Tulsa-Utsunomiya Sister City Partnership

FREE EVENTS TODAY AND TOMORROW! 🌸 Don't forget to join us this weekend as we celebrate the start of spring and bid farewell to our cherry blossoms for the season with two special events. Both events will take place at the cherry blossom lawn, the lawn located behind the River Giants in Chapman Adventure Playground.

🍿 TONIGHT, MARCH 29 AT 7 P.M. | Movie Night: King Kong vs Godzilla (1962)

This year is the 70th anniversary of Godzilla! To celebrate, guests can experience movie magic at Gathering Place as the park’s cherry blossom lawn transforms into an outdoor movie theater! Join us tonight, March 29 at 7 p.m. for a FREE screening of the classic film King Kong vs Godzilla (1962).

🍵 SATURDAY, MARCH 30 FROM 11 A.M. TO 3 P.M. | Japanese Tea Ceremony and Fencing Demonstration

Join us on Saturday, March 30 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the cherry blossom lawn for a FREE traditional Japanese tea ceremony and fencing demonstration! The Tulsa Japanese Friendship Club will facilitate a traditional Japanese tea ceremony at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. and Tulsa Kendo Dojo will demonstrate Kendo, a form of traditional Japanese fencing, at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.

https://buff.ly/3n4hG24

Admin Phil, here!

In November of 2022, I was very fortunate to have made my first trip to Ise. Regrettably, my time on the grounds of the shrine complex proper were cut short due to my own poor planning. But, the auxiliary time spent puttering about the area—especially my stay at the storied Asakichi Ryokan—made for some indelible memories.

Though Mie Prefecture isn't where our beloved sister city of Utsunomiya is located (it's Tochigi prefecture, BTW), I hope you're following these spotlight posts from the Consulate-General of Japan in Houston.

Having visited Ise, I can now say I've witnessed my personal "big three" of Shintō: first Itsukushima Jinja some five or six years ago, then Izumo Taisha shortly after, and Ise now nearly two years ago.

Visiting important Shintō sites is a splendid theme for traveling the nation of Japan.

As for Tochigi prefecture, don't miss [1] Utsunomiya Futarayama shrine smack in the middle of the city (and directly adjacent to our sister-city counterpart's office!) or [2] the splendid area of Nikkō (especially during the autumnal proliferation of vermillion and alizarin leaves).

🎉

🌟✨ Exciting News! Join us for a Spectacular Lunar New Year Celebration at Myriad Botanical Gardens! 🌙🎉

📅 Date: February 10th
🕚 Time: 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
📍 Location: Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W Reno Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73102

Get ready for an enchanting experience as the Myriad Botanical Gardens and Asian District Cultural Association join forces to bring you a Lunar New Year celebration like no other! 🎊

🎭 Immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of diverse cultures with captivating performances, face painting, lively music, and engaging crafts. Witness the awe-inspiring Lion Dancers as they grace the event with their mesmerizing moves.

🌏 And that's not all! The Japan America Society of Oklahoma (JASO) will be there, adding a touch of Japanese culture to the festivities. Don't miss the chance to explore the beauty and uniqueness of each performance, bringing people together to celebrate unity in diversity.

🌸 This Lunar New Year celebration promises to be a delightful blend of traditions and modern festivities, creating memories that will last a lifetime. Bring your friends and family, and let's celebrate the Year of the Tiger in style!

🚀 Save the date, spread the word, and get ready for a day filled with joy, laughter, and cultural harmony! We can't wait to see you there!

🎉✨

Whoops! I nearly didn't post this in time. ;-)

As November draws to a close, I thought I'd share a band with you: THE NOVEMBERS.

Like most bands, their sound has evolved over time, but they often have a nice shoegaze vibe going on. Here's a track from an EP I picked up recently.

Oh! Most importantly: they're from UTSUNOMIYA!

What do you think?

They're just _today_ wrapping up a tour in Japan. I wonder whether we could ever get them to play Tulsa? They've supported shoegaze stalwarts 「Ride」 in the past, and I'm certain their labelmates, 「Boris」, have played Tulsa _at least_ once (I was at their recent show at Cain's!).

Add an international music festival to my sister cities wishlist.

The Novembers - Chil The Novembers - Paraphilia (2009)

Phil, here! 御存じましたか？

Did you know that Tulsa Global Alliance has a number of sister cities?

Tonight at Hop the Griffin we welcomed some folks involved with our relationships with Celle (Germany) and Amiens (France). I should mention that Hop the Griffin makes one of the most dangerous milk stouts in the area, clocking in at a weirdly quaffable 9.4%.

Malheureusement, mon français n’est pas si beau, but I tried! Luckily, I met some folks who wanted to practice some Japanese. 😎

Fancy rollin’ with that polyglot crowd? We got you covered. 😉

Tulsa-Amiens Sister City Partnership
Tulsa-Celle Sister City Friends

Hey, everyone! Phil, here! 🙋‍♂️

Did you know? ご存知ましたか？

Utsunomiya is famous for more than delectable gyōza, a storied carp, and lovely strawberries. Utsunomiya is also considered something of a "cocktail capital of Japan." 🍸🍸🍸

I'm a big cocktail geek, myself. So, around this time last year (almost to the day), I spent some very happy hours in Utsunomiya's cocktail bars. I've attached some pictures—including some pictures of a train station loo. Wait, what‽ Why? Well: the entrance of said loo is adorned with tile mosaic cocktail glasses to emphasize Utsunomiya's cocktail heritage.

