Archives: SoCalJapan

January 12nd 2020 O.A.

January 12nd 2020 O.A.

January 12nd 2020 O.A.

Oshougatsu in Little Tokyo 2020

Different New Years’ events took place at Little Tokyo for New Years.
“Oshogatsu in Little Tokyo” took place on January 1st. This year is the 22nd time where attendees can experience the Japanese New Year.
The event is held by the Japanese Chamber of Commerce of SoCal. President, Kaoru Kawata and Consul General, Akira Muto of Consulate General of Japan in LA appeared at the opening ceremony to state their greetings.
Breaking of the sake barrel by the representatives of the different Japanese American organizations and mochi pounding happened afterward.
Chairman, Hiroko Ikuta of the Japanese Calligraphy Society did the first writing for the year of the rat and festive performances took place on the stage, celebrating the new year.
Street foods lined up on Onizuka Street like takoyaki,
yakisoba, mochi, and amazake. Many came to pray for good fortune for the new year at the mini shrine.
A New Year’s service was held at the Koyasan Temple.
Families from all over came again to pray for their well being and a peaceful year. Afterward, a long line was formed to find out their fortune and purchasing good luck charms.
The weather was very nice this day and about 10 thousand people enjoyed the New Years’ event.

Kotohajime 2020

“Kotohajime” happened on Sunday, January 5th at Aratani Theater.

This annual ceremony is held by the JACCC and marks the 37th year.

Directed by Master Artist, Hirokazu Kosaka of JACCC, the stage depicts LA where the art culture of east and west unites as one.

Many artists based in LA and active both locally and internationally participated in the event.

Old Japanese court music and dance by the Kinnara Group of Senshin Buddhist Association.

Sufi whirling, an Islamic religious ritual performed by Yuval Ron and Aziz.

Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko

And the first bow was drawn by the LA Kyuudo Association accompanied by Tetsuya Nakamura and Yuval Ron’s musical performance.

After the performance, Patricia Wyatt who took the post last September stated her greetings. She broke the sake barrel and made a toast with related individuals.

Also at JACCC, Toshizo Watanabe Culinary Cultural Center opened on B1 and a ceremony was held at the 1st floor Doizaki Gallery by the SoCal Ikebana Association, celebrating their new ikebana exhibit. Attendees were served amazake.

The ikebana exhibition will be going on until January 19th.

Share this?
2019年12月22日 放送

December 22nd 2019 O.A.

December 22nd 2019 O.A.

Hollywood Christmas Parade

LA Auto Show happened at the LA Convention Center from November 22nd through December 1st.
Each manufacturers introduced their latest models and technologies at the exhibition.

Toyota introduced the new Camry AWD. These are North America-only models developed in the
U.S. utilizing the “Toyota New Global Architecture”, a system that allows regions to tailor vehicles to that market’s local needs.
The plug-in hybrid electric vehicle of the popular RAV4, RAV4 Prime made its debut. With engine and motor combined, RAV4 Prime has
302-horsepower. It has the ability to do 0-60 mph in a projected 5.8 seconds.
And Mirai, a hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle announced their new model.
This also uses the TNGA technology and renovated their design.
Mazda announced their US model of CX-30.
The compact crossover caught attention with their unique Kodo design for having an elegant design along with the boldness of an SUV.
Mazda’s Skyactiv Technology allows a fuel efficient, luxurious ride.
Honda announced their “CR-V Hybrid.”
This is their first Honda hybrid SUV in the US.
More than 60 new models from manufacturers all over the world were also announced.

Japan Agricultural Achievement Awards

The Agricultural Society of Japan annually awards individuals who have contributed to the development of agriculture both domestically and internationally.
From the Southern California Branch, Mr. Kazuhiko Nakanishi and Mr. Katsumi Shigeta were chosen and awarded the Ribbon of the Green-White Achievement Award.
The ceremony was held at the official residence of the Consul General of Japan in LA and Consul General, Akira Muto handed the recipients their certificate and ribbon.
Katsumi Shigeta started the North America subsidiary for HOKUTO Corporation and started producing mushrooms.
Later, he expanded the market when Japanese mushrooms were still unique to the US and now has the largest production scale all throughout the US.

zuhiko Nakanishi worked as a gardner in 1962 while volunteering to take care of the Japanese Garden in LA and the Huntington Library.
Recently, he repaired the Friendship Garden and Japanese Tea House in Glendale.

