertently Changes Movie Distribution
An Eastern Focus
From Sulu to Spock
A Tiny Collection of Words
Workshop Production of New Musical, ‘Old People Play,’ in March
Artwork by 442nd Veteran on Display
AIKO Project Announces IDO on Solana Network
World Premiere of Velina Houston’s ‘Cinnamon Girl’
Japanese Cultural Festival in Huntington Beach
Kizuna's Family Mochitsuki Workshops
Producers Guild Announces Nominees
'Tiger & Bunny' Movie Opens in U.S.
Torrance Cherry Blossom Festival Set for March 15
AI music startup Suno admits to using copyrighted music, but says it's 'fair use'Best gaming deals today: Save on Game Pass memberships, PSVR 2, and moreOmniBook X deal: Get $300 off at Best BuyCurious wild seal checking out a snorkeler is amazing and nerveWordle today: The answer and hints for August 1Here are the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max colors, according to a new leakTrudeau and Obama had a cozy date night and everyone is swooningWomen's 400m hurdles final Paris 2024 livestream: Watch live athletics for freeIBM jumps into forecasting the weather exactly where you live[Update: Meta responds] Scammers are using Meta's copyright takedown tool against influencers 6 features iPhone 15 stole from Pixel 7 'Only Murders in the Building' Season 3: Every end credits Easter egg Best Garmin deal: Garmin epix smartwatch on sale for $200 off How to end an email: The 20 best email sign Stephen King tweets his 'Pet Sematary: Bloodlines' review Wordle today: Here's the answer and hints for September 17 Best air purifier deal: Get a Honeywell air purifier for $100 off 'Quordle' today: See each 'Quordle' answer and hints for September 15, 2023 Best iPad Pro deal: Get the 6th generation iPad Pro for $100 off 'Quordle' today: See each 'Quordle' answer and hints for September 17, 2023
0.1421s , 14353.5703125 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【rotten sex videos】Terminal Islanders Gather to Welcome Year of the Dragon,Global Hot Topic Analysis