Check out this video for more information: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxoyeGs1fuA

It can also be found on Utsunomiya's city website, in which they promote the town as 「カクテルの街うつのみや」 ("Cocktail Town Utsunomiya"). The video is in Japanese, but makes great study practice (if you're of drinking age!).

With Tulsa's incredible cocktail scene, I can't help but think that this is fertile ground for ~A BARTENDER EXCHANGE~. I really, _really_ want to see this happen!

(On that note: a "cocktail walking map" of Utsunomiya is available for tourists—why isn't there such a thing for Tulsa? )

Want more nightlife? Utsunomiya is also replete with well-known jazz bars. 🎷 But that's a tune for another day. 😎

Want to be a part of this kind of thing? I could really use more volunteers. Send this page a message!

Oh! And, of course: かんぱい！

The annual SAVOR event is TONIGHT! Just _look_ at those participating restaurants! 🤩 Come support Tulsa Global Alliance and the wonder and whimsy of sister cities.

僕は確かに全部でゼンブで食うつもりだねぇぇぇ！😋😋😋

自己紹介させていただきます。👋

Hi, everyone! I’d like to introduce myself, please! (Or, if this is TL;DR—why not meet me at SAVOR tomorrow?)

My name is Phil, and I’m delighted to be growing into the role of volunteer chair for the Tulsa-Utsunomiya sister city relationship with Tulsa Global Alliance.

This opportunity rings soundly with my backstory: as a high school kid, I was able to visit Japan for the first time through my own hometown’s sister city program. That trip changed my life: I soon added Japanese Studies as a second major to my baccalaureate plans, then studied in a city near my homestay family, and I still keep in touch with them to this day. I’ve since been to Japan some seventeen times, both for work and for leisure.

Professionally, I work in corporate learning for a large software company. Before my current gig, I worked at the offices of what is now Sony Interactive Entertainment (i.e., PlayStation) for nearly a decade.

Before moving to Tulsa some three years ago, I had Googled whether or not Tulsa had a sister city in Japan—which, of course, led me to Micah. He and I met virtually at that time, and his skills, enthusiasm, care, and expertise quickly made me realize how badly I wanted to become involved with this post—but never would I have guessed he’d entrust it to me! To say that his support is a compliment is to put the matter far too lightly.

My posts will be less formal from here on out, and I’ll ask that you bear with me as I find my footing under Micah’s tutelage.

Why not have a look at some pictures from a trip I took to Utsunomiya about a year ago? (That last one is a picture of some output from a gyōza-themed purikura; it sums up my personality as well as the seriousness of the eats!)

Oh! And I should re-iterate that I’ll be at Savor tomorrow. Will you? ^_~ (Link’s in the comments, folks!)

よろしくお願いします！

🇺🇸 Important Announcements! 🇯🇵

Hi, everyone! As my board term for this role comes to an end, please join me in welcoming Phil Sharp, the new Chair for the Tulsa-Utsunomiya Sister City Partnership! I will continue to support Phil and all eight of Tulsa’s sister city partnerships as the Vice Chair of Sister Cities for Tulsa Global Alliance. Phil and I look forward to supporting TGA’s mission as we Build Global Community in Tulsa and abroad!

Also! In partnership with Aqua Vita Creative and longtime Utsunomiya Partnership volunteer, Faith Parks, we’ve created new logos for all eight of Tulsa’s sister cities. Today, Phil and I are excited to unveil the new logo for the Tulsa-Utsunomiya Partnership! You can learn more about the famous Utsunomiya Kibuna at https://tulsaglobalalliance.org/utsunomiya-japan

On a personal note, since 2015, I’ve had the great honor of serving the Tulsa-Utsunomiya Sister City Partnership. I’d like to sincerely thank everyone for their support over the years as we welcomed over 100 Japanese students and visitors to Tulsa, hosted dozens of events, and worked with our partners, supporters, and host families in Tulsa and Utsunomiya to promote cross-cultural understanding and goodwill! 本当にありがとうございました！

Stay tuned for an introduction from Phil and even more exciting news coming soon!

-Micah Keyan

📷: Video conference with our colleagues in Utsunomiya!

🇯🇵🍵 Join us and our friends at the Japan America Society of Oklahoma and Oklahoma Chado for this upcoming Japanese Tea Ceremony in Tulsa! Registration info can be found in the post below.

Be ready, we are coming to Tulsa!!
Don’t miss this opportunity 🍵🎄

Japanese tea ceremony hosted by JASO and Oklahoma Chado.
Saturday, December 17　
①11:00-/②12:30-
$20/$10 (students and under age 15)
limited seats available

We will provide Japanese tea and sweets.

Event Address: Cyntergy 810 S Cincinnati Ave #200, Tulsa 74119

We will send you a confirmation email after you submit this form including a parking lot (free) and the admission fee will be paid at the door. (Credit card additional 4%).

Please note that we will charge cancellation fee ($20/$10) without notice by Friday, December 16 12:00pm.

Please RSVP for each attendee as soon as possible!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSctwiNP2RghU4RZeCteyAnjQ3p5yNDLUYC6VXTi8sAF8PDTkQ/viewform?usp=pp_url

Please let us know if you have any questions.

We look forward to seeing you there!

#オクラホマ日米協会 #茶道　

Thanks to everyone that came to support us and Tulsa Global Alliance at SAVOR last week! Special thanks to Eric and Marshall Brewing Company for crafting a special, commemorative beer inspired by Utsunomiya! Our 30th anniversary celebrations continue! 🍓🌾🍺🇺🇸🇯🇵