SoCalJapan | Japan Hollywood Network

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)

Share this?

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)

Share this?

Jun 4th 2017 O.A.

JAPAN NIGHT at Dodger Stadium

The annual Japan Night was held on May 18th at the Dodgers Stadium, introducing Japanese culture and entertainment. Dodgers hold this annual event where they share Japanese and Japanese American community's culture. Local musicians and guests from Japan did various performances before the game. The Nisei Queen and her court was introduced representing the Japanese American community of LA; and Dodgers pitcher, Kenta Maeda; gold medalist breaststroke swimmer, Kosuke Kitajima was introduced. True Enka girls trio, Mizmo sang the national anthem of both Japan and the US. And Kosuke Kitajima, who had connections with LA during his athlete years, threw the first ball. Although the ball bounded, Kenta Maeda caught it. The audience enjoyed Japan Night with limited edition Kenta Maeda T-shirts being distributed as well.

JFC Sake Expo & Food Show

May 20th was the JFC Sake Expo & Food Show in Costa Mesa, where various Japanese sake were introduced. This event is annually held by the Japanese food distributor, JFC International for the restaurant business, and about 40 sake brewers introduced various sake this year. The attendees compared each sake of: Junmai, Ginjo, Daiginjo, Shochu and Plum sake, as they heard the explanations. Green teas and soft drinks that can be mixed with sake were also introduced. For food, izakaya menus like: gyoza, kara-age, tofu, seasoned cod roe were tasted. In recent years, there are top quality sake where a bottle costs over $100 due to the popularity of Japanese sake in the US. More than 1400 guests attended this year and enjoyed the Japanese food culture.

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: Charity Golf Tournament

Sponsor: JBA Foundation

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

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

Tel: (310) 515 - 9522 (JBA)

Email: jba@jba.org

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

Share this?

May 28th 2017 O.A.

Little Tokyo Sparkle!

A cleaning project of Little Tokyo happened on May 13th with the cooperations of local residents and business owners. This project was held to clean Little Tokyo since population numbers are increasing in recent years. Because of the redevelopment, different demographics are now living in Little Tokyo of Downtown LA. “Little Tokyo Sparkle!” was brought up to clean the city and strengthen the bonds of the Japanese American community. This is the second cleaning service since last November. The Naganos living in the area started the project. They called out to each Japanese business owners and organization representatives and started this project. Approximately, 300 locals and business owners gathered this time. They all split into each blocks and picked up the trash, as well as cleaned off the streets and graffitis. The local restaurants and volunteering staffs handed out Japanese curry, rice balls and snacks to the participants after the cleaning was done.

Japanese movie “Tatara Samurai”

Japanese movie “Tatara Samurai” opened all throughout the US on Friday, June 2nd. “Tatara” is an iron making method that was found and uniquely expanded in Japan. Strong irons necessary for Japanese swords can be made by this technique. The setting is in the Sengoku era, where cutthroat competitions are held and feudal lords all over Japan aims for this iron. It is about a young blacksmith who succeeded the “Tatara” iron making skill aiming to become a samurai to protect his village. The movie depicts the struggle and frustration he faces and asks what “true strength” is. A press conference was held on May 8th at the Consulate General of Japan inviting the executive producer, HIRO from the group EXILE; leading actor, Sho Aoyagi, AKIRA and Naoki Kobayashi, also from EXILE. The Hollywood premiere was also held this day and many of the starring actors were there.

Public announcement

Event:Behind “THE COVE” -The Quiet Japanese Speak Out!-
Screening and Discussion with Director

Screening 1 : Jun 14th (Wed) 3:50pm~
Address : Charles E. Young Library

Screening 2 : Jun 17th（Sat）5:00pm~
Address : The Terasaki Nibei Foundation

Guest : Keiko Yagi (監督)
Email : nibei@nibei.org
Addmission : Free *Reservation Required
Ticket : http://goo.gl/forms/g3gJYVcu6WLlkLsl2
RSVP by : Jun 11th (Sun)

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

Share this?

May 21st 2017 O.A.

