You can register for all 2024 sessions at: bit.ly/OkaeriConnects-2024.

Okaeri Connects is for LGBTQ+ Nikkei/Japanese folks to find each other and create affirming spaces by sharing our personal experiences and stories. We believe that building relationships, being seen, and connecting ourselves within our big Nikkei world can improve the quality of our lives.

Join us to learn how to make a korokke (croquette) teishoku meal (potato or kabocha korrokke, miso soup, sunomono and rice). Our instructor will be Yuji Ishikata, Nutrition Program Chef at J-Sei.  Chef Yuji is a yonsei with more than 15 years of experience in the Bay Area food scene.

Following our class, we'll eat what we've cooked!

When: Saturday, March 30 at 11am

Where: J-Sei: 1285 - 66th Street, Emeryville

Please note: This class is limited to 20 people.

Sign-up deadline: March 27

*Cost: $20 (General admission)

         $10 (Students, seniors and lower-income participants)

*Please complete registration by clicking here and add "Okaeri" in the "Notes" section during check out. If you only submit this Google Form and do not submit a form of payment, your registration will not be counted. If you need financial support to attend, please email norcal@okaeri.org.

Kick off the new year by attending the first 2024 English Okaeri Connects! session. You can register for all 2024 sessions at: bit.ly/OkaeriConnects-2024. We hope to see you there!

Okaeri Connects is for LGBTQ+ Nikkei/Japanese folks to find each other and create affirming spaces by sharing our personal experiences and stories. We believe that building relationships, being seen, and connecting ourselves within our big Nikkei world can improve the quality of our lives.

Seeking to join our Discord but not sure how to use the platform? Come out to our "How to use Discord" workshop Friday, January 26th from 5-6PM! Nikkei parents and allies are welcome to attend and join the Ally channels. Our facilitator Ian will be going over all the Discord basics so you can continue to engage with Nikkei LGBTQ+ community and Nikkei parents/allies in between our events. 💻✨

Register at: bit.ly/Okaeri-DiscordWorkshop

What is the Okaeri Discord? The Okaeri Discord is an online space centering Nikkei LGBTQ+ individuals. We are offering this platform so people who live outside of Los Angeles and cannot attend our in-person events have a virtual community to convene with. Additionally, after our 2021 conference, attendees requested a way for people who meet through Okaeri events to continue to stay in touch, share upcoming community events, and lift up each others’ work (ex. Creative projects, open calls, etc). We hope this platform serves as an extension of Okaeri Connects where people who come seeking support, new friendships, or just want to meet another Nikkei LGBTQ+ person can do so without waiting for monthly meetings. Our Discord will grow and change according to the users' needs. Welcome! Register here: bit.ly/Okaeri-DiscordWorkshop

We have three more Okaeri Connects! (English) meetings left in 2023! If you have ever thought about attending one of our sessions, we invite you to drop in and meet the lovely group of folks that have continued to offer support and space for one another this year. Okaeri Connects is for LGBTQ+ Nikkei/Japanese folks to find each other and create affirming spaces by sharing our personal experiences and stories. We believe that building relationships, being seen, and connecting ourselves within our big Nikkei world can improve the quality of our lives. Register here.

Join us for our next social at Moonlight Rollerway on Oct 4th, from 8-11PM! Every Wednesday at Moonlight is Rainbow Skate/ Disco Night--skate your heart out with new friends and fellow Nikkei LGBTQ+ community!

Address: 5110 San Fernando Road Glendale, CA 91204 $20 admission: Buy tickets here. Tickets will NOT be available at the door. Bring your own skates or rent them at the door for $7.

Meet up at 8PM inside Moonlight Rollerway, feel free to stay until Moonlight closes at 11PM. You will be able to spot Okaeri team members wearing black tshirts with the rainbow Okaeri logo. *Okaeri is hosting a meet-up at Moonlight, this event is not an official collaboration with Moonlight Rollerway.

Join NorCal Okaeri on Friday, November 3rd for a happy hour + dinner for a chance to connect and build community. We will meet at 5:00 pm at Umami Mart (4027 Broadway, Oakland) and then will wander over for dinner in the area around 6:30 pm. Feel free to join the happy hour at anytime or come just for dinner! Please RSVP here so we can let Umami Mart know how many we are expecting.

LGBTQ+を自認（またはそうかもしれない）人たちの集まり.そしてLGBTQ+の人を家族に持つ親、兄弟、アライのための集まりです。北米に住む日系LGBTQ+の仲間と繋がりたい、LGBTQ+のことをもっと知りたい、周りに相談できる人がいない、差別のない社会を作りたい。。。様々な思いを持つ人たちと、「安全な場所」でおしゃべりしませんか。月一回集まって日本語によるコミュニティーを作りましょう。⁠

⁠お申し込みはこちらへ：⁠

bit.ly/OkaeriConnectsNihongo-July

Please join us for our next Okaeri Connects! Session. Okaeri Connects is a virtual monthly support group where we convene over a loose theme or question. It is a space for LGBTQ+ Nikkei and Japanese folks to find each other, and these sessions are closed for Japanese/Japanese American LGBTQ+ individuals only. Register at bit.ly/OkaeriConnects-2023 .

