Shinzen Nikkei Youth Goodwill Program
Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California, 1840 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA 94115
About
The Shinzen Nikkei Youth Goodwill Program centers on travel to Japan for goodwill basketball games, intercultural activities, homestays, and youth activities. Participants take part in specific experiences such as visits to an orphanage in Kobe, a visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, a Peace Park tour with Hiroshima Peace Buddies, tours to Kyoto and Miyajima, a wheelchair basketball experience, and a tea ceremony. The program also includes learning about Japan and its customs and traditions, learning about San Francisco Japantown and Japanese American family immigration history, honing public speaking and Japanese language skills, and learning a dance to share with new Japanese friends and host families.
• Schedule: From July 22 to August 1, 2025, thirteen youth ambassadors travel to Japan, with departure on July 22, arrival in Tokyo and travel to Osaka/Kobe on July 23, program activities in Kobe from July 24–26, Osaka from July 27–29, Hiroshima and Miyajima from July 30–31, and return travel to San Francisco or an extended tour on August 1.
The Shinzen Nikkei Youth Goodwill Program is led by the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (the Center), with leadership that has included Coach Cori Nishimoto as Shinzen Girls Team coach, Coach Jason Loy as Shinzen Boys Team coach, and Coaches Travis Hom and Chrissie Hosoda as 2023 team coaches. The program began in 1997 after the JCCCNC and the office of the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco agreed on the need for meaningful dialogue between youth in Japan and Japanese American youth, and through these discussions the Shinzen Nikkei Youth Goodwill Basketball Program was created. Its mission is to promote the values of fair play and competition while fostering ties between the Japanese and Japanese American communities, and to build a foundation for the exchange of ideas and important values among young people to support U.S.-Japan relations. Community involvement includes support from donors, volunteers, Shinzen families, The Henri and Tomoye Takahashi Charitable Foundation, Japan Airlines, and many fundraiser supporters, and engagement with Osaka YMCA and Kobe YMCA to share culture and develop friendships. The program’s unique features include its focus on international goodwill or amity (with “Shinzen” meaning international goodwill or amity), combining basketball with cultural exchange, touring, and homestays, visits to historical and peace-related sites such as Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and Peace Park, engagement with wheelchair basketball members, a farm stay at Waiwamura Farm in a past program, and goals of developing and nurturing young ambassadors between the U.S. and Japan. The program resumed after a hiatus due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the 2023 theme was “Wings of Peace,” and the 2023 Shinzen program was dedicated to the late Toru Yamaguchi, former General Secretary of the Kobe YMCA, for his role in establishing the program and connections between youth in Kobe and the Bay Area.
Last updated June 6, 2026.
• Schedule: From July 22 to August 1, 2025, thirteen youth ambassadors travel to Japan, with departure on July 22, arrival in Tokyo and travel to Osaka/Kobe on July 23, program activities in Kobe from July 24–26, Osaka from July 27–29, Hiroshima and Miyajima from July 30–31, and return travel to San Francisco or an extended tour on August 1.
The Shinzen Nikkei Youth Goodwill Program is led by the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (the Center), with leadership that has included Coach Cori Nishimoto as Shinzen Girls Team coach, Coach Jason Loy as Shinzen Boys Team coach, and Coaches Travis Hom and Chrissie Hosoda as 2023 team coaches. The program began in 1997 after the JCCCNC and the office of the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco agreed on the need for meaningful dialogue between youth in Japan and Japanese American youth, and through these discussions the Shinzen Nikkei Youth Goodwill Basketball Program was created. Its mission is to promote the values of fair play and competition while fostering ties between the Japanese and Japanese American communities, and to build a foundation for the exchange of ideas and important values among young people to support U.S.-Japan relations. Community involvement includes support from donors, volunteers, Shinzen families, The Henri and Tomoye Takahashi Charitable Foundation, Japan Airlines, and many fundraiser supporters, and engagement with Osaka YMCA and Kobe YMCA to share culture and develop friendships. The program’s unique features include its focus on international goodwill or amity (with “Shinzen” meaning international goodwill or amity), combining basketball with cultural exchange, touring, and homestays, visits to historical and peace-related sites such as Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and Peace Park, engagement with wheelchair basketball members, a farm stay at Waiwamura Farm in a past program, and goals of developing and nurturing young ambassadors between the U.S. and Japan. The program resumed after a hiatus due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the 2023 theme was “Wings of Peace,” and the 2023 Shinzen program was dedicated to the late Toru Yamaguchi, former General Secretary of the Kobe YMCA, for his role in establishing the program and connections between youth in Kobe and the Bay Area.
Last updated June 6, 2026.
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