SoCalJapan | Japan Hollywood Network

Sep 17th 2017 O.A.

Shin-Sen-Gumi Charity Summer Festival

The restaurant group, Shin-Sen-Gumi that serves Japanese food like yakitori and ramen had their charity summer festival, the Shin-Sen-Gumi Charity Summer Festival on September 10th at Gardena. This year is the 7th time for this charity event. It started as giving back and vitalizing the Japanese American community. Local community booths and food booths participated at the event serving yakitori, takoyaki and other Japanese foods. Children challenged on the goldfish scooping at the game booth. This is a must-have recreation in Japanese summer festivals. The event was liven up by Japanese taiko, guests from Japan and local cheerleading performances. The mikoshi float also appeared and excited the attendees. Despite the continuous heat, families enjoyed the vigorous festival and its atmosphere. This year marks the 25th year of the Shin-Sen-Gumi group, and the festival also has the meaning of celebrating their anniversary. The festival made a total profit of $30,000. Those will be sent to areas that are suffering from natural disaster in both US and Japan, as well as local educational institutions.

Mazda U.S. HeadQuarters Grand Opening Ceremony

A grand opening ceremony of Mazda USA was held on August 25th, celebrating their HQ relocation. Mazda USA had their HQ inside the Irvine Spectrum since 1987. However, they decided to relocate to the building near the former HQ due to expanding numbers of the employees and improving their work environment. President, Masahiro Moro stated “Better work environments for the employees shall result in better sales and services” at the opening ceremony. The OC and local Chamber of Commerce and Industry representatives attended the ceremony. After they congratulated the opening of the new HQ, a letter of appreciation was sent to President Moro. The HQ is in a 21 story building and the first floor is the show room. 6th to 10th floors are the offices and the interiors are designed for their IT staff to work more efficiently.　Personal work spaces, private offices and meeting rooms for different purposes are in each floor. Relaxation spaces and free coffee bars are also ready for the employees to use.

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Sep 10th 2017 O.A.

The Consulate Annex in Little Tokyo

The Consulate Annex in Little Tokyo for the Consulate General of Japan in LA restarted its service. Previously, the Consulate Annex dealing with passport paperworks of the Japanese living in LA was processed at the first basement floor of the JACCC. Construction work was held since the end of last year so they can move to the 3rd floor of the same building, and the department restarted its service the other day on August 11th. Japanese that are living here can have their passport processed at this office. They are open twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays, reservations are required. Office hours are from 10am to noon, or 1pm to 4pm. They will not be doing any delivery service and re-applying for a lost or stolen passport cannot be done in this office.

Evening Under the Stars

A charity event supporting the children in the South Bay area, “Honda Evening Under the Stars” happened on Saturday, August 26th at the Honda HQ in Torrance. This charity event, where participants can enjoy food, wine and music is held annually since 31 years ago by the help of American Honda and the Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce to support the local community. Local community members and business partners were invited. The donations collected at this event will be sent to rebuild the Torrance Memorial Medical Center’s Pediatric, Neonatal Intensive Care and to the non profit organization, Vistas for Children. 27 local restaurants served food along with 80 different wines, and a fundraising auction was also held at the event. And the main attraction of this event is the concert of the Grammy Award winning artist and saxophonist, Kenny G. Attendees enjoyed the harmony created by Kenny G with their wine under the summer evening sky. About 1,000 people attended the charity event and raised approximately 300 thousand dollars.

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Sep 2nd 2017 O.A.

World Gyoza Eating Championship

Saturday, August 26th was the annual Nisei Week event, the World Gyoza Eating Championship at Little Tokyo. This contest is held by the Day-Lee Foods and is an eating contest officially approved by the Major League Eating. “Helping Hands” battle between the Kenjinkais before the actual event, and Nanka Gifu Kenjinkai won. At the LA Fire Department vs LAPD match, the LAPD won for the first time. And to the main event. The battle between Joey Chestnut, who ranks 1st in the world rankings and competing for the first time in 2 years, and last year’s winner, Matt Stonie. The person who eats the most plate in 10 minutes wins. Results are Joey Chestnut wins, eating 377 gyozas in total. A trophy and $2,000 was awarded to him. Geoffrey Esper was the runner up, eating 317 gyozas in total. Matt Stonie was 3rd place, eating 291 gyozas.