42 people from friends and family attended the award ceremony.
Representatives congratulated the recipients and took photos remembering the day.

Pechanga – SoFi Stadium Partnership

The Pechanga Resort Casino partnered with the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood and the press conference was held on the 17th.

Construction is currently undergoing at the former Hollywood Park Racetrack opening on July 2020.

The press conference was held at the construction sight. Casino owner, Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians, representatives of the SoFi Stadium, Rams, Chargers and Hollywood Park appeared at the conference.

A charity event for veterans in need was also held showing holiday spirit. Food and daily necessities were given to 50 people who were invited.

Pechanga tribal leadership also donated $100,000 to Morningside High School in Inglewood and the Inglewood chapters of non-profits School on Wheels and U.S. Vets.

Pechanga’s representative spoke they wish to contribute to the local community while they work on their branding strategy.

Share this?
December 8th 2019 O.A.

December 8th 2019 O.A.

December 8th 2019 O.A.

LA Auto Show 2019

LA Auto Show happened at the LA Convention Center from November 22nd through December 1st.
Each manufacturers introduced their latest models and technologies at the exhibition.

Toyota introduced the new Camry AWD. These are North America-only models developed in the
U.S. utilizing the “Toyota New Global Architecture”, a system that allows regions to tailor vehicles to that market’s local needs.
The plug-in hybrid electric vehicle of the popular RAV4, RAV4 Prime made its debut. With engine and motor combined, RAV4 Prime has
302-horsepower. It has the ability to do 0-60 mph in a projected 5.8 seconds.
And Mirai, a hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle announced their new model.
This also uses the TNGA technology and renovated their design.
Mazda announced their US model of CX-30.
The compact crossover caught attention with their unique Kodo design for having an elegant design along with the boldness of an SUV.
Mazda’s Skyactiv Technology allows a fuel efficient, luxurious ride.
Honda announced their “CR-V Hybrid.”
This is their first Honda hybrid SUV in the US.
More than 60 new models from manufacturers all over the world were also announced.

American Film Market & Asian World
Film Festival

An event for the film industry was held all over LA in November.
American Film Market was held from November 6th to 13th.
AFM is the largest film festival in Northern America as more than 7,000 industry individuals attend the event.
Productions and distributors from Japan also attended and promoted their newest film.
This company brought their horror film that’s set in Japan with an American protagonist.
This company has various lineups from drama to anime.
November 6th from 14th was the Asian World Film Festival at Culver City.
At the opening ceremony, an award ceremony commemorating Asian actors in Hollywood was held. Hiroyuki Sanada received the special award.
Films depicting Japanese cultures were also shown.
“The Old Capital” based on Yasunari Kawabata. Miyuki Sohara, a director residing in LA took a film titled “Hannari.”
“The Grapes of Joy” starring Riko Fukumoto. And on the final day, “Weathering With You” directed by Makoto Shinkai was shown.

Share this?
2019年11月24日 放送

November 24th 2019 O.A.

November 24th 2019 O.A.

U.S.-Japan Council Annual Conference

November 2nd to 5th was the U.S.-Japan Council Annual Conference held by the U.S.-Japan Council at Hollywood.

This is an annual conference held in different locations under the theme “Bold Ideas, Bolder Leadership: The Next Stage of U.S.-Japan Relations,” and this year marks the 10th year.

The U.S.-Japan Council is a nonprofit educational organization. Their HQ is in Washington DC and their mission is to develop and connect global leaders to create a stronger U.S.-Japan relationship.

Both government and nonofficial organization leaders attended the conference discussing culture, society and economic hopes for the US and Japan.

At the Main Conference, Senior Advisor of Sony Corporation, Kazuo Hirai and former US Ambassador to Japan, John Roos talked about how proprietors should be when bonding countries together.

Various topics from innovation and entrepreneurship, female leadership to the possibilities of food related project were discussed at the subcommittee meeting.