Okaeri’s inaugural Queer O-bon is a community festival that gathers our Nikkei LGBTQ+ community to remember our queer ancestors through ceremony and dance! O-bon is rooted in a Buddhist sutra about a monk who sought to free his mother from the realm of suffering. Around 1,400 years ago, this sutra inspired Buddhist monks in medieval Japan to start a new ritual tradition. The tradition transformed across time and continents into a Nikkei summer gathering to honor and reflect on our lost loved ones and our joyful, diverse communities.⁠

Okaeri continues this tradition with an inclusive festival of queer joy, remembrance, and belonging. Please join us for Okaeri’s Queer O-bon festival.⁠

The event is free, open to all LGBTQ+ communities and friends, and will include: O-bon memorial service, Bon odori circle dancing, Performances, Lantern-making, Food, vendors, and more!⁠

🔔 Mark your calendars and join us for the start of Pride month at our potluck for our LGBTQ+ community in Japantown!🌈✨⁠

We are teaming up with The Center to co-host a fun potluck to kick off your Pride month celebrations! Come out to meet other Nikkei LGBTQ+ folks and allies from around the Bay Area, and enjoy some great food as we connect and look forward to the rest of the month’s Pride events.⁠

Admission is free; advance registration is required. Register online through the link in our bio or visit: bit.ly/okaerinorcalpotluck2023 ⁠

⁠Please also fill out our potluck sign up sheet to let us know what potluck item you are bringing! Please provide at least 6 servings if bringing a dish, and include a list of ingredients/possible allergens to display next to your potluck item. We encourage everyone to bring a tupperware container to take home any leftovers.⁠

⁠Lastly, check out the Facebook event page here. ⁠

We are looking forward to meeting you!

LGBTQ+を自認（またはそうかもしれない）人たちの集まり.そしてLGBTQ+の人を家族に持つ親、兄弟、アライのための集まりです。北米に住む日系LGBTQ+の仲間と繋がりたい、LGBTQ+のことをもっと知りたい、周りに相談できる人がいない、差別のない社会を作りたい。。。様々な思いを持つ人たちと、「安全な場所」でおしゃべりしませんか。月一回集まって日本語によるコミュニティーを作りましょう。⁠

⁠お申し込みはこちらへ：⁠

bit.ly/OkaeriConnectsNihongo-May

LGBTQ+を自認（またはそうかもしれない）人たちの集まり.そしてLGBTQ+の人を家族に持つ親、兄弟、アライのための集まりです。北米に住む日系LGBTQ+の仲間と繋がりたい、LGBTQ+のことをもっと知りたい、周りに相談できる人がいない、差別のない社会を作りたい。。。様々な思いを持つ人たちと、「安全な場所」でおしゃべりしませんか。月一回集まって日本語によるコミュニティーを作りましょう。⁠

⁠お申し込みはこちらへ：⁠

bit.ly/OkaeriConnectsNihongo-July

Please join us for our next Okaeri Connects! Session. Okaeri Connects is a virtual monthly support group where we convene over a loose theme or question. It is a space for LGBTQ+ Nikkei and Japanese folks to find each other, and these sessions are closed for Japanese/Japanese American LGBTQ+ individuals only. Register at bit.ly/OkaeriConnects-2023 or visit the link in our bio!

Join us for an afternoon at The Gunn Studio to choreograph a dance for our upcoming Queer O-bon in June! Last month, we had the pleasure of creating a collective Ondo with the generous support from Fandangobon. What does an LGBTQ+ inclusive and celebratory O-bon look and feel like to you? We are excited to see our original song and dance come together by reflecting on these questions through movement. We welcome participants of all dancing levels. ⁠

Thank you to The Gunn Studio for being our venue sponsor for this workshop! ⁠

Register at: bit.ly/okaeridanceworkshop

Faith, Hope, & Courage brings together three speakers and four churches for a personal sharing of Christian faith journeys from LGBTQIA+ Individuals.

Please register by emailing murakami4@aol.com or calling Faith UMC (310)-217-7000

Join NorCal Okaeri for a morning stroll around Lake Merritt!

When: Saturday, March 25th @ 11 a.m.

Where: Lake Merritt Amphitheater

RSVP HERE
Contact for questions: okaeri.la@gmail.com

Please join us for our first Okaeri Connects! session of the year. We are excited to reconnect, process the holiday season together, and possibly meet new faces.

Register at: bit.ly/OkaeriConnects-2023

Happy New Year! Please join us for our first Okaeri Connects! session of the year. We are excited to reconnect, process the holiday season together, and possibly meet new faces.

Register at: https://bit.ly/OkaeriConnects-January2023

What does a “good ally” look like and how does it show up in practice in your space?

Okaeri’s 2022 Allyship Symposium, set for September 17th, 2022, is a one-day virtual symposium covering the topic of LGBTQ+ allyship in six areas: family (Japanese speaking), family (English speaking), work, school, faith (Christian), and faith (Buddhist). Each category will host a panel that covers key allyship questions including: Why is it important to be an ally in this space? What does a “good ally” look like or how does it show up in practice in your space? What resources are used (or should be used) in your space to provide support? Through this symposium, we hope to bring together understandings of allyship across these spaces through the lens of the Japanese American LGBTQ+ community, and give attendees clear takeaways that they can implement in their own lives.

Join us for a one-day virtual symposium covering the topic of LGBTQ+ allyship in six areas: family (Japanese speaking), family (English speaking), work, school, faith (Christian), and faith (Buddhist). We will be sharing the following panels:

• 10:00-11:30AM (PST) Families Supporting Families

• 11:30-1:00PM (PST) Guided by the Dharma Teachings: Approaches for cultivating more compassionate and inclusive Buddhist communities.

• 11:30-1:00PM (PST) Becoming a Christian Ally: 5 Positive Steps

• 1:00-2:30PM (PST) Being an Ally at Work

• 2:30-4:00PM (PST) Allyship in Action: Coalition-Building in Education

• 4:00-5:30PM (PST) Family Acceptance ポスター」を通してアライについて考えよう: Family Acceptance Poster Workshop (JPN)

Register at: bit.ly/Okaeri-AllyshipSymposium