“Afternoon of Peace – The Hiroshima & Nagasaki Experience” rehearsal

A composite art show, “Afternoon of Peace – The Hiroshima & Nagasaki Experience” will be performed on Saturday, September 16th at Little Tokyo’s Aratani Theater. The media was invited to their rehearsal. This production is held by the non-profit organization, Shadows For Peace and JACCC, to spread the tragedy the atomic bomb created for Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 and the importance of peace. Other than the performances by the artists, there will be a memorial service held by Senior Priest, Izumi Hasegawa of the Shusse Inari Shrine of America. And clips along with messages of the victims will be shown. Producer, Richard Fukuhara is a 3rd generation Japanese American born in a concentration camp during WWII. He continues his work to spread the importance of a world with no war, based on his and his family’s experience. The artists of Japan and the US who supports Fukuhara’s idea of world peace made this production possible. Composite art show, “Afternoon of Peace – The Hiroshima & Nagasaki Experience” will be performed on Saturday, September 16th at the Aratani Theater in Little Tokyo.

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Aug 27th 2017 O.A.

2017 Nisei Week The Coronation

The largest event in the LA Japanese American community, the 77th Nisei Week had its climax last week. Various events like the Tanabata festival were held in Little Tokyo. The Coronation choosing the Nisei Queen happened on Sunday, August 19th at Little Tokyo’s Aratani Theater. This event started from 1935 along with the Nisei Week choosing the Nisei Queen of the Japanese American community for that year, and has been an annual event since. The candidates are all women under 25 years old and are recommended by each Japanese American organizations in LA. 7 competed this year. The theater was filled with supporting family and friends of the candidates. Candidates spent 3 months together learning dances, speech and Japanese cultural manners. At the stage, they all performed their best in those areas. The candidates get judged by the community leaders based upon their manners, Q&A response and personality. After everyone did their best, the results came in. The 77th Nisei Queen Jordyn was presented with a gown and tiara from last year’s queen. Kristy Yoneda was chosen as 1st Princess and Kelly Sera was chosen as Miss Tomodachi. The queen and her court will participate in various community events until next year’s Nisei Week. They will also be going to LA’s sister city, Nagoya, Japan and various locations as the goodwill ambassador of the LA Japanese American community.

2017 Nisei Week Grand Parade

Sunday, August 20th was the main event, the Grand Parade. This year’s theme was “Ohana.” This means “family” in Hawaiian, and was aimed for the audience and the community to unite during the parade. The war veterans that fought in WWII, the Korean War and the Vietnam War led the parade and responded to the cheers. Corey Nakatani was the Parade Marshal. Nakatani is a 3rd generation Japanese American and is a top rated jockey in the US who also competed in the Kentucky Derby. The Grand Marshal was Rose Matsui Ochi. Ochi is a LA born Nisei who experienced the concentration camp with her family during the war. Post war, she became a lawyer and an activist for human rights. 140 Japanese businesses and cultural organizations followed afterwards. Mikoshi floats and Nebuta festival happened in the climax and lively performances continued. At the end, the queen and court that were chosen the day before, waived and responded to the crowd. The Nisei Week ended with a cheerful parade.

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Aug 20th 2017 O.A.