Different opinions were exchanged at the breakout session when discussing the involvement of Japanese and other Asian talents in the entertainment industry since this year’s conference was held in Hollywood.

The “TOMODACHI Initiative” started as a support for recovery of the Great East Japan Earthquake. It invests in the next generation of Japanese and American leaders through educational and cultural exchanges as well as leadership programs and about 8,000 people have participated.
Past participant also spoke about ways to make the voices of the Japanese American community heard more.

“Going home to Japan” seminar

Nippon Express, a global logistics company did a seminar entitled “Going home to Japan” on October 26th in Torrance.

It was a free seminar for individuals who either have permanent residency status or citizenship and thinking of moving back to Japan.
Attendees were given professional advice on things to be careful when moving back to Japan. This year is the 12th time for the event to be held.

First, the real estate expert advised on the timing of dealing with the house in the US, the option of either selling or renting and where to consider living in Japan.

Next, Nippon Express explained the moving process. Attendees carefully listened about the services available when getting rid of unwanted furniture and temporarily storing belongings both in the US and Japan.

Lastly, tax. What US resident and non-resident mean on tax law, the difference in the amount of tax depending on the timing of getting rid of the housing and the merit and demerit of keeping permanent residency or citizenship. The expert explained the things one should consider regarding tax before making the decision of moving back to Japan.

All experts emphasized on the importance of acting quickly.

This seminar will be held 4 times a year in LA, San Diego and Las Vegas.

JAPAN 47 ARTISANS

Japan House LA in Hollywood is having an exhibition of Japanese craft.

Works of young craftsmen selected from each prefecture are featured in this event.

Crafts using traditional techniques and materials unique to that region are displayed from Hokkaido to Okinawa. Attendees can enjoy learning the Japanese culture, climate, and how eclectic Japanese crafts are just by visiting the exhibition.

What’s unique is that every craft can be used in our daily lives.

“JAPAN 47 ARTISANS Exhibition” is held at Japan House LA in Hollywood Highland until January first. Admission is free.

Share this?
2019年11月10日 放送

November 10th 2019 O.A.

November 10th 2019 O.A.

Nagoya Day Los Angeles

This year marks the 60th anniversary as Nagoya, Japan and LA became sister cities.
Saturday, October 26th was a commemorative event at a shopping mall in Century City.
“The event was held by the LA Nagoya Sister City Association.
Mayor Takashi Kawamura from Nagoya and LA Mayor Eric Garcetti attended the event.”
The two cities became sister cities in 1959 since they are both major cities that have international trading ports.
Both mayors stated their commemorative speeches at the opening ceremony and traded souvenirs.
Promotional goods, travel guide and tasting booth of Nagoya Cochin was at the event. And Nagoya’s idol group, Dela performed.

Tea ceremony, Japanese confection making, tie dye experience was available and the event promoted Nagoya and the Chubu region of Japan to the attendees.

A dinner party was held for the VIP afterwards. Mayor Kawamura did the toast as representatives of US/Japanese businesses and organizations attended to celebrate the 60th anniversary.

Japan Cuts Hollywood

From Friday, November 1st was Japan Cuts Hollywood Film Festival for 3 days at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres.
This film festival is held by the Japan America Society of SoCal and Japan House LA. Many great Japanese films were shown.
Directors and casts from participating films, industry individuals walked the red carpet at the opening day.
The opening movie was “Bento Harassment”.
Taking place on Hachijō-jima, a single mother seeks communication with her high school daughter through the bento lunch she prepares for her.
Ryoko Shinohara who starred in the film and Director Renpei Tsukamoto came from Japan for the event.

Director Renpei Tsukamoto and Ryoko Shinohara also participated in the Q&A session that happened after the showing.

Other films include “Ten Years Japan” by Hirokazu Kore-eda, “No Longer Human” directed by Mika Ninagawa and starring Shun Oguri. A total of 14 feature/short films were shown in the 3 day event.

A total of 14 feature/short films were shown at the 3 day event, and panel discussions by the participants were also held.

Calligraphy Exhibition

A calligraphy exhibition was held at Little Tokyo’s JACCC.

