Nov 26th 2017 O.A.
Sushi & Sake Festival
Sunday, November 5th was the Sushi & Sake Festival at Little Tokyo. This event was held by the Japanese Restaurant Association of America and is for the public. 25 food related companies participated and introduced the latest trend of Japanese food. Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Iwao Horii stated his congratulations at the opening ceremony, and the industry individuals did the sake barrel breaking. This year is the 18th time for this all you can eat and drink event, and 850 people attended. At the sake booth, Sho-Chiku-Bai, Gekkeikan and other sakes by the brewers were introduced. Sushi, ramen, udon, oden, takoyaki and varieties of food were served at the food booth. Filleting demonstration of the giant Spain tuna also happened, and the sushi eating contest winner received the prize from Akira Yuhara, President of JRA. The JRA is formed by the Japanese food manufacturers in US, and they annually hold this event to spread real Japanese food.
American Film Market
November 1st to 8th was the American Film Market at Santa Monica. AMF is an expo for the film industry where studios and film distributing agencies from over 80 countries throughout the world participate. They make over $100 billion revenue each year. 445 companies participated this year. Buyers and distributors exchanged information about the films through premieres and on-demand previews, and discussed business opportunities. In recent years, the Asian market like China, Korea and India have been expanding and JETRO also participated as the Japan booth. 12 Japanese companies participated to sell their films. Popcorn tastings were also held to promote Japanese culture, and Japanese flavored popcorns were served, like matcha green tea flavors. This year, Japan Film Commission, a nonprofit organization that coordinates film shooting location participated. They promoted Japan from the standpoint of film shoots. A summit and workshop by the well known film studios and distributors were also held. 7400 people attended this 8 day long event.