Memorial Service for Hiroshima and Nagasaki Victims

Memorial Service for Hiroshima and Nagasaki Victims of the atomic bomb was held on Sunday, August 8th at Little Tokyo’s Koyasan Buddhist Temple in LA. It has been 72 years since the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. About 40 people attended the service from all over LA to pray for the victims. Hiroshima and Nagasaki Kenjinkai representatives, as well as the attendees quietly lit incense to the victims as Bishop Junkun Imamura chanted a sutra. A memorial service for former chairman of the American Society of Hiroshima-Nagasaki A-Bomb Survivors, Kaz Suyeishi, who deceased this June was also held. Suyeishi was exposed to the atomic bomb when she was 18. When she came to the US, she was known as “Kaz Mama” since she was an activist lecturing children how horrifying atomic bombs are while she supported other victims in the US. Victims of the atomic bomb are dying from old age, and the number of storytellers from the incident are decreasing every day. At the memorial service, attendees were able to renew their understanding of “A peaceful world without nuclear weapons” which was Suyeishi’s long time goal.

Premium Sake & Shochu Exhibition

On Saturday, August 5th, Premium Sake & Shochu Exhibition was held at Anaheim’s Business Expo Center by the Japanese food importer, Wismettac Asian Foods. This year marks the 10th year for the event, and it is held in 6 locations around the US for restaurant individuals. More than 1000 people from all over SoCal attended this LA event. About 15 breweries from Japan and the US participated. Attendees tasted food products and asked questions regarding menu developments and sales. Many companies introduced varieties of sake and shochu since they are getting popular around the world. This is Shiso Shochu from Hokkaido, where you can taste the flavor of red perilla. Food booths were very popular too. Long lines were formed to taste the sushi, curry rice and okonomi yaki. Meat, ingredients and utensils necessary for restaurants were also sold as well. According to Wismettac Asian Foods, consumptions of Japanese sake are increasing each year in North America since it is the largest Japanese sake market in the US. They are guessing the numbers will continue to rise.

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Aug 13th 2017 O.A.

Terasaki Budokan Groundbreaking Ceremony

The construction for “Terasaki Budokan” that is going to be used as a sports facility for the Japanese American community has started. The Groundbreaking Ceremony was held on August 3rd at Little Tokyo celebrating the construction that will be starting on September, and about 300 people attended. Terasaki Budokan will be holding various sports and martial arts events popular in the Japanese American community and the Little Tokyo Service Center is organizing the construction. 90 percent of the construction fee $25 million, was raised by donations as well as the government subsidy, the help of the public and organizations. Consul General, Akira Chiba performed aikido as part of the celebration for the construction at the ceremony, and stated his gratitude with a speech. The facility will be built at 38,000 sq ft space, near the Little Tokyo Library. There will be a basketball court, 2 volleyball courts, a space for martial arts, a garden, an outdoor plaza and an underground parking structure around it. The facility will be built at 38,000 sq ft space, near the Little Tokyo Library. There will be a basketball court, 2 volleyball courts, a space for martial arts, a garden, an outdoor plaza and an underground parking structure around it. The Little Tokyo Service Center will continue their fundraising events and aiming to finish the construction on Spring 2019.

The 30th South Bay Classic

The 30th charity golf tournament, South Bay Classic was held on Friday, August 8th at the golf club in Palos Verdes. The South Bay Classic is a charity event held by the American Honda and Japanese businesses of SoCal, supporting the local juveniles. Sponsors are mainly companies and individuals that base in South Bay, and more than 100 sponsors participated this year.　Participants enjoyed the game at an ocean view course, aiming for a hole-in-one as well as socializing with one another. Money raised in this event will go to drug and alcohol preventio programs of each school district and organizations. At the ceremony held after the game, one of the juvenile that recovered from their negative situation gave a speech on the importance of the programs. This year, about $100,000 was donated.

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Aug 6th 2017 O.A.

JET Program

A farewell party for the JET Program participants was held at a hotel near LAX on July 21st. JET Program is where local governments cooperate with the Japanese government, welcoming young English speakers to Japan. Participants will stay in Japan for 1 to 5 years. They will teach foreign language and sports to students from grading school to high school all over the country. They will work at the local government for international exchange. This program started in 1987 and this year is the 30th year. About 60 thousand people from 65 countries all over the world participated, and they are continuing to create bonds even in economically difficult situations regarding employments and working environment issues. 1500 people are participating this year from US. From them, 136 people from SoCal and Arizona have been accepted to work through resumes and job interviews. Former participants and representatives from each prefectures came to the party to give advice and ask questions. Participants went to Japan the next day, July 22nd.