This is held by the Beikoku Shodo Kenkyu-kai and 6 female calligraphers’ works were displayed.

Saturday, October 5th was the opening ceremony and many representatives from Japanese organizations attended. Demonstrations were held by the Shodo Kenkyu-kai and President, Hiroko Ikuta.

Shodo Kenkyu-kai started in 1965 and has been active since to spread Japanese calligraphy in the US.

The exhibition also displays works from younger calligraphers as well.

The calligraphy exhibition is running until next week, Sunday October 20th at JACCC first floor in Doizaki Gallery.

Share this?
2019年10月27日 放送

October 27th 2019 O.A.

October 27th 2019 O.A.

Conferment Ceremony of the Decoration

The Japanese government announced the first recipient of The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays of Spring 2019 for the Reiwa era and the Conferment Ceremony of the Decoration was held at the official residence of Consul General on October 15th.
Every year, Japanese government recognizes individuals who have contributed to either the country or the society and award them a decoration.
From the jurisdiction of the Consulate General of Japan in LA, Henry Takei was chosen as the first recipient of the Reiwa era.

Takei received the The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon. Consul General Akira Muto awarded him the certificate of commendation and the medal.

Takei worked as the Clinical Professor, Section of Periodontics, School of Dentistry in UCLA and contributed to periodontology.
He especially focused on guiding and training young researchers along with promoting academic exchange between Japan and the US. Takei lectured at several educational institutes and guided many instructors and dentists.

Family and friends attended the award ceremony and celebrated Takei’s achievement.

Share this?
2019年10月13日 放送

October 13rd 2019 O.A.

October 13rd 2019 O.A.

2019 Japanese Food & Restaurant Expo

Saturday September 28th was the Mutual Trading Japanese Food & Restaurant Expo at the Pasadena Convention Center.
This is annually held by the Mutual Trading for the Japanese food industry individuals and this year is their 31st year.
This is the largest Japanese food expo in the US. 135 companies participated this year and promoted their products.
Food booth had popular dishes like ramen, Japanese curry, takoyaki, karaage chicken and char siu. Spices, snacks and processed food were also introduced.

Expensive ingredients like fresh fish utilizing ULTS, a deep freezing technology, and Wagyu from Miyazaki caught the attention too.

Mutual Trading introduced tortilla using fish paste and other new products using Japanese ingredients.

With this year’s theme being “Global environment”, attendees were given chopsticks, forks and ochoko sake cups to minimize waste. Different suggestions were also given how to lower waste for the environment as well.

Other than local sake, shochu, and beer being introduced, a demo of sparkling sake and cheese pairing happened at the sake pavillion.
A special booth for made in Japan wine was also set up at the event.

About 2,700 people attended this year and the event ended in great success.

Consul General of Japan

Thursday, October 3rd was Consul General Akira Muto’s arrival reception at the official residence of consul general.

Consul General Akira Muto is taking over the work of previous Consul General Chiba who left office in August 16th.

Consul General Muto entered Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1985. He took important posts in embassies of Moscow and Washington DC. He also took post as the Consul General of Japan in Boston as well.

At his greeting statement, Muto talked about working hard on strengthening the US/Japan relationship since Japan is now in the new Reiwa era, and hopes Japan’s green technology thrives in California.

City and state representatives also stated their greetings. Attendees including Japanese business and organization representatives celebrated the new consul general taking office.

Calligraphy Exhibition

A calligraphy exhibition was held at Little Tokyo’s JACCC.

This is held by the Beikoku Shodo Kenkyu-kai and 6 female calligraphers’ works were displayed.

Saturday, October 5th was the opening ceremony and many representatives from Japanese organizations attended. Demonstrations were held by the Shodo Kenkyu-kai and President, Hiroko Ikuta.

Shodo Kenkyu-kai started in 1965 and has been active since to spread Japanese calligraphy in the US.

The exhibition also displays works from younger calligraphers as well.

The calligraphy exhibition is running until next week, Sunday October 20th at JACCC first floor in Doizaki Gallery.

Share this?
2019年9月22日 放送

September 22nd 2019 O.A.

September 22nd 2019 O.A.

