YAYAM Utah Report

[Ken Doo]

YAYAM Utah Report

Reported by Kinesha McDaniel

            It’s that time again for another wonderful update from Las Vegas YAYAM! We are always happy to share with the community about the various activities and trips that we do because the more we share, the more interested our youth becomes in YAYAM! Little by little, we are strengthening our bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood - one activity at a time! This time we took our R&R to the breathtakingly beautiful scenery of Utah, Zion National Park and Orderville!

            We first gathered at Josh’s house to prepare our backpacks for the trip. We made sandwiches, packed chips and other snacks for the 2-3hr drive. For our newest Las Vegas brother, Taiki, this was his first time going to Utah so he was particularly excited! Some of us have been to Utah before, however, going to Utah with most the youth of the community created a feeling of being surrounded by family instead of  “just hanging out for spring break” feeling. What made this family feeling more imminent was that Josh’s children, Rolan and Erika’s baby girl, and Takanori’s family attended as well! So not only did we have 1^st and 2^nd Generation but, we also had 3^rd Generation taking part in the festivities!  Josh Yanai booked an elegant, two-story AirBnB for everyone to feel comfortable—there were enough rooms that sisters, brothers, and Blessed couples could have their own spaces.

     During the evenings, we played Japanese and American games and during the mornings/afternoons, we hiked Angel’s Landing, The Narrows and Riverside Walk. After our exhaustingly rewarding hikes, some of us went to the cute towns and did some souvenir shopping and we were able to chat with some of the locals and learn more about the history of Utah. On the last day of the trip, everyone checked out around 11am. We spent a few final hours in Zion and then drove to Cracker Barrel for dinner. Everyone had full stomachs and a safe and wonderful time! Although Caleb and Kaia are Josh’s children and Ember is Rolan and Erica’s baby girl, everyone took care of them and played games with them. In their own way, the kids brought an extra amount of joy to everyone on the trip! We thank all of our drivers and Josh and Eri for food and organization of this memorable event! That’s all from us for now, See you at the next event!!