Michael Chang Tennis Classic

An exhibition match of tennis player, Kei Nishikori and his coach, Michael Chang was held on Saturday, July 29th at a tennis court in Newport Beach. This is a charity fundraiser event organized by Michael Chang Tennis Classic for the HomeAid Orange County, an organization that supports the homeless. Countless fans, young to old from all over SoCal came to the tennis court to watch Nishikori and Chang play. At the press conference, Nishikori talked about his goals and gave advice to the Japanese people living in the US since he is currently basing in Florida. Since 1999, Coach Chang has supported many children and community through sports, and commented “I want to thank the people for their kindness and for cooperating with the event.” The exhibition match was done in doubles: Nishikori, Chang against Mark Philippoussis and Justin Gimelstob, tennis players that played in last year’s Grand Slam. Nishikori and Chang won the match. Afterwards, they signed autographs and took pictures with the fans.

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Jul 30th 2017 O.A.

Nisei Week opening ceremony 2017

The biggest festival in the Japanese American community, the annual Nisei Week festival has begun. Sunday, July 23rd was the opening ceremony at the JANM in Little Tokyo, and the festival staffs and organization members attended. This ceremony was sponsored by the Japan House LA and Japan Business Association of Southern California, and a check donation was handed out to the Nisei Week Foundation. This year marks the 77th year for the festival, as it started during the 1930s to revitalize Little Tokyo and spread the Japanese culture.　Executive Committee Chairman, Leiton Hashimoto stated “We’d like many people to be a part of this festival and make this an opportunity to strengthen bonds.”. At the Grand Parade happening on August 20th, “Hinokuni Daiko” and “Tenohira wo Taiyo Ni” will be performed as the official song of the festival, choreographed by Hidesomi Bando. This year’s Grand Marshal is JD, Rose Ochi and the Parade Marshal is American jockey, Corey Nakatani. Also, the candidates for this year’s Nisei Queen was introduced. 7 candidates elected by each Japanese American organizations in LA will attend the coronation ball happening on August 19th, and the 2017 Nisei Queen will be chosen. For about a month, various events will be happening mainly at Little Tokyo for the Nisei Week. Please visit the Nisei Week website for more information.

Nisei Week Website

Baby Show 2017

The Baby Show was held on Saturday, July 22nd at Little Tokyo’s Centenary United Methodist Church, where cute prince and princess were being chosen prior to the opening ceremony. The Baby Show happens at the timing of the Nisei Week. 1 to 6 year old kids can sign up and a prince and princess will be chosen out of them. Many number of kids signed up from all over LA as usual. The contest is divided into 3 divisions of ages. The judges representing the Japanese American community will judge them based on: their smile, personality and how energetic and cheerful they are. Adorable conversation were formed at the Q&A session with the MC.　At the “Jet Setters” division where 4 to 6 and a month compete, Christian Tatsumi and Camille Okimoto won.　Winners of the other divisions were also given crowns and trophies as well.　The Prince and Princess, as well as the kids who got awarded will also be participating at the Nisei Week Grand Parade on August 20th.

Public announcement

Event: Obon Festival

Sponsor: Gardena Buddhist Church

Date: Aug 12th・13th 3:00pm ~

Address: Gardena Buddhist Church 1517 W. 166th St., Gardena, CA 90247

Tel: (310) 327 - 9400

Web: www.gardenabuddhistchurch.com

Event: Cooking Workshop Sata Andagi (Okinawan Dango)

Sponsor: Okinawa Association of America, Inc.

Date: Aug 26th (Sat) 2:00pm ~

Address: OAA Center 16500 S. Western Ave., Gardena, CA 90247

Tel: (310) 532 - 1929

Email: oaamensore@gmail.com

Addmission: OAA members $5 / Public $10 (RSVP by 8/21）

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Jul 23rd 2017 O.A.