Keiro No Hi

Every 3rd Monday of September is Keiro no Hi, Respect for the Aged Day in Japan.
Events celebrating the elders were held at the Japanese American community.
A Keiro no Hi luncheon was held on Friday, September 13th at the retirement home, Sakura Gardens in Boyle Heights.
Currently, 132 people live at Sakura Gardens and 61 residents are over 90 years old.
Keiro, a welfare service for seniors provided the bento lunches for this day.
Tadashige Ochi is the oldest attendee this year who will turn 100 years old in November.
Ochi cheerfully performed his hobby, Shigin poem recital.

Saturday, September 14th was the “2nd Keiro no Hi Festival” at the JACCC in Little Tokyo.

This event was held by Keiro and JACCC. Companies providing service for seniors and organizations were at the event.

Different performances happened on the stage, too.

Free bento lunch were distributed to attendees who pre-registered and are over 60 years old.

Over 1,000 people attended this year using the complimentary transportation available at different locations and enjoyed the festive day.

2020 Census

Next year, 2020 is the National Census.
A press conference was held at Pasadena on September 12th.

It is mandated by the Constitution to conduct a census every 10 years to determine the number of seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The data will also be used to determine how the federal budget of $675 billion should be used for local schools, hospitals, roads and employment.

Every household will receive their census invitation next March.

The questionnaire is divided into 8 sections including the number of people in each household, race, gender and age. All answers must be submitted by April 1st.
An agent will visit the household that fails to submit their answers and assist in filling out the questionnaire.

Every person must respond regardless of their residency status including visa. There will be a penalty if one fails to respond.

Personal information submitted to the U.S. Census Bureau will not be used outside the census.

The 2020 Census is the first time we are allowed to respond online along with the usual phone or mail response.
Online service will be available starting March 12 and there will be a Japanese website as well.

Share this?
2019年9月8日 放送

September 8th 2019 O.A.

September 8th 2019 O.A.

Japan House Los Angeles

It’s been a year since Japan House LA in Hollywood Highland opened.

Japan House started as a project of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan to spread a deeper level of understanding towards Japanese culture to the world.

The 5th floor is a library and a multipurpose room used for community events. There also is a Japanese restaurant.

The gallery in the 2nd floor exhibited various forms of Japanese art from high-tech to traditional crafts.

Currently, the “BAKERU” exhibition is being held.

It is an interactive art showcasing northern region of Tohoku’s seasonal folk “Namahage”, “Shishi-Odori”, “Kase-dori” and “Saotome.”

Attendee’s silhouette transforms into a “supernatural being” once they put on a mask in front of the screen and that puts an emphasis on the nature upon which people’s lives depend.

This event is planned by a creative studio in Sendai to spread the Tohoku culture to different generations and regions since the Great Eastern Earthquake made it difficult to pass down local traditions.

BAKERU is held until October 6. Free admission.

JCC Prime Minister’s Cup Charity Golf Tournament

Monday, August 26th was the Prime Minister’s Cup Charity Golf Tournament at Palos Verdes.

This golf tournament is held annually by the JCC Foundation and this year is the 21st time.
Players competed for the Prime Minister’s Cup donated by the former Prime Minister Obuchi.

120 people participated this year from Japanese businesses and organizations located in SoCal.

A group photo was taken first.
And a shotgun start after a putting contest.

With about 200 companies help, many products were awarded for closest to the pin, hole in one and many other awards.

Players from each group enjoyed their own golf under the nice weather as they joked around from time to time.

After the hole out was the award dinner at the clubhouse.
This year’s higher-ranking winners were announced, and Seiichi Shibata won the tournament with a score of 71.2.

Raffles and silent auction were also held.

Share this?
2019年8月25日 放送

August 25th 2019 O.A.

August 25th 2019 O.A.

2019 Nisei Week : Grand Parade

The largest Japanese American festival, the 79th Nisei Week happened at Little Tokyo.

August 10 and 11th was the 11th LA Tanabata festival. Attendees enjoyed the Tanabata decorations made by different organizations.

The main event, grand parade happened on Sunday, August 11th.

The veterans from WWII, Korean and Vietnam War started the party.

From culture, politics to business, personnels representing different fields were chosen.

