Join us for crafts for kids (of all ages!) from 3-5pm and then sushi, sake tasting, musical performance and silent auction from 4-6pm.

Tickets are $20 for 13 & up and $10 for under 13. Kids under 5 are free. Wine, beer and sake will be available for purchase

For more information, visit our Facebook Group.

Thompson’s career began in the ’60s as a founding member of the folk-rock band “Fairport Convention.” His genre-defying mastery of both acoustic and electric guitars has earned him many honors and distinctions throughout the years. Rolling Stone Magazine has listed him as one of “the top 20 guitarists of all-time,” BBC has awarded him the “British Lifetime Achievement Award,” he was nominated for a Grammy in 2010, and Queen Elizabeth has bestowed upon him the Order of the British Empire (OBE). On September 14, Thompson will receive the American “Liffetime Achievement Award” for his brilliant songwriting. Thompson’s finely-crafted songs can make you laugh and make you cry. They have been recorded by artists as divergent as Bonnie Raitt (“Dimming of the Day”) and Del Mc Coury (“1952 Vincent Black Lightning”), but no one can deliver these songs more vibrantly and beautifully than Thompson himself. Onstage Richard Thompson’s dizzying guitar playing and strong vocals, interspersed with his playful sense of wit and irony, guarantees a satisfying evening. This concert will benefit both Mendocino County Public Radio Station KZYX and the Otsuchi-Fort Bragg Student Exchange Fund, which has been challenged since the Japanese tsunami.

Join us for a night of laughter, mystery and magic as Cathryn Fairlee tells traditional stories from Japan, Korea and China accompanied by talented musician Ron Nadeau on koto and shakuhachi.

Enjoy sushi, a kimono display and silent auction. Wine, beer and sake will be available for purchase. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for young adults 12-16. Cathryn’s stories are appropriate for ages 12 and up.

More information can be found on our Facebook group page.

President and Brewmaster Mark Ruedrich sent a bottle to Ken Sasaki.

Kanpai Kensan! Fukkatsu Otsuchi!

Fukkatsu Otsuchi will be held on Saturday, March 31st at the Caspar Community Center in Caspar, CA. Dinner from 6-7:30pm, includes chicken teriyaki, sushi, veggies and one drink. Additional beer, wine and sake available for purchase.

Musical performance by Ancient Current and Nick & Ayame Vest.

Silent Auction and kimono display.

Tickets are $35 in advance and $40 at the door. Tickets can be purchased at Harvest Market and The Floor Store.

More information can be found on our Facebook group page.

2011 marks the 10th anniversary of the sister city relationship between Fort Bragg, California and Otsuchi, Japan.

When the recent tsunami struck northern Japan, Otsuchi was one of the hardest hit communities and this charming 800-year-old city was leveled with an unimaginable loss of life and property. CBS recently devoted a 60 Minutes episode to the Otsuchi disaster and interviewed Ken Sasaki, catalyst for the sister city program. Sasaki made it clear how important the Fort Bragg sister city relationship has been in helping to give Otsuchi the encouragement to rebuild and to maintain their “Never give up” attitude. The people of Fort Bragg have sent over $250,000 to help, but more importantly, they sent their love. As a continuation of this support, North Coast Brewing makes a donation to the Otsuchi Recovery fund for every bottle of Otsuchi Old Stock Ale sold. North Coast Brewing invites you to enjoy this bottle with friends & celebrate the recovery of Otsuchi.

Otsuchi recovery fund commemorative release

So, the festival was held at the Middle School grounds. The grounds were intact but the school had been destroyed and burned. The festival was really cool. The military band played- they are very entertaining, and the high school band performed. There was also professional Taiko drumming.

Click here to view the embedded video.

It was nice to spend the day with Etuko-san, Machiko-san, Satoko and Ami. Nana had a basketball game so she couldn’t be there. Sachiko (Crazy Mama) came also and Akiko stopped by for a few minutes to say goodbye.

Ami Sugaya

Etuko called Fumitaka’s mom and Satoshi’s mom and I got to talk to both of them. That was really nice. Lauren (my oldest daughter) called while I was there. It was so nice to talk to her! She was going to the carnival in Fort Bragg. I called Casey so that she could talk to Satoko, her mom, Nana’s mom and Ami. Nana’s mom cried.

Etuko and Ami Sugaya

Casey said that talking to them was the best thing in the world.

