The NCNF seminar and test is scheduled for Sunday, November 7 from 9am-4pm. It is planned for the large lawn at Balboa Park, adjacent to the tennis and basketball courts. We plan to hold a kyu test as part of the event, and will reserve a tennis court for the test. We are taking precautions to avoid the possible spread of COVID-19: The event will be held outdoors. All participants must show proof of full vaccination, and are further recommended to show a recent COVID-19 test. The usual operations for SF Dojo will be followed. These include screening questions, temperature check, universal masking (including while wearing bogu), no kiai, and generally maintaing social distancing when not paired with someone. A full schedule and details for lunch arrangements will follow. Meanwhile, please save the date and let me know if you have any questions or concerns about the precautions we're taking.  

https://sfcherryblossom.org/

https://www.clockworkalchemy.com/

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all NCNF practices and events are currently shut down in accordance with state and local guidelines. Feel free to contact us with any questions or further inquiries.

The City of Cupertino and the City of Toyokawa, Japan, have been sister cities since 1978.  Our program promotes cultural awareness and friendship between the two cities.  The 40th year of this relationship is being celebrated this year.

The Japantown neighborhood comes to life in the spring when the cherry blossoms start to bloom. This is also when more than 200,000 people flock to this little district for the annual Cherry Blossom Festival. The San Francisco Cherry Blossom Festival started in 1967. Since then, it's grown to be one of the largest cherry blossom festivals in the US. The 2019 festival will be held on two weekends, April 13-14 and April 20 - 21. This celebration includes traditional music, dance, and other cultural activities. During the festival, you can sample a variety of Japanese and Japanese-American culinary treats. These include popular dishes such as fresh sushi, tempura, and chicken or beef teriyaki.

Clockwork Alchemy is the San Francisco area's own steampunk convention. Originally a part of FanimeCon, Clockwork Alchemy is now its own independent event celebrating music, makers, dancing, writing, crafting, fashion, and fun related to steampunk! Clockwork Alchemy 2019 will be held March 22-24, 2019, at the Hyatt Regency SFO in Burlingame, CA.  Volunteers are requested for the Clockwork Alchemy workshop. We are down to 1 hour again this year. Please be in the War Room, dressed and in your bogu by 10:45. Please let Chad ( nezrog @gmail.com ) know if you're interested. There are a limited number of spots available, and they will be assigned according to the order in which the responses are received: if you are too slow to respond, you might not get a spot. We will spend approximately 20 minutes on demonstrations and 40 minutes on teaching sho-men uchi, sune-uchi, and giving participants a chance to strike volunteers with bogu.

The Northern California Naginata Federation (NCNF) will be hosting a kyu-level exam on December 9, 2018. The exam will be held on the San Jose State University campus, in San Jose, Calif., and will be for students testing for 1-kyu or below.     WHAT:             NCNF Kyu-Level Exam WHERE:           San Jose State University, SPX-178 WHEN:             Dec. 8, 2018. INFO:               Contact Martin Nobida (nobida@yahoo.com)            Note that the exam will be part of the Tangoubukan’s annual end-of-year training and bonenkai.

SEMINAR Registration from 930AM-10AM 10/20 (Sat). To be held: ·      10AM to 5PM on 10/20 (Sat) ·      10AM to approximately 3PM on 10/21 (Sun). Agenda for both days to be determined.   TOURNAMENT To be held 10/21 (Sun), approximately 3PM. Will comprise two events: ·      ENGI: Pairs will consist of Yudansha and Dangai members. Pairs will be chosen on the day of the tournament. ·      SHIAI: Two divisions—Yudansha Men/Women and Dangai Men/Women (if enough members)   DINNER We plan to have pizza dinner on night o 10/20 (Sat).

More details of schedule, etc will be released when provided by USNF.

Hello! Quick note on our upcomming annual Spring Seminar: What: 2018 NCNF Spring Seminar and Tanaka Sensei Memorial Engi Where: San Jose State University, SPX-178 When: Sunday, May 6, 2018, 1030am to 500pm Who: Hosted by the SJSU Kendo and Naginata Club We will be holding Kyu examinations and may host NCNF team tryouts to determine representitives for the 2018 NCNF Nationals. Fees will be $30 per person, plus any test and menjo fees related to exams. Any kyu-level exam has a $20 test fee, to be paid prior to the exam, as well as a $20 menjo fee, to be paid only after passing the exam. Additionally, after the seminar concludes we plan to hold a general meeting.

Cupertino-Toyokawa Sister Cities, Inc. is proud to present the 35th annual Cherry Blossom Festival on Saturday and Sunday, April 28 and 29, 2018 at Cupertino’s Memorial Park, the Quinlan Center and the Senior Center. This fun family festival honors Cupertino’s sister city relationship with Toyokawa, Japan by sharing Japanese arts & culture with the entire community.  Hours are from 10 AM to 5 PM, admission is FREE, entertainment is FREE, and parking is FREE at De Anza College (Lots A&B). Indoor cultural exhibits and demonstrations take place throughout the day in the Quinlan Community Center, featuring music and dance performances and cultural displays, demonstrations, workshops, and hands-on activities presented by professionals, non-profits, and special interest groups. Outdoor entertainment is held at the Amphitheater and includes Taiko drum groups, Japanese dancers, various martial arts, and musical performances throughout the day.  VIP festival guests, local government, school board members, and students selected for the annual cultural exchange program will be introduced at noon on Saturday. Throughout the lawn areas will be arts and crafts exhibits and special interest groups such as Japanese dog and koi fish clubs.  Children’s activities feature hands-on arts & crafts and a petting zoo.   Local high school service groups will lead games/crafts. Japanese cultural arts and crafts vendors, a gallery of Toyokawa student artwork, and a pictorial timeline of Cupertino’s sister city relationship with Toyokawa will be grouped at the “Japanese Artisan Pavilion” located at the Cupertino Senior Center and patio. Food and drink include sushi, spam musubi, gyoza, asian chicken salad, yakisoba, mochi, teriyaki chicken skewers, hot rice, shave ice, fruit bowls, kettle corn, cotton candy, coffee, smoothies, beer, sake, plum wine, sodas and lemonade. For more information about this event visit www.cupertinotoyokawa.org.or www.cupertinocherryblossomfestival.org ​