“Sataro Ondo” and “Sakura Ondo” were performed, choreographed by Sanjo-ryu.

The grand marshal was the pioneer of the Japanese American community, Akemi Miyake who turned 100 years old this year.

Parade marshals were the LA Clippers.

And the LA Nebuta.
Lastly was the float with the Nisei Queen and her court and glamorously ended the parade.

2019 Nisei Week : ”BISHONEN”

What caught people’s attention during Nisei Week were the idol group of Johnny & Associates “Bishonen.”

They did a free performance in front of JACCC on the 10th. After joining the parade on the 11th, they did a charity concert at the Koyasan Buddhist Temple.

This was made possible because the president of the agency, Johnny Kitagawa – who was a Nisei and died in July – his father was a monk at this temple before the war.

The “Bishonen” did a powerful performance and entertained their fans.

2019 Nisei Week : World Gyoza Eating Championship

And August 17th was the “Day-Lee Foods World Gyoza Eating Championship.

The community representatives competed as a preliminary to the championship.

The kenjinkai competed with “Helping Hands” a tandem where one person feeds the other.

After LAFD and LAPD competed, the championship begins.

This is an event that is officially recognized by the Major League Eating, and contestants compete the number of gyozas they can eat in 10 minutes.

18 food fighters competed this year.

1 case of Day-Lee Foods product will be donated to the regional LA food bank per plate finished by the contestants.

Joey Chestnut is the hopeful contender as he won 2 consecutive times and is currently ranks number one in the world ranking.

And the winner is…
Chestnut finished with 314 gyozas and defended his title for 3 years in a row.

The Nisei Week ended on the 18th with a bon odori and a closing ceremony.

Kura Sushi USA Listed on NASDAQ

Japanese sushi restaurant “Kura Sushi USA” got listed on NASDAQ and a commemorating event was held at Little Tokyo on August 1st.

“Kura Sushi USA” is a subsidiary of “Kura Sushi” a Japanese sushi restaurant with over 450 locations worldwide.

They are the first Japanese business in the food service industry to be listed as IPO stocks.

A commemorative fan was distributed at the event. Customers were served free drinks and made cheers celebrating the day.

Share this?
August 11th 2019 O.A.

August 11th 2019 O.A.

August 11th 2019 O.A.

The Conferment Ceremony

The conferment ceremony for Yasuko Sakamoto was held at the official residence of the Consul General of Japan in LA on Friday, July 12th for receiving the first Order of the Rising Sun, Silver Rays of the Reiwa era.

Every spring and autumn, the Japanese government acknowledges and awards individuals who have contributed to the country or society with an Order.

Sakomoto was born in Iwaki City, Fukushima and came to the US after studying social work at Meiji University.
She is the first staff at Little Tokyo Service Center and worked as a bilingual social worker for the Japanese American elderlies. Since then, she has continued to support and contribute through personnel training.

In 2018, USC inducted her into the California Social Work Hall of Distinction.

Also, Consul General Chiba who took office back in July 2016 has ended his term and returning to Japan.

The new consul general will be taking office this month.

2019 Japan Film Festival

Saturday, July 25th was a promotion of the Japan Film Festival in West LA Terasaki Foundation.

Japan Film Festival introduce Japanese films overseas. This year is their 14th year and 18 short and long films are going to be played.

American films related to the Japanese American community will also be played.

One of them is the documentary film “Dream Blossoms.”

1950, postwar. Zenichiro Uchida and young men from Kagoshima fight to overcome poverty and the obstacles of Immigration Act of 1924 to enter the US for a better life.

“Dream Blossoms” will premiere at Terasaki Foundation on Tuesday, August 13th.
Japan Film Festival featuring Japanese films will be held on August 17th and 18th at Little Tokyo and Costa Mesa.

Sake and Food Exhibition

The 12th Sake and Food Expo happened on Saturday, August 3rd held by Wismettac Asian Foods.

Wismettac Asian Foods is a Japanese food distributor handling Japanese food and liquor. They promoted their products to food related retail stores and restaurants.
Along with sushi and ramen, there were also many health-oriented food at the food booths this year.