The workshop for the Tanabata decorations

At Little Tokyo Koban, a workshop for the Tanabata decorations were held by the LA Tanabata Festival Committee. The Tanabata Festival is originated in Sendai, Japan and this year is the 9th year happening during Nisei Week. Each year, attendees enjoy the colorful decorations that have many people’s wishes in it. The Tanabata festival started during Nisei Week to revitalize the community and has become an important part of the festival ever since. On the year of the Great Eastern Earthquake of Japan, it caught many attention but the number of participants are decreasing each year. Yonezawa from the LA Tanabata Festival Committee says that these decorations aren’t merely for festivals, but it also resembles the strong bond the community has. The workshop is held until Saturday, the 29th. For more information, please check the website.

Los Angeles Tanabata Festival http://www.TanabataLosAngeles.org

LA Nebuta

At the Aomori Kenjinkai Kaikan, Nebuta Bayashi’s practice started. The Nebuta is always the main event of Nisei Week Grand Parade. And the Nebuta Bayashi is an essential part of the Nebuta. Members work on their taiko, flute and teburi-gane bell performances every weekend for the real stage in August. Aomori, Japan is where the Nebuta originated. The large “Takeda Shingen” nebuta made its debut in the 2007 Nisei Week Festival with the help of Nanka Aomori Kenjinkai and Aomori, Japan working together. The Nanka Aomori Kenjinkai Nebuta Bayashi are also planning on making a mid-sized Nebuta for the Hollywood Christmas Parade that’s happening in November. The LA Nebuta Bayashi are also searching for new members for future festivals.

LA Nebuta http://lanebuta.com

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Jul 16th 2017 O.A.

Keiro Grants Program

A briefing was held by the nonprofit organization, Keiro that supports the elders, on June 26th at the East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Community Center in West Covina, regarding the subsidy for the elderlies. Since last year, Keiro has donated a subsidy worth 90 thousand dollars in total to nursery homes and social welfare services. Doors are now open for this year’s applications. Details of the system as well as the applicant requirements were covered at the briefing along with a Q&A session. The East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Community Center received a subsidy last year for their weekly senior programs. Currently, about 1 in 4 Japanese Americans are over 65 years old. That is twice as high compared to the elderly rates in the US. Despite the needs for the elderly population increasing, organizations and managements are at difficult times; therefore, Keiro will prioritize in supporting them.

Bon Festival(Nishi Hongwanji Buddhist Temple, Long Beach Buddhist Church)

A bon festival was held on July 8th and 9th at Little Tokyo’s Nishi Hongwanji Buddhist Temple. Kids and adults enjoyed another year of dancing in a circle with different food stands, thanks to the help of the temple’s staff and volunteers. The Long Beach Buddhist Church in Long Beach also had their bon festival on July 8th for the first time in 47 years. This temple was established in 1957 by the monk, Kosai Osada and local people. It was the place where Japanese Americans can relax after experiencing the concentration camp during WWII. However, the festival stopped after Kosai Osada went back to Japan in 1970. The meaning for this buddhist church’s existence also became shallow since the members became old and the Japanese American community changed into a multicultural one. That is when the local 3rd generation Japanese Americans stood up. “We want to hold the bon festival that we went as a family during our childhoods” - that was what moved everyone.　Participants that heard the bon festival happening enjoyed the bon festival for the first time in 47 years.

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Jul 9th 2017 O.A.

Sakura Gardens Resident Picnic

A picnic was held for the residents of Sakura Gardens retirement home in Boyle Heights on June 10th. This event is annually held by the volunteer group, Friends of Keiro and the residents enjoyed having lunch with entertainments. Former chairman, Betty Yumori who has volunteered for over 40 years stated “Please enjoy the delicious meals along with the fantastic performance” in her greetings, and John Peters, representative of the Northstar which runs the retirement home stated “Thank you to all the volunteers who are supporting this home and made this event possible.” Habit hamburgers were served at lunch, and about 130 people enjoyed music, dance, ukulele performance and door prizes.

