by Armand Gutierrez, President  

It’s June and the start of the 2025-2026 NSC season. Our recent elections resulted in a new Treasurer that will be taking over for our “retiring” Frank Chang. Thanks to all of you that took the time to vote (65% return rate), and you can read the full election results in Karen Soo’s article.

NSC Annual Membership Meeting and Luau Picnic

The NSC Annual Membership Meeting and Luau Picnic is scheduled for Sunday, August 10th, so mark your calendars. As usual the club will be providing beverages and a lunch entree and you can bring a favorite side dish. Details will be in the Picnic Flyer.

2026 NSC Ski Week

Final contract for Park City has been signed and booked for February 7-14, 2026. There are 36 air seats reserved, and room for 44 people. Park City is on the Epic Pass and you will need to get an Epic Pass for this trip. Online lift ticket prices are not exactly user-friendly and group rates are not available.

Use this for Epic passes: https://www.sportsamerica.com/epic-nisei

Use this for Ikon passes: https://www.sportsamerica.com/ikon-nisei

Questions: contact president@niseiskiclub.org

QotM: You learn nothing from life if you think you are right all the time.

by Karen Soo, Newsletter Editor

The polls are now closed and here are the final results.

The Board Members for 2025-2026 on June 1 will be: 

• President: Armand Gutierrez
• Vice President: Jeanne Katsuro
• Treasurer: Jason Ku
• Trip Director: Karen Soo
• Newsletter Editor: Karen Soo
• Membership Director: Armand Gutierrez
• Board Members at Large: Curtis Otaguro, Joel Hayashida, Jeff Honda, Roland Lee

Thanks for your participation.  These board members will be working hard to ensure you enjoy your membership in the Nisei Ski Club. If you are interested in helping out with specific tasks (like the picnic or the annual non-ski trip), please contact anyone on the board. Congratulations to all the winners and we wish all the best to the Nisei Ski Club in the coming year.

By Armand Gutierrez, presidente de membresía

It’s the start of June and we already have 57 members that joined in April and May. Looks like those people took advantage of the $5 discount by joining before the May 31^st deadline. And by the time you read this that means you were too late and missed the deadline (there’s always next year). Included in the 57 are 15 new members and one former member:

Bobbie and Paul Uenten

Joel Ouye

Kenneth Ouye

Lorraine and John Tatsukawa

James Chan (former NSC board member, 2000-2002)

Sally Shimada-Lee and Corey Lee

Helen and Hal Lee

Luanne Morikawa

Jeff Harris

Elaine & Collin Fat

Norman Chin

The NSC board is continuing to meet monthly (via Zoom) and discussing plans for the upcoming season.  Thanks to Jeanne Katsuro’s effort in getting non-ski events for this season, starting with plenty of events for 2025:

• 21 June, Saturday – Miniature Golf with Angela Ren
• 13 July, Sunday – The SF Giants vs. LA Dodgers
• 10 August, Sunday – Annual Membership/Luau Picnic
• 23 August, Saturday – Mahjong Event with Judy Hom
• And more on the NSC website

For other NSC events go to the Events & Ski Trips tab on the website at: https://www.niseiskiclub.org/events-ski-trips/, and for BAC/FWSA events go to the BAC & FWSA tab.

So with all this activity for this season there’s something for everyone and, most importantly, the board hopes to see all of you at the Annual Membership and Luau Picnic in August.

Send in your deposit to hold your space.

by Angela Ren Nisei Ski Club Member

Miniature Golf

Bring your friends! Join in the Fun with Nisei Ski Club!

Date: Saturday, 6/21/25

Milpitas Golfland 1199 Jacklin Road

https://www.golfland.com/milpitas/

10 am to noon

$18/ per person

Lunch to Follow Join us!

Everyone is Welcome ~ Mini Golfer or Free Spirit!

Please join us for lunch at 12:45pm

Cheung Hing Seafood Restaurant

1235 E. Calaveras Blvd, Milpitas

202505 NSC Miniature Golf June 21_AngelaDownload

by Karen Soo, Trip Director

Please join us on Sunday, August 10th at Las Palmas Park in Sunnyvale for our annual Nisei Ski Club Luau Picnic.

Time – 12:00pm – 5:00pm

You will receive your Evite invitation sent out from Armand G.

Please RSVP no later than August 6, so we can order the right amount of food for the picnic.

by Judy Hom , Board Member

If you’re looking for somebody to play mahjong with, want more practice, or just learn how to play, then sign up for the NSC Mahjong event and potluck! Our coaches can teach newbies the basics and give tips to people who already know how to play.

We focus on the Cantonese style where we play with 13 tiles and flowers. We will explain how to score, both HK and Classical Chinese scoring. If Mahjong is on your bucket list, then sign-up! We know that all NSC members like to eat so this is also a potluck event. 

Where:         Judy and Winston’s backyard, 18995 Carlton Avenue, Castro Valley

Cost: $5 for members and $10 for non-members. Bring a potluck dish to feed 4 or more.

Beverages will be provided. 

Space is limited to 16 sign-ups

For more information Email Judy at mahjong@niseiskiclub.org

Tina Woo NSC Member

Saturday, September 6, 2025 from 9:30am – 2:30 pm

Advanced Beginner & Lower Intermediate lessons from 10 -11:30 am – 8 people

Arrive at 9:30am to meet instructor Gary Wong and drop off potluck dishes

Potluck Lunch 11:30 am to 1 pm. Everyone Welcome!