45th Anniversary Reversion of OKINAWA to JAPAN

This year marks the 45th anniversary since Okinawa was returned to Japan, and a reception celebrating the occasion was held at the official residence of consul general of Japan in LA on May 12th. Okinawa was returned to Japan on May 15th, 1972 which is 27 years post WWII where millions were victimized. About 60 people related to Okinawa attended the reception. Though there are issues regarding the US military base in Okinawa, attendees looked at the photos of when the island was returned to Japan with emotional faces. At the greeting statement, Consul General Chiba stated “President Obama visited Hiroshima and Prime Minister Abe visited Pearl Harbor. Let us not repeat the tragedy but learn valuable lessons from it.” California State Assembly, Al Muratsuchi who was born and raised in Okinawa, awarded a letter of appreciation to Edward Kamiya of Okinawa Association of America for his cultural contributions in the US. Attendees enjoyed the Okinawan culture through Ryukyu Taiko performances and Okinawan specialties.

Budokan of Los Angeles

Many charity events are happening to gather funds building the Budokan of Los Angeles in Little Tokyo. The Budokan of LA is a 40,000sq ft sports facility where Japanese martial arts of judo and kendo, as well as basketball games can be held in Little Tokyo. Construction will begin in August. Little Tokyo Services Center have successfully gathered 90% of their construction fee, $25 million and is hoping to raise the other 10%. Martial arts and sports activities for the Japanese American community dates back to concentration camps. Therefore, the Budokan has high hopes of being the place where histories and traditions will be lored to the younger generation. A hiphop concert will be held at Little Tokyo’s Nishi Hongwanji Buddhist Temple on June 3rd as a fundraiser. A Japanese enka concert is scheduled on June 24th at the Aratani Theatre inviting enka singers from Japan.

Public announcement

Event: The Seminar about education

Sponsor: Lighthouse

Date: Jun 4th (Sun) 1:00pm ~ 4:15pm

Address: Double Tree by Hilton Torrance
21333 Hawthorne Blvd., Torrance, CA 90503

Web: us-lighthouse.com/EduSeminar2017

Addmission: Free (Reservation Required・要予約）

Event: Free Legal Clinic

Sponsor: Japanese American Bar Association

Date: Jun 11th (Sun) 9:30am ~ 11:30am

Address: YAMAHA MUSIC CENTER
4620 Barranca Pkwy., Irvine, CA 92604

Tel: (714) 730 - 3551 (OCJAA)

Addmission: Free (Reservation Required・要予約）

Share this?

May 14th 2017 O.A.

The Fujimatsuri at Gardena Buddhist Church

May 6th was the Fujimatsuri in Gardena Buddhist Church and many local community members participated. May 21st is when Shinran of Jodo Shinshu was born, and the Gardena Buddhist Church holds this annual Fujimatsuri to celebrate his birth. Fujimatsuri is a festival that celebrates the joy of birth and meeting new people. At the temple, teriyaki chicken, Okinawa dango and spam musubi were sold. Plants and folk pieces were sold as well. The Gardena Buddhist Church belongs to Nishi Honganji Buddhist Temple built in 1926 and has about 500 members. They are known to the community by holding Fujimatsuri in the spring and bon festival during summer. The members of the Buddhist Church and local community volunteer staffs make these events possible every year.

The Asian Choral Festival 2017

The Asian Choral Festival 2017 was held on Sunday, May 7th at the Arcadia Performing Arts Center. This is a concert where folk songs throughout Asia are performed. This concert is held by Taiwan’s Elite Music Foundation and 5 countries of Taiwan, Korea, Philippines, Armenia and Japan participated. This is the first time the asian communities do a concert all together. It was made possible by the idea of Cliff Yang, a Taiwanese American and a chairman of the Elite Music Foundation; and musicians from each communities cooperated. The concert hall was nearly full. Each choir performed 4 to 5 folk songs from traditional to modern that are known in their home country. From Japan, Ensemble Echo from Hacienda Heights, Yuukari Chorus from Huntington Beach and Yuujou Daiko performed 4 songs together. Elite Chamber Singers from the Taiwanese community sang where Cliff Yang conducted and closed the event.

Share this?

May 7th 2017 O.A.

Cherry Blossom Festival at Barnes Park

April 22nd to the 23rd was the Cherry Blossom Festival at Monterey Park’s Barnes Park. Although this event was held since the 1970s, it was canceled at one point. Afterwards, it revived with the help of the volunteers in 1998 and this year is the 20th anniversary. Members of the city council like the Monterey Park mayor and Congresswoman, Judy Chu as well as Consul General, Akira Chiba attended the opening ceremony on the 22nd. At the event, taiko drummings were performed for entertainment and ikebana flower arrangements using spring flowers were displayed.Various booths introducing other Japanese cultures like demonstrating sumie ink painting and introducing Japanese foods were also there, entertaining over 9,000 attendees. The 22nd was also Earth Day, so there was a corner discussing the environment and the event was liven up by the children that participated.

