Month: November 2022

Onigiri Action

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By Kori Johnson

On Saturday, November 5th, my classmates and I went to the Latin American Youth Center to do Onigiri Action with the nonprofit group, Table for Two. We got the chance to meet up with Yumiko Ebinda, who led the workshop.

Table for Two seeks to eliminate global hunger and reduce health issues that are related to unhealthy eating in children. Onigiri Action is one of their many ways to do this. What happens in Onigiri Action? You learn how to make onigiri and understand the fact that onigiri was selected for this global activity because it’s a cheap nourishing comforting meal – the “peanut butter and jelly sandwich of Japan.” Every time somebody takes a picture of their onigiri (Japanese Rice Balls) five school meals are donated to children in need all around the world. Its launch began in 2015 and since then it has fed millions of children.


My experience doing Onigiri Action was absolutely amazing and not to mention extremely delicious. I was able to gain new knowledge on how parents in Japan prepare their kids’ lunches. Taking a colorful view, making dishes with colors of red, white, green, black, and yellow. It’s eye candy, and a way they are able to take basic everyday fruits and vegetables and turn them into a delicious healthy meal that a child can enjoy and have fun looking at the creation made by their parents. I would love to do this again, being able to create delicious and creative food while also helping kids across the world get food that they need.

Jumping into Japanese

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Our SY2022-23 Japanese Plus program has begun, and that means intense Japanese classes twice a week. Here are some quick reflections from some of our students about starting out to learn one of the world’s most challenging languages.

Kayla:

So my name is Kayla and I joined my Japanese class almost a month ago and it has been one of the best things I’ve done for myself. Learning Japanese has expanded my intelligence. I don’t only know Spanish but I also am learning Japanese and as a young black lady that is wonderful and my family is very proud. Something that I really like about this class is the diversity. There are many different people trying to learn a new culture and language, that is very beautiful to me. I will continue my classes and I hope to learn so much more with my wonderful teachers and classmates.

Jahshawn:

I’m a little bit worried about keeping notes and keeping the knowledge I learned in each class in my head. The three alphabets also scare me a bit, especially because of the chance I’ll feel overwhelmed. I’m honestly scared of feeling overwhelmed and falling behind, but I’m excited to see all the amazing things we’ll do in this program, and the amazing and unique people I’ll eventually meet.

Margarita:

With Japanese classes I am surprised on how much we are learning so far. I feel that when we interact with the teachers and other classmates we learn more which I also find very fun. I like it when we talk to each other, because it makes us all feel closer as friends and/or a community. It’s also fun to see other people learn with you.

Chamiya:

Since I have started learning Japanese 2 years ago, the beginning lessons are reviews for me. I know the hiragana and katakana alphabet and a few phrases. But, there are still a few phrases that I have learned. For example, “Anoo, onamae-wa?” which means what is your name. I am really excited for future classes for this 2 year program.

Aaron:

I’ve been enjoying the classes so far. I feel like I’ve been keeping up well. I find it interesting how everyone is referred to a different way, depending on your relationship with the person. For example, you would always call your teacher sensei even when you leave school.

Thalia:

I think learning Japanese will help me grow – to try new things. So far I’ve had a nice experience. I’ve met people who have the same interest as me. I think the lessons are just right and if I practice and study, it can really help me.

Penelope:

I’m really enjoying Japanese Plus so far. I’ve studied Japanese before, but never in person, and I find that I’m learning new vocabulary much faster this way. One thing I find challenging is knowing when to use each level of formality, for example  おはよう versus  おはようございます. I’m looking forward to learning more during the next two years.