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Southeast Japanese School& Community Center
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[EXAMPLE] Norwalk Judo Fall Tournament

[EXAMPLE] Norwalk Judo Fall Tournament flyer
  • Date: Sat, October 10, 2026
  • Time: 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM
  • Where: At the center
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Upcoming event

[EXAMPLE] Nikkei Seniors Monthly Luncheon

[EXAMPLE] Nikkei Seniors Monthly Luncheon flyer
  • Date: Tue, October 13, 2026
  • Time: 11:30 AM – 2:30 PM
  • Where: At the center
  • Repeats: Second Tuesday of the month
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[EXAMPLE] Gakuen Undokai (Field Day)

  • Date: Sat, October 17, 2026
  • Time: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
  • Where: Norwalk Park, 13000 Clarkdale Ave., Norwalk, CA 90650
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[EXAMPLE] 2026 Holiday Craft Fair

  • Date: Sat, October 24, 2026
  • Time: 8:00 AM – 12:30 PM
  • Where: At the center
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[EXAMPLE] Monthly Bingo Games

  • Date: Sat, November 7, 2026
  • Time: 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM
  • Where: At the center
  • Repeats: First Saturday of the month
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クラブ活動Sports, Clubs & Classes

One roof, many circles

Over a dozen groups call the center home — the dojo, the gym, and the craft tables. Most welcome beginners year-round.

See all sports & classes
Norwalk Judo, photo 1 of 4

Norwalk Judo

Serving Norwalk, Cerritos, Fullerton, La Mirada, Lakewood and all surrounding areas.

Website

日本語学校Japanese School

Japanese at heart.Learning for life.

Saturday mornings, since 1925.

サウスイースト日本語学園

Language, reading, and calligraphy from kindergarten through Level 12, with adult classes online. No Japanese background required — students of every heritage learn side by side.

  • Listening
  • Speaking
  • Reading
  • Writing
Tuition & registrationSee sports & classes
Students practicing brush calligraphy at their desks, with their teacher behind them and finished characters on the wall

CalligraphyBrush calligraphy class

  • A student writing Japanese characters with a calligraphy brush
    書道Calligraphy
  • Two young students giving their speeches at microphones on stage
    お話会Speech Day
  • Students holding certificates from the New Year's card contest, with a teacher
    年賀状New Year's Cards
  • Two graduates in kimono
    卒業Graduation
クラス案内Kindergarten to Adults

A class for every age

Every Saturday, 8:45–12:15 · Adult classes online

See all classes
  1. Kindergarten students with their teachers
    幼稚園Kindergarten Program

    Age 5

  2. Level 1 students with their teacher
    初級Beginning Level Japanese

    No prior language knowledge required

  3. Elementary level students with their teacher
    小学Elementary Level

    Everyday conversation

  4. Intermediate level students with their teacher
    中級Intermediate Level Japanese

    Mostly conducted in Japanese

  5. Advanced level students from levels 9 through 12
    上級Advanced Level Japanese

    Through Level 12

  6. Adult students in an online Japanese class
    大人Adult Classes

    Online only at this time

私たちの歩みOur History

101 years,still growing.

From a small group of Japanese immigrant families in 1925 to a vibrant community today. We honor our heritage while building connections for the future.

Our MissionTo preserve and share our Japanese heritage and its traditions with the community through cultural, educational, and social activities.

  • A formal portrait of Juichi Nawa, seated, and Sakaye Nawa, standing beside him
    1925Juichi & Sakaye NawaThe school's first home was built on their ranch.
  • A portrait of Reverend Tsunesuke Hayashi as a young man in a dark suit
    1925Rev. Tsunesuke HayashiFirst principal of the Japanese school.
  • A portrait of Principal Shuyu Kurai in a pinstripe suit and glasses
    1957Principal Shuyu KuraiReopened the Gakuen after the war.

  1. 1925

    A school on the Nawa Ranch

    Reverend Tsunesuke Hayashi had been teaching Japanese at the Friends Japanese Church since 1923. In 1925 the community broke ground on a school of its own on the Nawa Ranch, beside the land the center stands on today, and he became its first principal.

    The Nawa Ranch outside Norwalk, where the first Japanese language school was built in 1925

  2. 1930

    A schoolhouse of our own

    Parents and community members paid for a new school building, raised under Takuichi Nakatani on the site the center still occupies. Judo classes began in 1931, kendo in 1934.