Conference for voters

A general municipal election for LA will be happening on May 16th. In advance, the city clerk held a conference explaining to the voters about the multilingual service and how to make a vote. At this election, the councilors of the 1st and 7th district; board of trustees for the LA Unified School District of the 4th and 6th district; and Charter Amendment C will be on the ballot. Qualified voters are those who are at least 18 years old that have already registered to vote. The election is on Tuesday, May 16th from 7am to 8pm at your nearest poll. Voting by mail is also accepted. The city of LA has information about the election in various languages including Japanese. For obtaining the Japanese voting guide and other information about the election, please visit the city website or call the hotline in your desired language.

Public announcement

Event: Piano Recital

Sponsor: Fuzjko Hemming

Date: May 10th (Wed) 7:30pm~

Address: Zipper Hall (inside Colburn School) 200 S. Grand Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90012

Tel: (213) 446 - 9210

Web: fuzjko.brownpapertickets.com

Addmission: $40, $30

Event: Open House 2017

Sponsor: Japanese Language School Unified System

Date: Jun 10st (Sat)

Address: Kyodo System Headquarters / Valley Gakuen / Rafu Chuo Gakuen / Daiichi Gakuen Irvine / Pasadena Gakuen

Tel: (213) 383 - 4706

Email: office@kyodosystem.org

Share this?

Apr 30th 2017 O.A.

Pechanga Resort and Casino Topping out ceremony

Topping out ceremony was held on April 19th to celebrate Pechanga Resort and Casino’s expansion construction reaching its turning point. Pechanga Resort and Casino is located on the Indian reservations and owned and ran by the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians.They have been doing a great amount of construction work to expand their guest rooms, pool and other facilities that have amenities.And a topping out ceremony was held this time celebrating the finish construction of the main hotel tower.Since it is popular amongst the Asian customers, many local Asia media came to the ceremony. First, the representatives of the Pechanga Band congratulated the construction team. Lastly, they placed a small oak tree on top of the hotel tower using a crane as part of the topping out ceremony. The expansion construction is ending this December. It is going to be the largest casino resort in the west coast.

The Aging Japanese American Gardener Community

Stoner Park, located at the residential area not too far from West LA Sawtelle’s Japantown. In recent years, it seems more and more cherry blossom trees are dying here. Several of them are already cut down. 100 cherry blossom trees were planted on this park in 1994 with the cooperations of a local Japanese American organization and gardeners. They held annual cherry blossom festivals but only 7 trees bloomed this year. The last time they were able to have the festival was 2 years ago. It is due to the water shortage and the aging of the volunteer gardeners that have been taking care of the trees. Becoming a gardener was the quickest way for Japanese Americans to make money and it built the foundations of the postwar Japanese American community. The Southern California Gardener’s Foundation was formed in 1955 and had about 7000 members at its heyday, supporting each other in both work and living. However, many Japanese Americans became noticed in the society and the numbers of successors gradually decreased with it. Currently, the average age of the members are 77 years old and they have no choice but to quit to do health reasons. More recently, there has been discussions about the foundation HQ being bought out. Japanese gardeners made the foundation of the current Japanese American community. However, the curtains are drawing to its history with the trend of the times.

Public announcement

Event: AN EVENING OF KYOGEN

Sponsor: Mansaku Nomura & Mansaku-no-Kai

Date: May 6th (Sat)・May 7th (Sun) 5:00pm~

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

Web: www.jaccc.org/mansaku-no-kai/

Addmission: $40 (Orchestra), $30 (Balcony), $20 (Student), etc.

Event: 倫理文化講演会「つながる」

Sponsor: Rinri USA

Date: May 21st (Sun) 1:30pm~

Address: Holiday Inn Torrance 19800 S. Vermont Ave. Torrance, CA 90502

Tel: (310) 329 - 4912 (Kawata)

Web: www.rinriusa.com

Addmission: Free

Share this?

Apr 23rd 2017 O.A.

Nishiyamato Academy “Innovation and Cultural Center”

April 5th was the ground-breaking ceremony at Nishiyamato Academy of California in Lomita City since they are building the “Innovation and Cultural Center” on their campus. Nishiyamato Academy of California started on 1992 and is an all Japanese language school certified by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Their main target are children of residing family and have from K through junior high. The “Innovation & Cultural Center” was planned to celebrate their 25th anniversary and will have a library, media center, meeting and event halls on the campus. The Lomita mayor and local community supporters, as well as parents attended the ceremony. Everyone congratulated the school. President, Katsuyuki Nishikawa stated “We’re very happy to have such ceremony along with the new school year” and appreciated everyone’s support. The facility will be completed this September. The school is stating “We hope local community members will utilize for important meetings as well.”