Ami Sugaya and Satoko Kariya

There were a lot of people there and it seemed like people were enjoying themselves. It was a really hot but beautiful day. We sat at some picnic tables and visited for a long time. I asked Etuko-san and Machiko-san if there was just one thing that Fort Bragg could do for Otsuchi, what should it be. Machiko-san said, “The money is good, we need that. But this…” and here she gestured between us meaning this visit, “is better.” She said that she feels closer to the people of Fort Bragg and to the exchange program than ever before. It meant so much to me to hear her say that, I was moved.

After the festival we went to see a sumo wrestling exhibition over by the bath houses. As we walked up to the field there was a buzz of excitement. There was a very tall, huge wrestler at the entrance and he was surrounded by people wanting autographs. Ami explained that this man was very famous in Japan and that it was very exciting to meet him. So, we got his autograph and some pictures with him. He was not Japanese so I asked him where he was from…Estonia. Interesting note: He speaks five languages: Estonian, Russian, English, German, and Japanese.

There were wrestlers there from all over the world- Estonia, Russia, Japan. We got a few more autographs and also took some pictures with the former #1 wrestler in Japan. Etuko and Machiko giggled like schoolgirls to get their picture with him. It was so cute. Ito-san and Tobai-san were there.

Machiko and Etuko with the former champion sumo wrestler

There was a sumo wrestling show at 3pm with the current world champion sumo wrestler. It was inside a covered area with a dirt square and raised dirt platform in the center. We all went in and found a place to sit. The CBS crew was in the stands across from us. As soon as we got settled there was a flurry of activity around us and we were herded down onto the dirt to sit right in front of the raised platform. Satoko’s mom was explaining to me that these are called “sand in the face” seats and that it was an honor to sit there. Anton came over to mike me and said, “you’re not getting away with this one” and so Bob came to sit with us and we talked about the “sand in the face” seats and what an honor it was.

The wrestlers came out. There were three of them: The champion and two others. There was also another man who had some pieces of wood that he would bang together. They positioned themselves on three sides of the raised platform. The champion came to the center. He squatted down and you could see his muscles quivering, He raised one leg and….BAM! He raised the other one…BAM! Then they left.

I looked at Bob and he looked at me and said, “is that it?” I looked across at the cameraman and he was laughing hysterically. It was hilarious. Not exactly newsworthy I guess, but everyone seemed to have a great time and they were excited to have seen him.

We saw Sera and her mom on the way out.

Ami, Satoko and I were standing on the road waiting for Satoko’s mom to pick us up and Ami looked at me and said, “stay.” It broke my heart. I wish I could. One of the CBS drivers has decided to stay in Otsuchi. He wants to volunteer and Ken-san hooked him up. I think that’s amazing.

Next, we met at our favorite restaurant: Lawson’s convenience store. We’ve eaten breakfast and lunch there every day. I had to say goodbye to Etuko-san, Machiko-san, Ami and Satoko there. It was very hard. I don’t want to leave.

Now that I’ve been crying, it’s time to go back to town center and interview with Bob. I always seem to have to interview right after having a good cry. I’m fairly certain that very little of it will make it onto the show though, so I’m not worried about it. It will be a 12 minute segment: 11 minutes of Ken-san and 1 minute of me crying. I’m good with that.

The Qin Jazz Bar

We did the interview at the jazz bar (what’s left of it). The past two days have been very hot and the stench is overwhelming. There are also flies everywhere. There is nothing worse than that smell. Nothing.

Now, it’s time to go. I said goodbye to Chris, Ron and Anton (the cameramen and sound guy). They had to drive down to Sendai because they can’t travel on the bullet train with all that equipment. It will be a grueling trip for them. I also had to say goodbye to Fuki, Masa and the other drivers. Masa said he would find me on Facebook. I’d given them all gifts at the hotel that morning so there was nothing left but to say goodbye.

So, with Hiroshi-san, Bob and Draggan I left Otsuchi.

The drive through to Tono was very treacherous. It’s basically a one-lane, very winding road through the mountains. Beautiful, but my heart was in my throat the entire time. It took about 2 1/2 hours to get to Morioka.

As much as I didn’t want to leave, it was a relief to get on the Shinkansen (bullet train). Draggan wanted to buy a little toy Shinkansen for his son. He came back with it and Hiroshi-san leaned over and said, “you don’t want that. That’s a staple gun.” I said that was a great gift, his wife was going to really appreciate it when his son staples his little sister’s fingers together. Draggan said, “but it staples REALLY FAST!” We laughed so hard.

By the time we got to Tokyo Station it was about 11:30pm. Draggan and Hiroshi-san took one cab and Bob and I another. I got to my room at about 12:15am. They had given me a message at the front desk. It was from Ogihara-san, who had made a trip to bring supplies to Otsuchi with her daughter and son-in-law . I will be meeting her for tea tomorrow. She said she has some pictures for me.

