[en]March 30th was the 45th anniversary for the Nanka Dosanko Kai. The association was found by the residents of SoCal from Hokkaido and the celebration happened at the resident of the Consul General of Japan in LA.Formerly Nanka Douninkai - the Nanka Dosanko Kai was found in 1972 and 100 households currently participate as members. They help one another and bond throughout various events throughout the year. Approximately 200 members attended the ceremony. Local community representatives as well as House of Rep. Satoshi Arai from Hokkaido and proxy for the governor of Hokkaido said their words of congratulations. Travel agencies and makers of local Japanese sake, Japanese confections and pork bowls came from Hokkaido to promote the prefecture’s charm.　Also, for 20 years, the Nanka Dosanko Kai annually hosts a homestay program where two high school students from Japan are invited. The Bogart family were gifted a surprise airline ticket to Japan from the Dosanko Kai for being a host family for more than 10 years. The participant of this year’s homestay program attended the ceremony to present the charms of Kushiro.