Anime Expo 2017

North America’s biggest Japanese animation convention, Anime Expo was held from July 1st to the 4th at LA Convention Center. Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation organizes the event and this year marks the 26th year. Many Japanese companies as well as local distributors and streaming services announced their newest anime, games and movies. Guests from Japan participated in concerts and talk panels.　The fans are all excited for the various cosplays. Many dressed as their favorite characters and took pictures, as well as enjoying the event with their friends.　At the main event, Masquerade, fans battle in teams by showing off their cosplays and performances.　32 teams participated this year from all over the US.　Extreme Costumes won this year and surprised the audience with their cosplay that they put together, costing them about thirty-thousand dollars.　The winning team received $3,000 and will participate in the cosplay world competition that will be held in Nagoya, Japan.　100,000 people attended this 4 day event and enjoyed Japanese animation from different angles.

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Jul 2nd 2017 O.A.

Spring 2017 Decorations

The Japanese government announced the recipients of its Spring 2017 Decorations; and a conferment ceremony was held on June 20th at the official residence of the consul general for Henry Yasushi Ota receiving The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette. Every spring and fall, the Japanese government awards an individual that greatly contributed either to the country of Japan or to the Japanese American community and award decorations. For this year’s Spring recipients, Gary Yamauchi and Henry Yasushi Ota were chosen from the jurisdiction of the Consul General of Japan in LA. Yamauchi’s conferment ceremony was held in May. Following his lead, Ota’s conferment ceremony was held this day. Henry Yasushi Ota was born during WWII at the Gila River Internment Camp in Arizona. He was called to the bar in 1970 and was one of the activists towards repealing an unreasonable bill before the state legislature passed, aiming against Japanese companies when a trade friction rose between US and Japan in the 80s. In 2009, he co-founded the U.S.-Japan Council that focuses on disaster relief fundraisers and “Tomodachi” initiatives creating friendships between Japan and the US. In recent years, he is putting his heart and soul into raising future leaders of the Japanese American community through the Kizuna Project. A group photo was taken after family and friends congratulated him of his achievements and Ota stated his gratitude.

Stars for Budokan

A charity concert was held at the Aratani Theater in Little Tokyo on June 24th as a fundraiser for Terasaki Budokan’s construction fees. This concert was organized by the Little Tokyo Service Center, All-US Kendo Federation, and Eiko Fujino AKA Hanayagi Fujinoe. 5 enka singers from Japan were invited for the concert. Misao, Yuji Matsuoka and Masaru Fujimoto sung their all time favorite numbers. And Midori Sasa sung the postwar hit songs, and her signature number, “Shitamachi Sodachi.” Shu Tanaka, the vocalist of Nyc Nyusa entertained the audience by singing “Omatsuri Sawagi” and “Sachiko”. Lastly, Dean Matsubayashi from the Little Tokyo Service Center thanked the guests and a souvenir was handed out by the children. The Terasaki Budokan will have their ground breaking ceremony on August 3rd and will open December 2018.

Public announcement

Event: Charity Golf Tournament

Sponsor: JBA Foundation

Date: July 15th (Sat) 1:00pm ~

Address: Tustin Ranch Golf Club 12442 Tustin Ranch Rd. Tustin, CA 92782

Addmission: $300 / $150 (Award banquet only) (Reservation Required・要予約）

Event: 2017 Michael Chang Tennis Classic 2017

Date: July 29th (Sat) 11:00am ~ Charity Doubles Exhibition Match (Kei Nishikori, Michael Chang)

Address: Newport Beach Tennis Club 2601 Eastbluff Dr., Newport Beach, CA 92660

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Jun 25th 2017 O.A.