Donuts using tofu.
Quinoa that can be enjoyed as rice with salad. Vegan sushi were also introduced, like tomatoes substituting for tuna and eggplants for eel.

There was a cocktail booth at the sake corner that focused on Shochu and Awamori along with Junmai, Ginjo, Daiginjo and beer from different companies.

A demonstration making a sake-cocktail also happened. The cocktail creator made 14 cocktails using Japanese ingredients like Yuzu, Japanese pepper and shavings of dried bonito.

Share this?
2019年7月28日 放送

July 28th 2019 O.A.

July 28th 2019 O.A.

Nisei Week Opening

The opening ceremony for Nisei Week was held on Sunday, July 14th at Little Tokyo’s JANM.

Nisei Week is the largest Japanese American summer festival and this is the 79th year.

First, JBA donated 5,000 dollars to the Nisei Week Foundation at the ceremony.

The main event of the festival is the grand parade. This year’s Grand marshal is Japanese American pioneer, Akemi Miyake.
Parade marshall is the LA Clippers.”

Choreography is done by Sanjoryu in honor of Kangiku Sanjo, who passed this Spring.

After Konko Church of LA conducted the purification ceremony, this year’s 7 queen candidates were announced.

August 10th is the Tanabata Festival.
11th is the main event, the grand parade.
17th is the Daily Foods Gyoza eating contest and the 19th will be the closing ceremony.
You can find more information about the Nisei Week on their website.

”The Premium Malt’s” Tasting Event

July 23rd was the tasting event of Suntory Beer’s “The Premium Malt” at Miyako Hybrid Hotel in Torrance.

Restaurant individuals were invited as the event promotes “The Premium Malt” being available in SoCal starting this May for the food industry.

The event introduced how to serve tasty beer as they only offered barreled draft beer using a dispenser instead of beers in bottles or cans.

In order to serve tasty beers, there are 3 rules:
“Clean the dispenser everyday.” “Keep the barrel stable at a low temperature.”
“Manage the gas pressure inside the barrel.”

In addition, there are 2 things you must be particular about.
That is to “Use a glass that is naturally dried and pour the beer in the correct procedure.”
A draft master from Japan did a demonstration.

Suntory has a factory where they can draw the purest spring water for “The Premium Malt” since 90% of beer is water.
Therefore, on-site production is not possible and they are carefully imported to preserve the quality as much as possible.

Share this?
2019年7月14日 放送

July 14th 2019 O.A.

July 14th 2019 O.A.

E3 2019

June 11th to 13th was the Electronic Entertainment Expo E3 held at the LA Convention Center.

E3 is the world’s largest game exhibition and it gathers attention from the industry individuals to gamers around the globe.

This year marks the 25th year with more than 200 companies participating. Companies introduced their newest video games, PC games and mobile games for smartphones. Attendees watched presentations and played games before their release date.
Nintendo announced their newest Pokemon game series entitled “Pokemon Sword and Shield” available on November.

“Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games” was also announced. This is a game which Nintendo collaborated with Sega and features the Tokyo Olympics.

This is “Judgement,” the newest game from Sega Atlus.
Microsoft used the Microsoft Theater outside the convention center for their presentation, and announced their newest game lineups as well as their new game console “Project Scarlett” that will be released at the end of 2020.

Sony known for Playstation withheld their appearance this year. Topics about the future of E3 rose as well since companies can now share information online.

About 66,000 people attended the 3 day event.

Anime Expo 2019

Anime Expo also happened at the LA Convention Center from July 4th to the 7th.
Anime Expo is held by the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation. It is the largest anime event in North America, marking their 28th year.
Latest anime, TV series, fashion and video games were introduced at the event; and fans had fun by purchasing their favorite merchandise and taking photos.

International and domestic special guests were invited, and various events from autograph sessions to panel discussions were held.
The main event was Yoshihiro Ike’s anime music concert.
Ike sings the theme songs of famous anime like “Tiger & Bunny” and “Saint Seiya” as well as composing music for games, movies and TV dramas. This is his first concert overseas.

The production of anime “GIBIATE” was announced at the closing ceremony. Illustrator, Yoshitaka Amano known from the “Final Fantasy” series joins the team. It was an eventful 4 days.

