Yami's Secret Ancient Technique Invented a Few years Ago

The college kid toward the end getting her stretch on....

Last weekend Cherry Blossom Festival, Monterey Park

An obituary/tribute was included in the program:

My stage demo was on Saturday.  Last act.

I folded Yami's fireworks as giveaway prizes for the quick fold contest at the end.

I was joined by Pam Miike.

I had ordered a paper glider gun from Amazon and did not break it open until the day of the Festival on Saturday.  It took me a while to figure out that it wasn't broken (Have to insert a paper glider for the motor to start running).

The Yami Chop

Pam Miike coined the term last weekend:

Shafer's Heart Fireworks

Yami's original intention was to design connected hearts.

"Be ashamed to die....."

Yami Passed Away Christmas Evening

July 29, 1936- December 25, 2017

3-27-2013

Descanso Garden

Original photo taken by Yami's friend Kazuyoshi ITO

April 6, 2008
Cherry Blossom Festival, Little Tokyo 

From Chikako:

Dear Yami's friends,

This is Yami's daughter Chikako writing from Yami's account.

Yoichi "Yami" Yamauchi passed away yesterday. His health had been declining for some time. His body expired and he passed away peacefully yesterday evening. Per Yami's wishes, his body is being cremated and his ashes will be scattered at some point in the future. There will not be a public funeral or service. Condolences can be posted on Facebook. Even though Yami was a public figure, please respect his family's privacy.

Kind regards,
Chikako Yamauchi

may 26, 2007 
Natural History Museum, Los Angeles, CA

Visiting Yami During PCOC

I know a number of people would have liked to have visited Yami; but schedules were so tight as to make it difficult to coordinate beyond a small group. 

A handful of us were piled into the mikemobile V to be ferried to Torrance for an unexpected visit.  Since Yami seldom ever answers his phone, warning him ahead of time is nigh impossible. 

We made a short trip at noon, wading street traffic to be back at Convention in Redondo Beach by 2pm. 

Teaching at Descanso Gardens for Family Night

Family night at Descanso Gardens yesterday involved a showing of "Kubo and the Two Strings".   I provided the origami entertainment prior to the movie playing out on an outdoor big screen.

Yami turns 81

Yesterday, we celebrated Yami's 81st birthday party:

Update on Yami

I hadn't visited Yami in about two months.

Pam Miike saw him a couple of weeks ago and said he was down to 110 lbs, not really eating lunch or dinner.

We both feel that Yami could use more visitors.

I was delighted to arrive today to find these two friends from his church paying him a visit. And this was the first time I caught him out of his bed! I was in complete shock. He was also very lucid and alert. It was good to see.

I brought him lunch; as usual: bacon fried rice. And some jasmine green tea.

Yami's secret ancient origami folding technique finally revealed!

Yami actually first started doing his "karate chop" knee action about 10 years ago.  I've since "turned up the volume" by expanding upon the comedic effect and setup/build up.

Warming up the crowd and testing their abilities to listen, watch, and follow directions

This is Yami's banger.

Before any vigorous, physical activity, it's important to warm-up and active stretch.

This will tax you, physically; teach you spiritually; test your mental acumen; train your listening skills; and take your powers of observation to the next level!

Origami. It's not just for kids, anymore.

Origami at Descanso Gardens

This is the event that Yami Yamauchi used to do; and has passed it on to me (I believe my third year doing this).

This year, they decided to host their Cherry Blossom Festival over two weekends.  These clips are from last weekend:

Sunday, it started out great (I wish someone had filmed it!); and then we hit rain:

We've had an unusual amount of rain in Southern California, this year.

Amazingly, people wanted to keep folding.  The umbrellas didn't exactly help because the downpour just soaked the tableclothes as they ran off the umbrellas.

Pam Miike and I are there again this weekend.  Unfortunately, tickets are sold out (as they were last weekend).  The Gardens wanted to try and control the crowds this year.

There is always next year!

Return to the Aquarium of the Pacific Autumn Festival

Source

I've missed this Festival in recent times (due to conflicts with gymnastics compulsory season schedule).  I will be there this Sunday, though.

Also attending:  Marti Reis (Saturday), Joy Nishijima, Hisako Tanji, Pam Miike (Sunday).

Marti's 1st Sunday and Yami Update

Small turn out at Marti's yesterday.  I could count the number of folders on one hand. 

Marti, herself, was out of town, visiting Japan. 

I perused (as I usually do) some of the books I don't have, in Marti's vast origami book collection:

Folded various dividers (OUSA Convention book 2012) for the traditional masu box after folding Kasahara's "happy box" from a recent issue of NOA, brought by Hisako (I finally figured out how to renew my own subscription through the internet.  For years, I used to receive my issues through Kinokuniya- no longer).

After the meeting, I swung by Marukai to pick up bacon fried rice and fruit for Yami.  Saw this at the checkout:

Notice the sign at the top and then the "WARNING" sign on the right?  Mixed messages, anyone?! 