Everyone Else Come at 11:00 am to set up all your dishes & prepare to eat!

Please bring Main Dish or Appetizers

Informal “new” beginner lesson at 11:30 am – 1pm – 8 people

Upper Intermediate lesson 1 to 2:30 pm – 8 people

1.5 hrs of Instruction, 8 people & 2 courts with Gary Wong, an experienced “Pro Instructor”

Nisei Ski Member: $70.00

Non-Member: $75.00

**New Beginners ($20 member/$25 non-member) taught by Intermediate Players**

Location: Mark Tsukuda’s parents

15146 Karl Ave

Monte Serrano, CA

Bring your own CHAIRS, water, electrolytes & protein bars.

Email Tina Woo for information Tina Woo pickleball@niseiskiclub.org

by Tina Woo, , Board Member

BEAT LA!   BEAT LA!   BEAT LA!

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2025

SF Giants vs. LA Dodgers – Game starts at 1:05pm

Oracle Park View Reserved Section

Only 30 tickets available

Special Price from a Season Ticket Holder

Nisei Ski Club Member $60

Non Nisei Ski Club Member $68

We would like at least one Nisei member per group of 4 attending.

Meet for Lunch @ 11:30am near the Crazy Crab’z Section 142 inside Giant’s Stadium

Please email Tina Woo for if you are interested baseball@niseiskiclub.org

Please complete the below information PER PERSON

Name: First ____________________________________ Last ___________________________________________

­­­Phone Number: _______________________________ Email _________________________________________ 

Write Check Payable to Nisei Ski Club

Send Check to Nisei Ski Club c/o Tina Woo, 21577 Villa Maria Court, Cupertino, CA 95014

by Karen Soo, Newsletter Editor

Shira-ae is a vegetable side dish mixed with mashed Tofu.  It is a little different from regular salad since there is no dressing like oil and vinegar.  Shira-ae is served chilled, so in a sense it’s like salad.  Shira-ae is hard to get in ordinary Japanese restaurants in the US, but this is a kind of food you can make on you own.

People outside Japan might not have eaten Tofu in mashed form.  They are usually cut into small cubes for Miso Soup or bigger square pieces for Nabe and so on.  Here Tofu has no shape and works as more like a “dressing” that combines together with other ingredients rather than a main component of a dish.  Tofu in Shira-ae is seasoned with sesame and soy sauce flavor, and it is a great side dish.

Vegetable used in Shira-ae is usually sliced carrots, spinach, Konnyaku (a firm jelly-like food made from konnyaku potatoes), green beans, and sometimes persimmons.  Vegetables are cooked and seasoned before mixing with Tofu.  This way the dish has a stronger flavor.

Konnyaku is a gelatinous food made from Konnyaku potatoes.  It is usually sold in a block, but also in a pasta or thread like shape (Ito Konnyaku, also called Shirataki).

Konnyaku is often used in Nimono (boiled and seasoned vegetables).  Konnyaku doesn’t have very much taste itself but absorbs flavors from seasonings.  It also provides a nice texture, a little chewy or springy.  It has a distinct smell, and you can boil it to lessen the smell before used in cooking.

Konnyaku is rich in fiber and low in calories. With little calories or fat, Konnyaku can be used as a substitute for starches when preparing low calorie dishes.

Bon Appetite – Julia Child and Karen Soo share the same birthday.

Serves 10

Ingredients

• 2 bunches of spinach
• 1 block tofu
• 2 blocks konnyaku, cut into matchsticks slices 1” long
• 1 carrot, cut into thin slices 1” long
• dash of salt
• 1 c dashi
• 3 tsp sugar
• 3 tsp soy sauce
• 2 Tb toasted sesame seeds

Sauce

• 2 Tb sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp mirin
• 2 tsp soy sauce

Directions

1. Cook spinach. Drain. Rinse with cold water. Squeeze out excess water. Slice 1” long. Refrigerate.

2. Place tofu in clean cloth. Squeeze out liquid. Refrigerate.

3. Put carrots; ½ c dashi and dash of salt in saucepan. Cook until tender. Drain. Remove from saucepan and cool.

4. Put konnyaku, ½ c dashi, sugar and soy sauce in same sauce pan. Adjust to taste. Simmer until liquid is almost gone. Drain. Cool.

5. Grind sesame seeds in Suribachi. Add tofu and grind together.

6. Add sauce; mix well.

7. Add spinach, konnyaku and carrots. Mix well. Chill.

by Karen Soo, Newsletter Editor

Come on out and volunteer your time to help the local community.

Mountain View Buddhist Temple is having their annual Obon Festival.

Dates – Saturday, July 19^th and Sunday, July 20st.

This year, the Mountain View Buddhist Temple (MVBT) Obon Festival bazaar committee members had developed an online volunteer sign-up page for the various activities and booths leading up to the bazaar and during the two-day bazaar on Saturday, July 19^th and Sunday, July 20^th.

 Positions available – Will be updated next month https://sangha.mvbuddhisttemple.org/obon/

In the past years Nisei Ski Club members had volunteered at the Obon Festival Beer booth. You know how that goes. A little pour, a little taste on the side. BURP..

Here is the link for the BEER BOOTH- Hurry before it gets filled up. SIGN UP PAGE WILL BE AVAILABLE NEXT MONTH

Thank you for stepping up to the plate to VOLUNTEER!

by Karen Soo, Newsletter Editor

You know summer is just around the corner when the bongo music is competing with the roaring sounds of the subways…