Kimochi Spirit Awards to Be Presented Saturday

SAN FRANCISCO — The Kimochi Spirit Awards program and Kimochi’s 45th anniversary celebration will be held on Saturday, May 14, from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. (doors open at 12 p.m.) at the Sundance Kabuki cinemas, 1881 Post St. (at Fillmore Street) in San Francisco’s Japantown.

Admission is free, but donations are welcome.

The emcee will be Robert Handa of NBC Bay Area News. Opening remarks will be given by Jun Yamada, Consul General of Japan in San Francisco.

Entertainment will be provided by the Kimochi Odori Class and Kimochi Singers; musician George Yamasaki; and Brenda Wong Aoki and Mark Izu, performing a vignette from their upcoming show “Uncle Gunjiro’s Girlfriend,” a true story of love that overcame hate and its impact on descendants three generations later.

The purpose of the awards is “recognizing individuals and corporations that inspire us with their leadership and unite our communities with their giving.” The recipients are:

• Kimochi Spirit Award-Volunteer — Aaron Nakahara, Nakahara Accounting Corporation

• Nihonmachi Spirit Award — Jeffrey Mori, executive director, Asian American Recovery Services

• Kimochi Spirit Corporate Awards — Japan Airlines and Kinokuniya Bookstores

The program will include a raffle. The grand prize: two round-trip tickets to Japan courtesy of Japan Airlines.

Sponsors: Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Sutter Health California Pacific Medical Center, AT&T, Union Bank, Flanagan family, Glen S. and Sakie T. Fukushima, Mary Ishisaki, Japan Airlines, Japan Center Garage, Verizon.

To RSVP and for more information, contact the Administrative Offices at (415) 931-2294 or kimochikai@kimochi-inc.org.