Kansha Pasadena will host an All Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley Nikkei Reunion on Sunday, Oct. 11, at Almansor Court, 700 S. Almansor St. in Alhambra, bringing together generations of Japanese American families and friends from across the region for an afternoon of reconnection and remembrance.
The reunion welcomes former and current residents of Pasadena and the San Gabriel Valley, alumni of local Japanese American organizations, churches, and temples, and anyone with ties to the area’s Nikkei community — including those connected to the Pasadena Japanese Cultural Institute, Pasadena Buddhist Temple, and First Presbyterian Church of Altadena.
The event will offer guests a chance to reconnect with old friends, share memories, and celebrate the history and culture that have shaped the region’s Japanese American community for generations.
“This reunion is about gratitude — for the friendships, the families, and the institutions that have carried our community forward through prosperous times and very difficult times,” said Bryan Takeda, founder of Kansha Pasadena. “We’re especially looking forward to honoring our beiju and older community members, whose lives connect us directly to the history we are working so hard to preserve.”
Institutions such as the Pasadena JCI, Pasadena Buddhist Temple, and First Presbyterian Church of Altadena have long served as pillars of Pasadena’s Japanese and Japanese American community, offering spiritual, cultural, and social gathering places across generations — including through the difficult years of World War II incarceration and the community’s postwar rebuilding. The reunion is intended in part to honor that shared history and the role these institutions have played in sustaining it.
The event will feature a historical presentation by Professor Susie Ling, a retired Asian American history professor from Pasadena City College and longtime Kansha Pasadena committee member, offering attendees insight into the history of Pasadena’s Japanese American community.
The cost is $100 per person. RSVP by Registration begins at 10 a.m., followed by a community photograph at 10:50 a.m. The dining room opens at 11 a.m.
The reunion will also honor community members who are 88 years old and older, marking the special milestone of beiju — a celebration in Japanese culture recognizing one’s 88th year as an age of longevity and good fortune.
Kansha Pasadena (kansha means “gratitude” in Japanese) was founded by Takeda to honor, preserve, and share the unique history and culture of Japanese and Japanese Americans as part of the Greater Pasadena area. The organization researches, documents, and shares family histories, personal stories, cultural sites, and historic buildings connected to the local Nikkei community.
Space is limited, and advance registration is required by Friday, Sept. 25. Tickets are $100 per person. Those interested in attending or who would like more information can contact Jeri Takeda at (213) 703-5995 or Deena Yanari Ota at (626) 379-2267, or email KanshaPasadena@gmail.com.