The 40th Anniversary Awaya-Kai Koto Concert

The Awaya-Kai had their 40th anniversary concert on Saturday, April 15th at the James Armstrong Theater in Torrance. The Awaya-Kai was found in 1974 at Gardena and is a workshop for koto and shamisen string instruments. Founder, Yoko Awaya received her teaching degree from Miyagi Souke of Tokyo and since then, held concerts to spread Japanese traditions in the US. This year is the 19th time. Many musicians and dancers performed with the koto for audiences unfamiliar to the instrument and has been spreading koto’s charm. This year, Yun-He Liang playing the erhu - a 2 stringed Chinese instrument and Flamenco guitarist, Paco Arroyo from Spain as well as dancer, Yolanda Arroyo participated as special guests. Part of the profit will be donated to the SoCal Kumamoto Kenjinkai for the Kumamoto earthquake relief fund.

Public announcement

Event: AN EVENING OF KYOGEN

Sponsor: Mansaku Nomura & Mansaku-no-Kai

Date: May 6th (Sat)・May 7th (Sun) 5:00pm~

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

Web: www.jaccc.org/mansaku-no-kai/

Addmission: $40 (Orchestra), $30 (Balcony), $20 (Student), etc.

Event: Piano Recital

Sponsor: Fuzjko Hemming

Date: May 10th (Wed) 7:30pm~

Address: Zipper Hall (inside Colburn School) 200 S. Grand Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90012

Tel: (213) 446 - 9210

Web: fuzjko.brownpapertickets.com

Addmission: $40, $30

Share this?

Apr 16th 2017 O.A.

45th anniversary for the Nanka Dosanko Kai

[en]March 30th was the 45th anniversary for the Nanka Dosanko Kai. The association was found by the residents of SoCal from Hokkaido and the celebration happened at the resident of the Consul General of Japan in LA.Formerly Nanka Douninkai - the Nanka Dosanko Kai was found in 1972 and 100 households currently participate as members. They help one another and bond throughout various events throughout the year. Approximately 200 members attended the ceremony. Local community representatives as well as House of Rep. Satoshi Arai from Hokkaido and proxy for the governor of Hokkaido said their words of congratulations. Travel agencies and makers of local Japanese sake, Japanese confections and pork bowls came from Hokkaido to promote the prefecture’s charm.　Also, for 20 years, the Nanka Dosanko Kai annually hosts a homestay program where two high school students from Japan are invited. The Bogart family were gifted a surprise airline ticket to Japan from the Dosanko Kai for being a host family for more than 10 years. The participant of this year’s homestay program attended the ceremony to present the charms of Kushiro.

Tokyo City Cup

[en]Sunday, April 2nd was the Tokyo City Cup at Arcadia’s Santa Anita Park celebrating the friendship between US and Japan. The Santa Anita Park created friendship tie-ups with the Ohi Racetrack in 1995 and annual races are held since then. At the Ohi Racetrack, Santa Anita Trophy is held and the Tokyo City Cup is held at the Santa Anita Park. “Japan Family Day” was also held this day and takoyaki, okonomi yaki and rice burgers were served. Also, karate, sumo and traditional Japanese dances were demonstrated. Attendees enjoyed Japanese culture through tea ceremony demonstrations and origami workshops. Tokyo City Cup began at the 8th race. The Tokyo City Cup is a race worth 100 thousand dollars and is the one everybody is excited about. Top class thoroughbreds raced this year as well. Santiago Gonzalez won with his Hard Ace, beating his rival and last year’s champion, Rafael Bejarano with his Bog John B. He earned 60 thousand dollars. At the winner’s circle after the race, the winning horse and community individuals gathered to take pictures and did a sake barrel breaking.

Public announcement

Event: Fujimatsuri Bazaar

Sponsor: Gardena Buddhist Church

Date: May 6th (Sat) 11:00am~6:00pm

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

Tel: (310) 327 - 9400

Web: www.gardenabuddhistchurch.org

Addmission: Free

Event: 倫理文化講演会「つながる」

Sponsor: Rinri USA

Date: May 21st (Sun) 1:30pm~

Address: Holiday Inn Torrance 19800 S. Vermont Ave. Torrance, CA 90502

Email: kawatasueko723@gmail.com

Tel: (310) 329 - 4912 (Kawata)

Web: www.rinriusa.com

Addmission: Free

Share this?

