November 26nd 2023 O.A.
JRA Sushi & Sake Festival
Sunday, October 29th was the “Sushi & Sake Festival” held by the Japanese Restaurant Association of America at Universal City.
This is an all you can eat and drink event that serves sushi and sake along with other Japanese food.
This year is the 22nd time for the event with the help of different restaurants, organizations, and businesses.
November 1st is “Sushi Day” in Japan, so the event always takes place around this time of the year with 1,000 tickets selling out.
After the taiko performance opened the event, a sake barrel ceremony was done by the related individuals.
Sushi chefs lined up and served a variety to the guests at the sushi section.
Other food like shabu-shabu, takoyaki, oden, seafood, and sweets were also offered.
Yakitori and ramen were available in the courtyard.
Beer, shochu, and different Japanese sake were served at the sake section, and guests were able to compare different types of drinks.
A tuna fileting performance was done on stage and caught the attention of many people.
JRA was founded in 1999 to educate culinary techniques and food safety, as well as providing legal and business related support to Japanese restaurants.
Their goal is to spread Japanese food in the US.
KSCA & JAMA Community Health Fair
Sunday, October 29th was the Community Health Fair at the Maryknoll Japanese Catholic Center in Little Tokyo.
This event offered free consultation for the members of the Japanese American community to discuss health-related concerns.
It was held by the Koreisha Senior Care & Advocacy (KSCA) and Japanese American Medical Association (JAMA).
Doctors working in internal medicine, cardiology, orthopedic surgery, and dentistry were there to consult in Japanese.
Different demographics participated and formed long lines for the charged blood test.
This Health Fair originated back in 1971 by the Taisho Club that was Nikkei association of hobbies so that community members can have their health concerns answered in Japanese.
However, it had to be canceled in 2018 due to the aging of members that facilitated the event.
JAMA is an organization that strives to enhance medical services offered to communities.
30 doctors and physicians participated this time, some of them being experienced physicians that participated in the previous Health Fair as well.
About 150 people participated in the event. Both KSCA and JAMA are talking about continuing this fair for the future.
INC Beach Day
October 14th was the networking event for the Southern California Intercollegiate Nikkei Council (INC) at Dockweiler State Beach in Playa del Rey.
INC is a coalition of collegiate Nikkei Student Unions and associations throughout SoCal universities, and it is currently made up of 13 schools.
About 350 students participated in the “Beach Day” to network with new people.
Members got comfortable with each other through icebreakers and made new friends as they spent a fun time together.
INC also holds special lectures inviting working Japanese American professionals as guest speakers from different fields.
They also participate in volunteer work for the Japanese American community too.