The Santa Maria Japanese Community Center is preparing to open its doors to the public this spring, offering a space dedicated to cultural education and awareness.
The center, in Enos Ranch Park just west of the historic Smith-Enos House on Bradley Road, will provide opportunity for people of all backgrounds to learn about and appreciate Japanese culture and its historical impact on the Santa Maria Valley.
"I think there's a real need as far as educating people within the city about where different groups come from," said Wes Koyama, the center's vice president. "There's a history that the Japanese brought to this Valley that has not necessarily been brought forth. I believe this is true with all the groups that have come, and all groups should have a say in preserving that history and telling people exactly how it came to be. This is our chance, when we partner with the city, to make our story known."
The center will provide a space for cultural exhibits, classes, and events.
"It started with our grandparents' generation, who first came from Japan and they're called Issei," said Jo Anne Nishino Spencer, president of Japanese Community Center, Inc. "They came here all different times and everything, but they all had different kinds of jobs, from gardeners to produce workers."
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The center's gallery will showcase the evolution of Japanese-American life in the valley, allowing visitors to explore the heritage and contributions of the Japanese community.
The gallery will feature primarily permanent displays, but Spencer said that sections of the exhibit may change to reflect different cultural events, such as Boys' Day and Girls' Day.
"We're thinking of using the video system or something and changing that up for different Japanese holidays," she said.
The center will also host a variety of cultural activities and educational opportunities. Koyama talked about plans for quarterly luncheons, Japanese language and cooking classes and cultural workshops. The center will also offer bonsai and Ikebana (Japanese flower arranging) classes, allowing visitors to deepen their understanding of traditional Japanese arts.
"We'd like to have more classes once we have the center," Spencer said. "It's going to be perfect, because we can do our luncheons there. We can have, like Japanese cooking classes, just a variety of things that we weren't able to do because we didn't really have our own place."
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In addition to cultural education, the center will honor the contributions of the Issei generation, Spencer said.
The center, with a 7,800-square-foot meeting space, will also feature a Japanese garden, created with the help of Nishimori Landscape & Design.
"It's going to have a bunch of Japanese foliage, such as Japanese maple trees and different Japanese landscaping," Koyama said, offering a peaceful space for visitors to connect with nature and appreciate the beauty of traditional Japanese garden design.
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Alex Posada, Santa Maria's recreation and parks director, said the building is expected to be completed by the end of December or early January, with final landscaping work taking another month. A spring dedication event is anticipated.
Posada highlighted the importance of the community's donations to the project, noting an initial $300,000 donation from Japanese Community Center, Inc. helped secure development of the site.
"Without that $300,000 initial investment, there really was no plan to do anything in that area of the property," Posada said. "Their donation to the building was the catalyst that got the project moving."
The city has invested $1.3 million in the project, with the total cost expected to be around $1.6 million for the building alone. Japanese Community Center, Inc. continues to support the project through donations and fundraising efforts.
"There are about 70 members in the club and we would like to grow to even more than that. That would be nice, the more the merrier," Koyama said.
"We welcome anyone at any time," said Spencer.
For information or to become a member, contact the center via mail at 237 Town Center West #110, Santa Maria, CA 93458 or email Spencer at [email protected], or Koyama at [email protected].
Santa Maria Japanese Community Center set to open this spring | Photos