Our Mission
Our mission is to create spaces for Japanese people to feel a sense of home, or to reconnect those with Japanese heritage to their culture through our events. We are unapologetically Japanese, and wish to create spaces that reflect that. We hope to be a lighthouse for the Japanese community- to strengthen it by elevating each other, by supporting the community in making new, long-lasting connections and maintain them into the future.
Our secondary goal is to introduce those who love and respect Japanese culture to our summer festival (Natsu Matsuri) and make it a staple of their yearly experience. Educating non-Japanese about Japanese culture is not our goal. We do want to incite curiosity but hope people will seek out answers themselves.
Our Name
The kanji (Chinese character) 縁 means several things and has several pronunciations.
Yukari: means connections you have had with people, places or things.
En: means connections you’ve had, currently have, or will have. This can mean superstitious connections as well.
Enishi: it means romantic connection you’re meant to have with someone.
Fuchi: it means an edge of a space/place.
Our Logo
The symbol of 組子 kumiko woodworking was incorporated into Yukari because it embodies the same values of connection/interconnectedness that the organization's name represents.
Kumiko is a traditional Japanese craft that involves creating intricate, interlocking wooden patterns. It symbolizes harmony, unity, and the seamless fitting together of individual pieces into a greater whole.
Our Team
Role: Board President
Hometown: Osaka City, Osaka
Profession: Forensic Scientist
Connection to Japan: Born and raised
Rumi
Role: Board Secretary
Hometown: Kansas City, MO
Profession: Nonprofit/social impact strategy
Connection to Japan: Deepening my and my kids’ connection to our mixed Japanese heritage
Tomomi
Role: Board Treasurer
Hometown: Fair Grove, MO
Profession: Project Management
Connection to Japan: Mixed Japanese American
Jane Chiyomi
Role: Director of Public Relations
Hometown: Machida, Tokyo
Profession: Marketing manager, Actor, Singer
Connection to Japan: Born and raised!
Madoka
Role: Director of Operations
Hometown: Nagoya, Aichi
Profession: Coordinator at MOCSA
Connection to Japan: Providing cultural opportunities to everyone.
Chikara
Role: Director of Design and Marketing
Hometown: Overland Park, KS
Profession: Marketing Specialist
Connection to Japan: Half Japanese, Born in Japan
Emily
Role: Director of Grants Administration
Hometown: Medina, OH
Profession: Communications Manager
Connection to Japan: Married to the coolest, Akihisa Miwa (from Nagoya, JP)