The Rebirth of "Nihongo Renshuu"

Recently, our program Nihongo Renshuu had a "rebirth" with the first meeting held on March 8th at The Coffeehouse in Arabi. The program is now being led by Aina Kondo,  the J-Leap participant for Louisiana. The "rebirth" of the program consists of sticking to the namesake, "Japanese practice." The program now focuses on strictly Japanese conversation, utilizing the language skills participants already have and practice speaking with others in a safe and friendly environment. The first meeting consisted of some Japanese conversation, but also had an activity portion to make sure everyone understood the expectations going forward. Overall, the first meeting went well and many enjoyed themselves stating they were happy to be practicing their Japanese while making new friends with people who have similar interests. Moving forward, participants will be engaged in more Japanese conversations to hone their skill of the language with the help of Ms. Aina.

2025 Annual Meeting

The 2025 JSNO Annual meeting was held on Thursday, November 6th at the Southern Yacht Club. New and old members were able to gather for a night of socializing, community updates, and giving. During the social hour, members were able to meet one another over complimentary appetizers. Discussions were buzzing throughout the venue before the official meeting started. We were honored to welcome Consul-General Shinji Watanabe as our guest speaker and thrilled to have him meet with our membership. The membership was caught up on what was accomplished this past year and what was to come from JSNO in the coming year, along with announcing the new board for the 2026 year. We are excited about what was announced at the meeting and looking forward to a thrilling 2026!

Another Memorable Japan Fest

On Saturday, October 11, Japan Society of New Orleans tabled at Japan Fest on the 2nd floor of NOMA. We had our usual membership table, raffle table, and the return of a fan favorite - the samurai try-on kit! A few members volunteered their time to help table during Japan Fest (a big thank you to you all). We were able to meet many new people and catch up with old friends, along with some of our fellow members. Thank you to those who signed up and joined JSNO at Japan Fest! We are so thrilled to have you along with us for another eventful year. Hopefully, we see you out at one of our many programs and events. We look forward to doing it all again at next year's Japan Fest!