Respect for the Aged Day is a national holiday in Japan, celebrated every year on the third Monday in September, to pay respect to elderly people. As a commemorative event of this special day, people who became or will become 100 years old between April 1, 2011 and March 31, 2012, were presented with a Certificate of the Centenarian and a silver cup from the Prime Minister of Japan to congratulate and thank them for their long-term contributions to society. According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan, about 3,300 people will become centenarians by the end of this fiscal year, including 68 people living in countries other than Japan. In the district of the Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles, two ladies received the certificate and cup.
From 2009, American citizens of Japanese descent who become centenarians have been presented with a certificate from the Consul General. Five individuals received the certificate this year.
On November 9, Consul General Niimi visited Ms. Kimiko Yokota, one of the recipients living in Orange County, and presented the Certificate of the Centenarian and a silver cup from Prime Minister Noda.
Mrs. Yokota was born in Los Angeles on June 5, 1911. When she was 22 years old, she moved to Hiroshima and married Kenichi Yokota. They had four children there, but the family experienced the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Fortunately, they survived the radiation since their home was on the other side of a hill away from Hiroshima’s epicenter. The Yokota family came back to Los Angeles in 1954. Now, Mrs. Yokota is blessed with a family of 40 people, including 9 great-grandchildren. She says, “I am healthy and am enjoying happy days.”
The other recipient is Mrs. Yone Masaki, of Anaheim, who was born on April 4, 1911.
Mrs. Masaki had lived in Saga Prefecture, on the southern island of Kyushyu, for most of her life. To our surprise, she moved to Anaheim, where her daughter lives, when she was 90 years old. Her daughter, Michiko, said that when her mother applied for a green card this year at the age of 100, she spoke so well about how to make “sushi” that she amazingly passed her interview at the first attempt.
Congratualations to this year's centenarians, with best wishes for continued health. |
