April 16th 2023 O.A.

Emperor’s Birthday

March 16th was the reception to celebrate the birthday of His Majesty the Emperor of Japan at the official residence of the Consulate General of Japan in LA.

This reception is held every year around the day of His Majesty’s birthday.
Local government officials, business community officials, and people of culture are invited as guests.

The ceremony began with singing the national anthems of both countries.
Followed by Consul General Kenko Sone stating his greetings and hopes for a stronger US-Japan friendship as well as cultural exchanges between local Asian and Latino communities as well.

Next, local government officials stated their congratulations and hopes for strengthening the friendship between the US and Japan.

Festive food was served at the reception after the ceremony and different booths were also available.
Local liquors and specialties promoted the area for tourism attraction as well.

Keiro Caregiver Conference

Saturday, March 18th was the Caregiver Conference at Santa Ana.

This conference was held by Keiro, a group that provides welfare services for older adults in the Japanese American community, and provided useful information on how to care for older adults requiring help.
It is an annual event however, an in-person session was held for the first time in 3 years.

Shannon Ingram of UC Irvine was invited as the keynote speaker where she talked about the issues that caregivers face and how to deal with them, as well as what kind of mindset one should have when caring for older adults based on her own personal experience.

After the keynote speech, 3 breakout sessions took place.
One sessions explained the different tools used for caregiving.

Another lectures on how to communicate with older adults with dementia, and provided other hands-on and useful information.

Booths of other nonprofit organizations and companies that support older adults were also at the event.

Beverly Ito has been a member of Keiro since 1974, and she took the position as the new president and CEO this January.

For more information about Keiro, please visit their website.

Pechanga Sushi and Sake Festival

Saturday, April 8th was the Sushi and Sake Festival held at the Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula.

This is the 3rd time of the all-you-can-eat-and-drink sushi and sake event.

This is also a part of Pechanga Resort Casino’s community activity supporting Habitat for Humanity Inland Valley, which is a nonprofit organization supporting affordable housing.

More than 20,000 sushi and sashimi were served at the event. Ramen, grilled food, and vegetarian dishes were also available.

Booths of more than 20 Japanese sake breweries were also at the event serving Japanese sake and beer. Guests enjoyed drinking different types of alcohol.

Different entertainment were also seen, like the Japanese taiko drumming and tuna filleting performances. More than 1,000 guests enjoyed this Japanese-themed festival.

Pechanga Resort Casino is one of the largest resort casinos in the US with facilities from hotels, casinos, restaurants, pool area, and spa.

Journey At Pechanga, a golf course next to the resort, hosted a Pro-Am Golf Tournament featuring LPGA golfers, and they focus on providing services for their Asian guests.

For more information about Pechanga Resort Casino and the events held there, please visit their website.

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