Now Accepting Ten Min Plays!
For more information – http://www.fireroseproductions.com/?page_id=4
Now through March 30, 2012
THANK YOU!
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NEW RATE!!! – Japanese Lessons
Going to Japan?
You have a Japanese Visitor or Business opportunities?
Wanna chat with your favorite Sushi chef?
. . . We will make sure you will be able to USE and ENJOY Japanese RIGHT AWAY!
All instructors are native Japanese and are trained by Kaz Matamura (www.Matamura.com)
—
Intensive Japanese Coaching for Executives (Business, Formal Japanese)
Private – 90 min x 10 sessions
$550.00
OR
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Casual Japanese Tutoring:
(any age — basic casual Japanese Language)
First Trial Session $15 hr
$275 / 10 Sessions or $30 a Session
Corporate rates available.
Various locations: San Fernando Valley, West Valley, Burbank, Pasadena, San Gabriel Valley, West LA, Beverly Hills, the Greater Los Angeles area.
For people who are interested in using Japanese right away, we created “7 Japanese Lessons.”
This is a perfect (and economical) lesson plan for people who are planning to travel to Japan, who want to talk to his/her Japanese friends, or just go to his/her favorite Sushi restaurant and surprise the sushi chef.
write us for more information. —> info (at) fireroseproductions.com
Re-Post: Project Otoshidama
Have I bugged you enough? We do not want ANYTHING for Christmas or Holiday gifts. But please donate it to the Kaz’s Cause of the Year. FACEBOOK POST.
12/2/11 – for Photos from our trip – please check https://www.facebook.com/helmsphotography They are doing fantastic job claring the area!
12/1/11 – (update) We have raised $2494 in just TWO WEEKS. When I was there, we donated $2000 in cash and I will be sending the rest on Dec. 26th, since I had more donation coming after we left for Japan. So will will continue to fundraise till DEC. 24th. THANK YOU AGAIN for your help!!!
11/5/11 – I cannot THANK YOU all enough. I had so many msgs, ”SHARE” and donations from strangers around the world.So far, we have raised $819 – and I hope to reach $1500 before this Wednesday!!!
and if any funds are received after this Wed., it will go to the scholarship fund —> http://www.town.minamisanriku.miyagi.jp/modules/benri01/index.php?content_id=82 （I will translate it when i return! )
And when I said “no donation is too small” – I meant it. I had several people who paypaled me $5, and I do appreciate not only their donations, but the fact they took their time to send us the funds.
Thank you – my new n old friends -
11/1/2011
This is the motherland of Sushi, Anime, Geisha and many fuel efficient cars (and sorry to say, Karaoke, too…)
This is “our” country – it’s not over yet – Japan Earthquake recovery effort -
“project: Otoshidama”
Dear Friends -
You know I am shameless when it comes to asking for help. I am collecting cash to bring it to kids in MINAMI SANRIKU in Sendai, also known as the Ground Zero of the Northern Japan earthquake on March 11. I am sure you heard about this town. This is the town that lost 50% of the population while 95% of the town was wiped out. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minamisanriku,_Miyagi
Next week, Michael and I will go meet the mayor of the town. When the Tsunami hit, there were 130 people working at the town hall. Out of that, only 30 reached the rooftop, and out of that, only 10 survived, including the mayor. (You might have seen him in photos holding on to the flag pole while everything around him was flushing away. But he was back to work the very next day, and founded the disaster control headquarters by March 13th.
When our travel schedule became concrete, I began to think about what I could possibly bring to that disaster area. They are no longer accepting any product / item donations… they have cash donations and are working on the distribution now. I thought about bringing chocolate, or candy, or Budweiser the King of Beers…
but then it occurred to me…
For many kids, this would be the first New Year without their parents there.
The New Year is a major yet solemn event for Japanese people. It is a time to get together with all of your relatives, and the children enjoy collecting cash gifts called “otoshidama” from their relatives. As a child, I remember going Otoshidama Hunting on New Year (similar to trick or treat here in the States except in Japan you get money instead of candy),and often came home with $1000 worth of cash by the end of the day.
Japanese children go see their relatives – behave well and show off how much they grew – and they get an “envelope” with cash in it. My mother used to make me promise that I would NOT open the envelope till I got home. (like American kids can’t eat all the candy on Halloween)
I want these kids in MinamiSanrik (whether they lost their parents or not) to have Otoshidama on New Years Eve. http://youtu.be/6JVpy0L5z7s
I would like to give them cash in US dollar bills for several reasons. 1) because by exchanging it, it would lose so much value, US dollars are suffering in the exchange rate right now. 2) It will send them the massage that there are some people across the pacific ocean who care about them. 3) I want them to understand that America is not so far away, and they can come visit us anytime.
I have been in contact with the mayor to determine how many kids under 18 live in the town. I tried to check it on their website, but they are NOT saying what their population is, because so many are still considered “Missing.” (see below. Their census stops on Feb. 2011)
So, here’s steps I am taking….
1) collect cash, checks donation via paypal (I will pay the 3% PayPal fee).
2) cash all donations by Monday, Nov. 7th, total it, and divide it by the number of kids (under 20).
3) I will put it in little envelopes with a note “from friends in America” in each of them
4) When I see the mayor, I will give him the envelopes and ask them to distribute them on New Years Eve.
5)I will KEEP track of the donations, and will publish it on my blog and facebook with your permission.
Any amount is appreciated.
For checks, credit card and cash donation, please contact me via matamura@facebook.com
For Paypal – please use kazmatamura@gmail.com “OTO SHI DAMA”
+++ALSO, please please feel free to include ANY NOTES to show your support. I will bring it to them+++
Unlike other production donations, this will NOT be a tax deductions since I am not collecting it to as our operation cost, etc. But you know all $ will go to the kids directly.
Happy Halloween – and thank you for being my friends -
Please contact me anytime if you have ANY great idea to spread the words
Hugs,
many pictures of MINAMIsanriku can be found here-
Japanese entertainers, please watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8NozIMtWkU&feature=related