    The community gathered outside the new Norwalk Gakuen school building at its 1930 dedication

  3. 1936

    The heart of the community

    The Gakuen had become the heart of Japanese immigrant life in Norwalk — Saturday classes for the children, and the community's own gatherings the rest of the year. Enrollment reached 250 before the war.

    Members of the Gakuen Agriculture Union gathered for a banquet in 1936

  4. 1942

    Taken away, and coming home

    Every Japanese American family in Norwalk was incarcerated, and the school building was rented to an American church. Families returned to the area in 1946, and Norwalk Gakuen reopened on June 22, 1957 under Principal Shuyu Kurai.

    Two archival photographs from the war years — the flag over the Manzanar incarceration camp, and a judoka seated in seiza

  5. 1962

    A new name, and new groups

    On April 11 the school was granted nonprofit status and took the name it carries today. The Youth Activities Group — now Norwalk Youth Sports — was established the same year, parents hosted the first Summer Festival in 1963, and a kendo class formed in 1964.

    The kendo class in 1965, in bogu, with their instructors
    A 1973 Southeast Japanese Language School good attendance certificate with a gold seal, written in English and Japanese

    1. 1973 A good attendance award, signed by Principal Kurai in English and Japanese.

  6. 1977

    A hall for everyone

    Years of fundraising opened a new building with a gymnasium, kitchen and three classrooms. Bonsai, ballroom dance and tea ceremony classes followed, and Hikari Taiko formed in 1978.

    The hall full of guests at the 1977 new building dedication, hung with koinobori
    The walls of the new gymnasium under construction in 1977, braced with timber, beside the old school

    1. 1977 The new gymnasium rising beside the old school building.

  7. 1994

    Room to grow

    After four years of fundraising, an annex was dedicated in July with ten more classrooms, a multipurpose room and two bathrooms.

    Members gathered for the 1994 groundbreaking outside the new annex
    A crane raising a concrete wall panel for the 1994 annex while workers watch
    Board members and guests with mallets breaking open a sake barrel outside the new annex in 1994

    1. 1994 A crane lifting the annex walls into place.

    2. 1994 Breaking open a sake barrel, kagami-biraki, to celebrate the new annex.

  8. The hand-decorated “Omedetō 100” sign, framed in paper flowers and folded cranes, from the 100th anniversary celebration

    100th Anniversary · July 26, 2025

    2025

    One hundred years

    The center celebrated its 100th anniversary on July 26, with 132 students enrolled at the Gakuen and four generations together in the hall.

Celebrating 100 years

1925 — 2025

Skip the photos

  • July 26, 2025

  • The gymnasium filled with long tables and guests at the 100th anniversary celebration
  • An older woman raising her glass in a joyful toast
  • A band playing on stage beneath big blue “100” balloons
  • Three young guests tasting dessert
  • Visitors looking through the group history displays at the 100th anniversary celebration
  • Two longtime members catching up in the crowd

  • Four generations, one hall

  • Two men in suits holding a framed proclamation honoring the center
  • A father and his toddler waving from their table
  • Children in happi coats breaking open a sake barrel at the photo booth
  • Two older men sharing a laugh at their table
  • A large crowd gathered outside the center for the group photo

  • On to the next hundred

Skip back up
The 2025 board of directors standing together in the gym in front of the center's banner, many wearing blue leis
Our Volunteers運営委員会

Board of Directors

SEJSCC is entirely volunteer-run. The board sets direction on behalf of the community it serves.

  • Dean Wada
  • Simon Yao
  • Carrie Nakatani
  • Tye Masaki
  • Ernie Nishii
  • Masa Lau
  • Colleen Sonoda
  • Miki Suzuki
  • Karrie Takeuchi
  • Rich Tamaki

They're only part of the picture — dozens of volunteers teach classes, coach teams, run the kitchen, and keep the center open every week.

To reach a board member, leave a message with the center.

Featured Videos紹介動画

See the center in action

A look inside the center, its history, and its traditions.

The whole community gathered outside the center for its 100th anniversary in 2025
Our Communityコミュニティ

All Generations. One Community.

Everyone is welcome at SEJSCC. We are a nonprofit organization and all of our activities are open to anyone, regardless of race or religion. Together we learn, celebrate, volunteer, and create memories that last a lifetime.

Address14615 S. Gridley Rd., Norwalk, CA 90650Phone(562) 863-5996Emailinfo@sejscc.org