August 14th 2022 O.A.
Japanese Garden Preservation Society
Sunday, July 10th was the inauguration ceremony for the Japanese Garden Preservation Society at JACCC in Little Tokyo..
This society was founded by the Southern California Gardeners’ Federation (SCGF) with the help of the Consulate General of Japan in LA to
preserve Japanese-style gardens that are located around SoCal.
The James Irvine Japanese Garden at JACCC was made by the SCGF in 1980 and is one of the Japanese-style gardens that represent LA.
It is said that there are about 40 Japanese-style gardens in SoCal and about 90 throughout the US.
Unfortunately, many of them are uncared for.
At its peak period, SCGF had about 6 thousand members, however, the numbers decreased and currently is about 350.
The federation is also at risk of closing its doors since the skills are not passed down to younger generations.
In such circumstances, Torrance resident Satoru Takura joined the SCGF and became the Co- chairman of Japanese Garden Preservation Society.
This society will mainly do the pruning of pine trees and will not only take care of the Japanese-style gardens but also look after the pine trees of private home gardens as well.
However, maintaining the federation is the biggest challenge, and the key will be how to get the younger generations interested in gardening.
150 Years of Baseball in Japan
This year is the 150th anniversary since baseball came into Japan from the US, and a celebration was held at Little Tokyo on Sunday, July 17th.
This event was held by the US-Japan Council and JANM. Masanori Murakami, the first Japanese baseball player to play in the MLB in 1964 for the San Francisco Giants, was welcomed as a guest from Japan.
It is said that baseball was first introduced to Japan by an English teacher named Horace Wilson in 1872. Since then, baseball has contributed in many ways to the friendship of Japan-US for 150 years.
About 100 guests attended the event. After Consul General Akira Muto and local and state officials gave their greetings, a memento was awarded to Murakami for his contribution to baseball.
Followed by a Q&A session with Murakami. Murakami talked about his years in the major league with gestures.
Also, a documentary film that is currently in production about strengthening the bond between Japan and the US through baseball was announced at the event, and guests all wished for the two country’s deeper, ongoing friendship.
JAPAN HOUSE LA “LIFE CYCLES”
An installation about Japanese bamboo work is being exhibited at JAPAN HOUSE LA in Hollywood.
The “LIFE CYCLES” exhibition showcases the works of Tanabe Chikuunsai IV, an artist who is gaining international attention through his bamboo creations. The highlight is the installation using 10 thousand bamboo strips called “higo” which is 21 meters lomg.
This piece was made by a team of Chikuunsai’s students, taking them 2 weeks to make it.
After the exhibition is over, the piece gets dismantled and 90% of the higo strips are reused for his next work.
This is where the title “Life Cycles” comes from.
It is as if the bamboo strips have laid down their roots into the wall and twisted as it grows taller, reaching for the sky.
Guests can also see the works of the previous artists as well.
Life Cycles: A Bamboo Exploration with Tanabe Chikuunsai IV” is held at the JAPAN HOUSE Gallery 2nd floor of the Ovation Hollywood until January 15th, 2023.
Admission is free.
For more information, please visit the JAPAN HOUSE LA website.