Kokoro no Gakko, a one-week summer program dedicated to the culture and arts of Japan, wrapped up its 34th annual program Friday during an open house at the Watsonville Buddhist Temple. Formed 36 years ago, in 1989, the school missed two years during the pandemic.
The “School with a Heart” (in English translation) this year welcomed 53 students, grades kinder through 6, to five days of lessons in traditional Japanese activities, including bonsai, ikebana, origami, calligraphy, cooking, language arts, music and more.
Friday’s event treated a crowd of over 250 people to choral works punctuated with theatrics and traditional Japanese attire. The gathering, headed up by principal Melissa Eguchi-Song, included a raffle and potluck dinner.
Sixth-grader Jayle Wong said, “I would come back to this program next year because it was fun. We did a lot of different things that I liked. We made mochi and did artwork, like sumi-e, a Japanese art where you can only use one color in brush work.”
Gakko is a parent-cooperative undertaking that is largely fueled by the students’ families and the facility support of the Buddhist Temple. Eight teachers, a hefty list of volunteers, local businesses and organizations lay the foundation for the program.
Mikalea Song, also a sixth-grader, said, “I liked helping build the community. I would definitely come back. I like knowing that I was helping my community be a better place.”
Performance directors Denise and Bob Gómez have taught at Gakko for years and have traveled to Watsonville’s sister city in Japan, Kawakami, seven times. The couple helped orchestrate and choreograph, through guitar playing, poetry and singing, six stage works that represented each grade.
The event culminated with a schoolwide performance of the popular folk song “Will the Circle be Unbroken/Sonkei no Uta,” for the theme Sonkei, or Respect. The Gómezes dedicated the program to Kawakami, in the Nagano Prefecture of Japan.
“People come here to find support that comes from the heart,” said Aimée Mizuno, who has taught at Gakko for 18 years. “This is always a special week for the Japanese/American community to expand their cultural horizons. This is an inter-generational group that truly helps kids and grandparents, and everyone in between, share values, respect and gratitude. It’s an amazing learning situation.”
First-grader Simone Sampson said she “had a lot of fun. I got to make a traditional fan and do other artwork. The fan is used for Japanese dancing. This was really different. I want to come back next year.”
