Keiro Retirement Home recognizes 22 residents who are over 90 years old at a special day luncheon.

MICHIKO TAMURA /Rafu Shimpo
Twenty-two residents of the Keiro Retirement Home in Los Angeles are recognized last Friday for Japan’s national holiday, Keiro-no-Hi (Respect for the Aged Day).

Keiro Retirement Home in Los Angels held a special luncheon for its residents last Friday to celebrate Japan’s national holiday, Keiro-no-Hi (Respect for the Aged Day).

Japan celebrates Keiro-no-Hi annually on the third Monday of September, by honoring the elderly and celebrating their longevity. The holiday was established to commemorate the enactment of the Law concerning Welfare for the Aged in 1966.

“In Japan, they celebrate the Keiro-no-Hi on Sept. 18, but in this Keiro Retirement Home, we feel that everyday is like the Keiro-no-Hi,” said Takeshi Oishi, administrator for Keiro Retirement Home.

Currently the Keiro Retirement Home has 137 residents, of which, 105, or 75 percent, are women, Oishi said, adding that the average age of the residents is 84 years old.

“So, the women’s power is very strong,” he said.

At the luncheon, Japan’s Counsul General Kazuo Kodama and Consul Yuko Kaifu presented recognition awards to 22 residents who are over 90 years old, including 100-year-old Clara Nishimoto.

“I enjoy it very much here,” said Hawaii-native Nisei, Nishimoto who has lived in the retirement home for four years. “I like to do flower arrangements, growing vegetables, shigin (recitation of Chinese poetry) and karaoke.”

Some of the volunteer workers were also recognized at the luncheon, including Kanao Takeoka, who has worked at Keiro Retirement Home for 25 years.

“I don’t think that most of you realize how much work has been done for Keiro by volunteers, and that’s what made us so successful,” said Stuart Tsujimoto, president, board of directors of the retirement home. “We also have the endowment to make sure that Keiro goes on forever.”

In addition to celebrating the elderly, the Keiro-no-Hi is also a day to consider the issue of aging in our community, said Shawn Miyake, president & chief executive officer for Keiro Senior HealthCare.

 “A lot of people say that there are no more problems in the Japanese community in the United States. But I tell you that there is one central issue in our community, that is aging, and we parallel what’s going on in Japan. So it’s a concern for all of us. It’s a very important topic,” he said.