Share this?
2019年6月23日 放送

Jun 23rd 2019 O.A.

Jun 23rd 2019 O.A.

JAL Tokyo/LA 60th

Wednesday, May 29th was the 60th anniversary ceremony for JAL in LAX Tom Bradley International terminal.

JAL started their Tokyo to LA flights in 1959. This year marks exactly their 60th anniversary, and a ceremony was held in front of the boarding gate.
President, Yoshiharu Ueki from JAL and LA branch manager, Kiichi Nakajima, Samson Mengistu COO of LA One World Airport attended the event.

The flight from Narita Airport that took off in May 28th, 1959 took approximately 25 hours to arrive to LA the next day via Hawaii.

Back then, only 3 flights were offered a week. Now, JAL partnered up with American Airlines which made 2 flights to Narita, 1 flights to Haneda and KIX possible, a total of 4 flights available everyday

President Ueki is a former pilot and flew one of Tokyo to LA flights himself.
He emphasizes on the importance of this route.
Keeping “Safe and secure” as the number one priority, he stated “LA has the largest need of routes to Tokyo throughout the entire US, and it will also play a crucial part when the 2020 Tokyo Olympics takes place.”

Snack food services were provided to customers leaving to Narita airport at the gate and memorabilias were distributed.
President Ueki and his staff greeted each and every customer with a smile saying “Enjoy your trip.”

Living with Cancer

Tuesday, June 11th was journalist, Kazuyoshi Kitaoka’s lecture held at the Yamaha Music Center in Anaheim.

The event entitled “Living with Cancer” was held by the OC Japanese American Association, Orange Rinri Hojinkai and the Japanese Friendship Network in OC.

Kitaoka came to the US in 1979 after working as a newspaper correspondent and a congressmen secretary.
In LA, he produced news in Japanese and worked as a journalist in both US and Japan.

After he went back home to Japan in 2006, he worked as a specially-appointed professor at Nihon University College of International Relations. A year after his retirement in 2017, he was diagnosed with stage 4 liver cancer.

Kitaoka spoke about his days in treatment as well as news and social related matters in US/Japan. He talked about his approach to world peace as a journalist.

This lecture was held by Keiro that provides welfare service for elders, and their “Iyashi Care” program was also explained.
This program supports both young and old Japanese Americans who are dealing with health difficulties and symptoms. Dr. Yuichi Yanami gave the details to this program.

Share this?
2019年6月9日 放送

Jun 9th 2019 O.A.

Jun 9th 2019 O.A.

Little Tokyo Sparkle

Saturday, May 18th was the cleaning service done by volunteers at Little Tokyo.

This event is held by multiple organizations including the Little Tokyo Council and the Little Tokyo Koban.

This event started with a mission of cleaning the city filled with tradition and strengthening the bond of the local members, and this year is their 4th year.

350 volunteers signed up, which includes local business owners and people throughout the Los Angeles area.

Volunteers split into groups. Picking up cigarette butts and plastic containers, as well as scraping off gums from the ground and painting over the graffitis of utility poles and walls.

More people live and visit Little Tokyo due to the redevelopment project of Downtown and the amount of waste are rising every year.

This day is now known as the “Nancy Kikuchi Day.” The restored mural “Our Hometown Little Tokyo” was displayed to the public along with a plaque honoring the volunteer activist, Nancy Kikuchi who passed in 2014.

Shonan Beauty Clinic Irvine

The Shonan Beauty Clinic opened inside the Irvine Odyssey Medical Center.

Shonan Beauty Clinic is the largest beauty clinic in Japan and has over 80 locations throughout the globe.

The Irvine clinic is the 2nd location in the US following Thousand Oaks. They will be having an opening party and an open house on June 17th and 18th.

This clinic offers a wide range of procedure like aesthetic dermatology, women’s health and cosmetic surgery. Director, Yoko Suzuki and Dr. Katrina Riboni will provide treatments using the state of the art technology.

Platelet Rich Plasma, PRP to stimulate This is an anti aging machine that releases and regenerate the skin.

This machine uses laser and treats various gyno procedures .

The clinic also offers beauty care to men as well through laser hair removals and botox.

Share this?