The Japan-America Society of Greater Austin extends a heartfelt "Thank You!" to the many members, volunteers and sponsors who pitched in to make the Satsuki Matsuri a success on May 7.

The second-annual May Festival attracted approximately 700 visitors and members to Zilker Botanical Garden, with 14 people signing up for new JASGA memberships at the event. The board of directors is scheduled to finalize its financial report at a July 17 meeting, but preliminary tallies indicated the festival generated sufficient revenue to cover expenses and will help to fund additional programs through the next year.

The weather, which had been stormy for most of the week preceding May 7, cooperated and provided a beautiful day for the event, enabling food vendors and martial artists to spread their portion of the festival outdoors. Martial arts entertainers included the UT Kendo Club, Austin Aikikai Aikido/Yagyu and Okinawan Karate.

Inside the auditorium, it was standing room only during performances by drum teams Austin Taiko and Okinawa Tomonokai, and dance reviews by Chizuko Matsumoto's students at Hanayagi Japanese Dance Academy.

Between entertainment sessions, hundreds of visitors learned about shodo, or Japanese calligraphy, and origami or paper folding art.

Nearby, the Ikebana study group demonstrated traditional flower arranging, and the Austin Bonsai Society exhibited some of its finer dwarfed trees. Volunteers with both groups answered questions and gave visitors an idea of how to take up these traditional horticultural hobbies.

Photos of the event, taken by photographer LaTreace Giles, are posted here. Double-click on a photo to enlarge it for better viewing. To see local news coverage of the festival, click here.

The event wouldn't have been possible without the generously contributed time and energy of the many volunteers who staffed the membership table, registration, and other booths, drove golf carts between the parking area and auditorium, and operated the silent auction. JASGA owes a debt or gratitude to all those who made the second-annual Satsuki Matsuri a success.

Those who are interested in helping to plan next year's festival and other events are encouraged to join one or more of JASGA's committees. We need your help to maintain the momentum of the Satsuki Matsuri and to improve the programs offered to JASGA members and the Greater Austin community throughout the year.

Sponsors that helped to make this year's festival possible include the Shimane Chamber of Commerce, Applied Nanotech, the Shimane-Texas Industrial Technology Co-Creation Committee, TASUS Corp., Toshiba Information Systems America, Kaizen, Continental Airlines, Hong Kong Super Market, The Manhattan Club, November Design, Twin Liquors, Austin Asian-American Cultural Center, Asahi Imports, Lehrmach, Tokyo Sushi Japanese Restaurant, and Xango.

More than 50 members and guests of JASGA and the Austin Japan Association turned out to hear the Hon. Yoshihiko Kamo, Consul General of Japan at Houston, discuss Partnership Between Japan and the United States on June 15.

AJA hosted the program with support from JASGA. The event included a reception, lecture and question-answer session in the Santa Rita Room at UT's Texas Union complex.

This gathering marked the third partnership program between JASGA and AJA as the two organizations leverage each other's membership and contacts to attract larger crowds. Thanks to the members of JASGA's professional networking committee and to AJA for organizing the program, and thanks especially to Consul Gen. Kamo for making the trip to Austin and sharing his time with us.

Approximately one year after JASGA began accepting membership applications in early 2005, the organization has broken the 100-member mark, according to Michael Roemer, membership chairman and a member of the board of directors.

"Membership has grown dramatically in the past year. We now have well over 100 members - 14 joined at the May Festival!" Michael says. "I encourage all our current members to talk to their friends about joining, too, so we can continue to grow and host a variety of events for our diverse membership."

Thank you to all our new members for your support and interest. We hope you will make the most of your membership by joining one or more of JASGA's committees, contributing your knowledge and abilities to help shape our programs as we seek to bridge the cultures of Japan and Central Texas.

JASGA's monthly happy hours continue to draw both members and potential members. The May 25 gathering at Triumph Cafe generated three new memberships, with 20 existing members turning out and another four non-members bringing the total attendance to 27.

While members are encouraged to network and establish business contacts at JASGA's happy hours, attendance is open to everyone, whether or not they are in business. Anyone interested in making new friends or getting to know other JASGA members in a relaxed setting is welcome.

The August happy hour will be from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, August 31, at North by Northwest Restaurant and Brewery, 10010 Capital of Texas Highway, near the Arboretum. Click here for directions. JASGA will gather on the restaurant's covered rear patio, which is cooled by fans, so don't worry about the heat.

To attract more participants, admission will be free. There will be a cash bar, with special happy-hour prices in effect until 7 p.m. JASGA will not provide food but guests can purchase their own appetizers or meals from the restaurant's extensive menu.

JASGA's Japanese Conversation Club has suspended meetings through the summer months, according to Cecil Lawson, a member of JASGA's board of directors and co-chairman of the education committee. Anyone interested in participating when the group resumes meeting later this year can and will be notified of the time and place for the next meeting.

The National Association of Japan-America Societies (NAJAS) welcomed JASGA as a member in May.

In a letter announcing Austin's acceptance into the national organization, NAJAS President Samuel M. Shepherd commended the Austin chapter on building its membership to more than 100 individuals this year.

NAJAS membership brings several benefits, including insurance coverage for JASGA events and the posting of JASGA's contact information on the NAJAS web site at www.us- japan.org.

A class of MBA students at the University of Texas at San Antonio is looking for small business owners interested in working with graduate students to form a five-year strategic plan for their business.

Business owners would be expected to meet occasionally with the class and to share their time with a student or students to discuss business strategy. The class will meet from 7 to 9:45 p.m. Tuesdays this fall beginning Aug. 29.

Students will analyze a model company in the same industry to gain insight for the subject business, will propose a growth strategy, and develop a five-year plan to implement that proposal. Selected business owners can participate free of charge and need only contribute the time necessary to help the students complete their project.

On July 21, JASGA will team up with two other Japan-oriented Austin groups. Shakaijin-Kai (Austin Japan Business Group) will host a dinner lecture by Dr. Tomio Yamakoshi Petrosky, who will discuss Japanese culture and American culture. Dr. Petrosky is a senior research scientist at the Center for Complex Quantum Systems at the University of Texas.

Both JASGA and the Austin Japan Association are supporting and helping to promote the event, according to Hiroshi Urabe, a member of JASGA's board of directors and chairman of the professional networking committee.

"Collaboration with AJA and Shakaijin-Kai will help close the distance between Austin's Japan-related organizations," he says. "Cooperation between these and other groups with an interest in Japan will boost participation and benefit everyone involved."