Apr 9th 2017 O.A.

The Japanese Institute of Sawtelle Career Forum

A career forum was held by the Japanese Institute of Sawtelle at Terasaki Foundation in West LA on March 25th. Japanese Institute of Sawtelle is an educational institution established in 1925 and has about 160 students from 3 to 18 years old enrolled. Japanese classes are held once a week.　This forum was organized by the school teachers for the high school students, thinking about their futures after they graduate the institute. 4 community leaders of the Japanese American community were invited as guest teachers. The 4 leaders had a passionate discussion with the students about “What does it mean to work in a society?” and “How to accomplish your goals” throughout their work experience of being in business, media, engineering and lawyer. Finally, the teachers answered students’ questions. Students were strongly interested in their background of Japanese culture and how that affects in the society. Teachers also spoke “Understanding different cultures will become a strong advantage for students with bicultural backgrounds.”

Kula Sushi Irvine renewal open

The Kula Revolving Sushi Bar in Irvine re-opened with new looks.After 10 years of service, the Irvine store decided to reexamine their equipments and did huge renovations. Mr. Fresh was newly introduced, which protects the revolving sushi from dusts. Slightly lift the dish and the cover will be lifted to take the sushi. Mr. Fresh also has a sensor that can detect sushis that have been out for a while and lost freshness. Those will automatically be disposed from the lane. Each seats have touch screen panels so customers can order without waiting, and the selected orders will arrive to the customer’s table from a separate lane. This system made it possible for customers to order menus like: box menu, desserts and especially noodle menus that are hard to put on the revolving lane. Also, “Bikkura Pon” was introduced where customers can get prizes when they eat 15 plates. This is a popular game in Kula Japan that customers love. More seats are added with the new waiting system in use as well. Kula has monthly fairs featuring different Japanese ingredients. Starting from April 14th is the “All Japan Fair” featuring local specialties from all over Japan.

Public announcement

Event: The 40th Anniversary KOTO CONCERT

Sponsor: AWAYA-KAI

Date: April 15th 2017 (Sat) 2:00pm ~

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

Email: awayamusic@msn.com

Tel: (310) 329 - 5965

Addmission: General $25 / At the door $30

Event: Fujimatsuri Bazaar

Sponsor: Gardena Buddhist Church

Date: May 6th (Sat) 11:00am~6:00pm

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

Tel: (310) 327 - 9400

Web: www.gardenabuddhistchurch.org

Addmission: Free

Share this?

Apr 2nd 2017 O.A.

Cherry Blossom Festival

Sunday, March 19th was the Cherry Blossom Festival at the Central Park in Huntington Beach. This festival is ran by the Sister City Association of Huntington Beach and this year is the 4th time. At the event, ramen and takoyaki were served at the Japanese food booth. There were cultural booths as well as performances being held, and 7000 people attended the event. Huntington Beach became sister cities with Anjo City 35 years ago. Since then, they held socializing programs between them and exchanging 4 teenage students at their cities. This festival started from the ideas of students that returned from Japan as part of the Japan/US bonding and to raise funds for high school students staying in Japan. The cherry blossom tree was donated from Anjo City and the participants all took pictures with the tree that fully bloomed. 4 high school students that are exchanged will homestay in Japan for 2 weeks from the end of July.

Onizuka Space Science Day

Onizuka Space Science Day was held at the El Camino College in Torrance on Saturday, March 11th and local space loving kids gathered at the event. Every year, Honda holds this event in honoring the Japanese American astronaut, Ellison Onizuka who was lost in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster 31 years ago. Astronaut, Kjell N. Lindgren who was selected as a member of the ISS to stay in space for 141 days, was invited as the guest speaker and told many stories to the children. This year is the 30th year for the event and Lorna Onizuka, the wife of Ellison Onizuka’s brother attended this year. At the Q&A session, the kids had the chance to ask their questions to Kjell. At the experimental session after the lecture was over, the kids learned science through different themes they enjoy.

Share this?

Mar 26th 2017 O.A.