E3

E3, one of the largest game convention was held on June 13th for 3 days at the LA Convention Center. E3 is a game convention where newest game softwares and consoles from all over the world are introduced and announced. This year is their 22nd year. E3 has always been a convention where only industry related personnels were allowed. But for the first time ever, the public were invited this year. The booths of popular companies had long lines despite their waiting hours, and attendees enjoyed their experiences with the newest lineups. Nintendo announced “Super Mario Odyssey”, the newest title of their popular series for their newest gaming console, Nintendo Switch. Microsoft introduced Xbox One X, their powerful gaming console that focuses on displaying 4K images.Many PlayStation 4 game titles were announced at the various booths.　The Virtual Reality or VR games that allow physicality and 3D gaming experience were also very popular, and many game titles were announced.　For many companies, this convention is their opportunity to introduce their newest products. Entertainment Software Association that organizes the convention stated, they are focusing on tying the game companies with the consumers more closely together.　68 thousand people attended the 3 day event.

Select LA

Select LA Investment Summit was held on June 14th for 3 days at Downtown LA. This is a summit that brings global investors to provide market trends and opportunities in the LA region. The summit is organized by the World Trade Center LA and focuses on lectures and panel discussions of: entertainment, IT, bio technology and aerospace industry’s market and trading trends. At his keynote speech, LA mayor, Eric Garcetti stated “LA is a multicultural city that has many growing potentials for multiple industries” and emphasized that the city will continue to be the center of economics. Also, the FDI Report was announced, where the numbers of foreign direct investment from foreign-owned enterprises as well as employment rates were listed. The Japanese companies in SoCal are on the top of the list for FOE Jobs. It was also announced that Japanese companies ranked number one on wages with $5.5 billion, a big difference from other global companies.

Public announcement

Event: 2017 Michael Chang Tennis Classic 2017

Date: Jul 29th (Sat) 11:00am ~ Charity Doubles Exhibition Match (Kei Nishikori, Michael Chang)

Address: Newport Beach Tennis Club 2601 Eastbluff Dr., Newport Beach, CA 92660

Web: www.ChangTennis.com

Event: 19th Annual Prime Minister's Cup Charity Golf Tournament

Sponsor: Japanese Chamber of Commerce Foundation

Date: Aug 28th (Mon) 1:00pm ~

Address: Los Verdes Golf Course 7000 W. Los Verdes Dr., Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275

Tel: (213) 626 - 3067

Email: office@jccsc.com

Addmission: Early Bird Registration $175 (RSVP by 7/14), Individual Participant $200

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Jun 18th 2017 O.A.

Straight Outta Little Tokyo 2

A hip-hop fundraising event was held at Nishi Honganji on June 3rd for Terasaki Budokan that’s being built at Little Tokyo. Judo, kendo, basketball and other sport tournaments will be held at Terasaki Budokan. 90% of its construction fees are raised, and construction is starting this August. The Little Tokyo Service Center held this event for they are in charge of this project, and is aiming to raise the rest of the funds. The theme of the event was 80s to 90s hip-hop and R&B. Many artists who are active in the US participated, like DJ-ICY ICE and DJ-K Sly. Many Japanese American community volunteer staffs helped out the event this day. Local bars and restaurants, retail stores also participated in this event. 900 community members from 20 to 50 years of age attended the event, and enjoyed the dance and music performances.

JASSC Anniversary Dinner & Gala Celebration

June 7th was the gala dinner for the Japan America Society of Southern California at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Downtown. JAS builds economic, cultural, governmental and personal relationships between the people of Japan and US. JAS is the oldest civil communications organization founded in 1909, and has approximately 130 companies and 2000 individual members. They hold many economic seminars and workshops in order to create bonds in the Japanese American community. This year marks the 108th dinner and participants also did fundraising through silent auctions. The donated funds will be used for Japanese speech contests, Japanese kite making workshops and for student exchange programs from Fukushima. After stating his appreciations to the attendees, Chairman, Douglas Erber stated “Your efficient leadership skills and opinions are very important for the bonds between Japan and the US.” Pillsbury Law and Panasonic Corporation received the global citizen’s award. This award is sent to citizens and organizations that contributed to US/Japan relationship.