Yami doesn't answer his phone so there's no planning ahead and warning him beforehand. 

He was very receptive and responsive yesterday.  He's not always like that these days and I'm not sure if it's due to any personality changes related to his stroke(s), his current situation, medication, sugar, or just plain mood. 

Pam Miike did a beautiful job with organizing Yami's cards and origami gifts he received through the mail by OUSA & worldwide origami friends and well-wishers.  She put them all into books. 





I arrived in the middle of his dinner (which I thought looked yum!); and he eagerly devoured the bacon fried rice.  Left him a small bowl of grapes as he said he couldn't finish all the ones I brought. 

I will eventually post photos and/or video from Yami's birthday party at the end of last month.

Not free. Not independent.

After our monthly meeting at Marti's, I swung by Marukai in Gardena for some food.  Saw the following origami sightings:

 Pam called me from the healthcare center where she and Joy were visiting Yami and said Yami wanted bacon fried rice.   So picked some of that up. 





I worry that Yami is losing purpose and meaning.  He is cordial enough; but there's a certain disengagement.  I'm not the only one who notices this in attempts at conversing with him.  Maybe it's just that he's tired or not in the mood for company.  My own sense of it, though, is that he's in a kind of limbo without freedom, independence, or control over his life and his current environment.  Instead of taking command over the things that are within his realm of control, he appears to me as though resigned to his lot; and giving in to boredom.  He doesn't read, he doesn't fold, he doesn't walk around (only 30 minutes a day of forced exercise- and I'd be curious to see what that entails); he cannot figure out his phone (and embarrassingly, I can't figure out how to work it, either).  He's a victim of uncontrolled visitations (hard to warn him ahead of time when you're coming for a visit when he doesn't pick up his phone).  All he has is the television whose channels are controlled by his roommate (seems to be his roommate's sole stimuli as well). 

Yami hasn't received a lot of mail, from what I could tell.  But he has received some.  But even these things seem to be of little interest to him.  I almost get a sense that these, along with any origami visitors leave him, are just material burdens to him. 

I'm sorry of this blogpost comes across as depressing news.  I'm just a bit frustrated in not knowing how to help him.   It's hard to communicate with him.  But I feel like the next time I see him, I need to have a tough love talk with him to pull him out of his malaise.  To get him to shake himself out of this mental and spiritual rut of whatever it is he may be experiencing. 

Happy Fireworks!

Sure I sacrifice a bit for neatness by utilizing this method (stacking sheets together); but much of the beauty of action models is in their functionality and by speed-folding and taking "short-cuts", it allows me the luxury of efficiency and time-saving to make lots of these to give away to my many gymnasts:

Joe Hamamoto Visits Yami Yamauchi

Yami was napping when we arrived last Monday after 12pm.  We only stayed for a short time. 

Yami visit yesterday

I drove out to Torrance after work on Saturday.

Yami told me Mike and Yukie Parthos were there and took his phone to the store, as they figured out it was broken.  They bought Yami a new phone to replace his old one.





 The embed code for the video in the other post keeps disappearing.  I restored it.  Let me know if it disappears again.

Chila and Hank visited him last week as well; and Chila left him a couple of Yara Yagi's slinky dogs.  Pam Miike also visited him on Friday and folded some while there.

My worry right now is that he doesn't get enough stimulation and lies in bed bored for long hours with nothing to do.  He says he is taken for exercise in the mornings for 30 minutes.  But that is not enough!  He can't lay in bed for the other 23 1/2 hours!

Hoping he receives some mail from fans and friends, soon.  I tried to show him some of the messages from Facebook by bringing my laptop.  But the center doesn't offer wi-fi service and so I read off of my phone.

Anyone who wishes to, can write him here:

Harbor Care Center
21521 South Vermont Ave
Torrance, CA 90502

He will be there for a good while.

YamiCare

Yami is currently at Harbor Care Center- a nursing home.  He's not sure how long he will be there for. 

Anyone who wishes to send him well wishes, you can send fan mail to him here:

Harbor Care Center
21521 South Vermont Ave
 Torrance, CA 90502

His daughter wrote:

"He says he's fine but lacks vitality, and he gets confused.  I asked if maybe he was depressed.  He said he didn't know what I was talking about.  Lack of initiation is a common result of a brain injury, so I wonder if his not having the initiative to get out of bed or answer his phone goes back to his stroke.

I am in New York.  I have commitments keeping me here, and getting my own life in order continues to be a challenge, so visiting my father right now is not possible.  But I do know that having people visit him will help his well-being.  I am so grateful to you for spreading the word.  I asked Yami for his permission to let his friends know that he is at Del Amo Gardens so they can visit him.  He said that was fine.  If people do visit him, I hope seeing friends will whet his appetite again, for food and for life."

Yami Yamauchi​ turns 80 on July 29th.  Please wish him well!