Love to Nippon

Sunday, March 5th was “Love to Nippon”, a memorial gathering for the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake. The gathering was held at the LAPD HQ in Downtown LA. Love to Nippon is an earthquake relief support found by Masako Unohara, based on her disaster experience and they hold memorial gatherings every March. At the event, prefectures that suffered the disaster and organizations from the US and Japan participated with their own booths. They promoted their prefectures and had performances like taiko drumming and martial arts.　Marking the 6th year, participants all prayed under the chants of the LA Buddhist Temple Federation for the lost souls of the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake and the Kumamoto Earthquake that struck last year.　 Battalion Chief of the LA county fire department, Anderson Mackey stated “We must be well prepared for the great earthquake that may hit us in the future, by learning from these two earthquakes.” Lastly, the members of Nikkei Choral Federation of SoCal sung 2 recovery support songs and finished the event. This memorial gathering will be annually held until the year 2021.

the gala dinner of the Japanese American Bar Association

Friday, March 3rd was the gala dinner of the Japanese American Bar Association (JABA) held in Downtown LA. The JABA was founded in 1976. They are a group of Japanese and American lawyers, dealing with various law related issues and provide many community services. About 550 members attended the dinner. Inaugurations of new board members were held as well as Toyota Motor North America and former NFL Superbowl champion, Scott Fujita was awarded. Toyota Motor North America has contributed to many community through their HQ in Torrance. Scott Fujita is a former NFL Superbowl champion. He was raised by a Japanese American father who was born in the Poston War Relocation Center in Arizona, and a grandfather that fought in the war as a soldier. Also, American Civil Liberties Union representative, Susan Helman discussed the ongoing issues of discrimination and racism at her keynote speech. Chairman, Mark Furuya discussed the history of Japanese Americans and concentration camps, saying “It is important for us to cooperate with other organizations and create a strong bond.” 　

Share this?

Mar 19th 2017 O.A.

Autism Flight Experience Day

On Saturaday, February 25th, a boarding experience program was held at LAX for supporting children with autism. LAX has been doing this program for autistic children, aiming to promote airport safety and services since many of them feel fear and discomfort when traveling. And this time, ANA has volunteered as the first asian airline.About 100 parents and kids with autism was invited to the airport through local organization. At the boarding gate, teddy bears were gifted by the LAX airport police and pictures were taken with the K-9 police dogs. This day became an important life experience for kids.

The New Year’s gathering of the Nikkei Helpline

Saturday, February 25th was the New Year’s gathering of the Nikkei Helpline in Little Tokyo. The Nikkei Helpline was founded in 1986 after a mother killed her 2 children and attempted suicide in Santa Monica Bay. Their mission is to assist with trouble related to language barrier and cultural differences that Japanese people have when coming to the US. After the economic bubble burst in Japan, many Japanese companies left the US and donations have decreased. Now, the helpline is ran by the Telephone Counselling Service. Chairman, Toshio Handa stated “We don’t have the spotlight but let’s continue to support each other and continue this organization.” The phone lines are open from 10am to 10pm with a 2 shift system. Operators mainly discuss divorce, domestic violence, and care for callers that suffer from emotional distress.

Share this?

Mar 12th 2017 O.A.

The Orange County Japanese American Association New Officers Installation

February 26th was the New Officers Installation of the Orange County Japanese American Association at Anaheim, where members and representatives of Japanese American organizations attended. The OC Japanese American Association is the only nonprofit Japanese American organization. They mainly hold health seminars, Japanese cultural scholarships and awarding the elderlies. Greetings by guests and inauguration ceremony for the new office was also held. At the awarding ceremony: Muneaki Tsuzuki, Mitsuyasu Shigeta and Haruo Ishihara were awarded. Japanese Americans have been working in the agricultural industry for over 100 years in the OC, and the community was built by the members of short-term Japanese farm labor program. The OC Japanese American Association was found in 1986 since the Japanese companies have expanded in the US. President, Kimiko Fujita who is in office for her 3rd term stated “I hope the community will continue to cherish the bond between one another” in her greetings speech.

Sword Art Online The Movie – Ordinal Scale – U.S. Premiere Event

The US premiere event of the animation movie “Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scale” was held at Egyptian Theater in Hollywood on March 1st. SAO is a novel that sold 19 million books worldwide, where the real world links to a game and the characters go through many obstacles. Later, the series expanded to anime and game platforms. Many fans came to see the first movie of the popular series and tickets were sold out. A long line was formed at the merchandise corner, selling limited goods. A conference was held before the premiere where producers as well as director, Tomohiko Ito, author, Reki Kawahara, character design concept, abec and chief animation director, Shingo Adachi attended from Japan. They all enthusiastically answered the questions from the local media. SAO Movie is now playing at theaters in LA.

Share this?