Public announcement

Event: The 10th Choral Concert

Sponsor: L.A. Men's Glee Club

Date: Jun 25th (Sun) 3:00pm ~

Address: James Armstrong Theatre　3330 Civic Center Dr. Torrance, CA 90503

Tel: (310) 640 - 9245 (Nakajima)

Email: tnakaj@aol.com

Web: www.laglee.org

Addmission: ＄10

Event: "Okinawa:The Afterburn" Screening and Q&A

Sponsor: Okinawa Association of America, Inc.

Date: Jun 27th (Tue) 5:30pm ~

Address: Katy Geissert Civic Center Library 3301 Torrance Blvd. Torrance, CA 90503

Email: oaamensore@gmail.com

Tel: (310) 532 - 1929

Addmission: Free (Limited space)

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Jun 11th 2017 O.A.

Conferment Ceremony

The Japanese government announced the recipients of its Spring 2017 Decorations, and had the Conferment Ceremony on May 31st at the official residence of the Consul General. The Japanese government annually awards citizens that have greatly contributed to either the country of Japan or to their Japanese American community. From the Consulate General of Japan in LA, Gary Yamauchi and Henry Yasushi Ota were selected. Consul General, Akira Chiba awarded Gary Yamauchi the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays with a certificate. Gary Yamauchi is a 3rd generation Japanese American who’s born in Chicago, IL and currently lives in Alhambra, CA. He was active as a professional bowler in his teenage years; after retirement, he started an independent vending company. Yamauchi is the mayor of Alhambra for 3 terms since 2007. Since then, he made sister tie-ups with the city of Kirishima in Kagoshima, Japan, where his roots lies in. Yamauchi also supports the Go For Broke National Education Center, where history of WWII Japanese American veterans can be learned. Many citizens continue to trust and support him from these many actions. Family and friends, representativea for Alhambra attended the Conferment Ceremony. Yamauchi stated “The people of Alhambra made this award possible” and lastly took a group photo.

The 65th Annual International Night Benefit Ball

The 65th Annual International Night Benefit Ball was held on Friday, June 2nd at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Downtown LA. It is a fundraising dinner for music education. This fundraising is held by the LA Philharmonic and the International Committee of the LA Philharmonic Association. The funds gathered in this event are used for education, community programs for children and international goodwill.This dinner is sponsored by consulates in LA and focuses on that country every year. This year, the consulate general of Japan in LA sponsored the event and Japanese traditions were introduced.　Other than the 2020 Tokyo Olympics being promoted at the event, John Kaizan Neptune did his shakuhachi flute performance. Tamagusuku-ryu Kansenkai also performed their Ryukyu dance. 400 individuals from local companies, cultural organization and government officials participated. President, Rabab Ashley of the International Committee of the LA Philharmonic Association stated “Thank you for all the cooperations of the consulate general of Japan and many other sponsors, making this event possible”. Participants enjoyed the fundraising through raffles and silent auctions.

Public announcement

Event : Eyemobile (Free eye exam)
Sponsor : Little Tokyo Lions Club
Date : Jun 17th (Sat)

Time 1 : 9:30am ~ 11:30am
Address : Little Tokyo Lions Club 455 E. 3rd St., Los Angeles, CA 90012

Time 2 : 1:30pm ~ 3:30pm
Address : Keiro Retirement Home 325 Boyle Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90033

Tel : (213) 620 – 1500
Email : drknakajima@yahoo.com
Addmission : Free

Event: Stars For Budokan Popular Enka Singers from Japan

Date: June 24th (Sat) 1:00pm / 4:30pm

Address: Aratani Theatre　244 S. San Pedro St., Los Angeles, CA 90012

Tel: (213) 880 - 5093 (Fujino)

Web: www.budokanofLA.org

Addmission: $35 (VIP $50)

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