We met in the hotel lobby at 11. She came with her mother. They were both very nice and we talked about both of our trips. Her son-in-law, Stephen Green, is from Mendocino. She told me that she is coming to Mendocino and will stay for 3 months. I’ll look forward to spending some time with her. It was great to meet her.

My taxi is here. I fell asleep almost immediately and slept all the way to the airport. I feel totally exhausted.

At the airport, I got something to eat, picked up a gift for each of my girls and exchanged my yen. Now, I’m on the plane waiting for takeoff. I’m anxious to get home but I’m so sad to leave. I wish I could have stayed longer.

This has been the most difficult but also the most incredible experience of my life and I will never forget it.

There’s a festival going on today and I know that Nana and Satoko’s moms, Satoko and Ami will be there so I hope I’ll get to go. I’m not sure what the schedule for filming is yet though.

Satoko and Hideaki Kariya

The Hamayuri in Otsuchi

Hideaki Kariya, Captain of the Hamayuri

I cannot get over the enormous mountains of debris down here. There are piles of fishing nets, pieces of boats. There are a couple of boats in the harbor but I can’t imagine that they can fish for anything as the water is contaminated. You can see across the bay to the area in front of the tsunami gates and there are even bigger piles of debris over there.

The flies are terrible. It’s hot again today and on the hot days the stench is overwhelming. A body washed up here this morning.

Sera Sasaki and I at Kiri-Kiri Elementary

Now it was time to meet Sera Sasaki at Kiri-Kiri Elementary School. She came with her mom and her sister. They were all so nice and it was wonderful to finally meet Sera. She has done so much for us. I really liked all of them. Sera’s mom cried.

Sera and I presented the poems that Fort Bragg 5th graders had written. I read one of them, by Kate from Mr. K’s class and Sera translated it. It was beautiful. The kids were so cute. After we finished I introduced myself to all of them and shook their hands.

After we were done, the three of us were standing outside of the school and I told Sera and her family that I hoped they would come to Fort Bragg. I said that they couldn’t stay the whole time with Angela, that I wanted them to stay in my home too. Sera’s mom laughed and said, “I would invite you to stay at my home, but it’s destroyed!”

Now, I had to go with the news crew again. We drove back out to Kanezawa so that they could get some shots of the beautiful rice paddies there. It’s a gorgeous valley, mountains reflected in the rice fields. I walked around and took some pictures. It was nice to enjoy some quiet and peaceful scenery.

Time to go to Satoko’s house. On the way, we stopped down at the harbor. They wanted pictures of the island. I told them about the shrine and the lighthouse that used to be there. You can actually see how the land slopes down into the water and it is flooded where it wasn’t before.

Satoko’s house is completely untouched! The tsunami came right up to the edge of their neighborhood. The only damage they had were 3 broken cups. On the deck were some poppies blooming in a pot. They were from the seeds that I’d given to Machiko in October.

The crew came in and talked with the family without filming for a while. They really like the Kariya family and are very interested in Satoko’s dad, as the captain of the Hamayuri. They did film for a little while then left Fuki and Masa with me which was nice because Masa translated.

The entire family is lucky to be alive. It’s only by chance circumstances in every case that they survived. Satoko’s mom had been in Kamaishi working on March 11th. After the quake, she was stuck there for 2 days, then she was able to get as far as Tono by car but from there had to crawl and climb through the rubble to get home. It was wet and slippery, very frightening for her. What is normally a 30-minute drive took her 4 hours.

Satoko’s dad was on the Hamayuri when the earthquake hit. The boat is normally docked in Kamaishi, but it was in Otsuchi for maintenance that day. If it had been in Kamaishi, he would have been killed.

Satoko was at home because it was a half day. If not, she would have been walking home from school at that time. Her grandma and grandpa were also at home. Satoko saw people walking and standing on the sea wall after the first tsunami. They wanted to watch. When the second tsunami came, she watched the wall of water wash them away. I cannot imagine the effect this has had and will continue to have on her.

Her grandpa became ill from the shock of the tsunami and they were unable to find a hospital or doctor to treat him. He died 3 days later.

The Kariya Family

Kariya and Sugaya families

My exchange daughters, Nana and Satoko

Nana and Satoko want to learn English and find jobs that will take them to America. They also wish they could go to high school here.

When I left I hugged both the girls and Nana said, “my mom”. I love these girls so much. On the way home, Masa said that he could see how much we love each other, like family. He was actually choked up.

I don’t want to leave tomorrow.