SoCalJapan | Japan Hollywood Network

March 14th 2021 O.A.

Protests Against the Closure of Sakura ICF

Protests against the closure of Sakura ICF, a senior intermediate care facility, have been held in the Japanese-American community.

Sakura ICF is part of Sakura Gardens, a senior community located in Boyle Heights. The facility offers bilingual nursing for Japanese-American seniors that need healthcare.

Pacifica Cos., owner of Sakura Gardens, has officially announced its plans to close Sakura ICF for substantial financial loss on February 26.

Pacficia had been going forward with a plan to renovate Sakura ICF and build an apartment complex since last year. Although a detailed schedule was not stated in the release, residents and their families are at a loss.

When Pacific bought the facility in 2016, it did so with the approval of California Attorney General with the stipulation it will provide existing services for 5 years. However, with the contract coming to an end, the company has released its plans for closure of the facility.

Pacifica plans to relocate about 60 residents to other Pacifica-owned facilities.
Kei-Ai Los Angeles and Kei-Ai South Bay, however, had the biggest outbreak and deaths in nursing homes in Los Angeles.

Organizations and politicians protesting are currently peti-tioning for services to extend. Assembly Member Al Mu-ratsuchi and Miguel Santiago has introduced a bill to prohibit care facilities from ceasing or making significant changes to the care services for nursing facilities.
He is now asking for support so the bill passes the California State Legislature.

Protest organizations have been appealing to the California Department of Justice for an extension of the 5-year service, however they have been unable to hear a conclusive answer from not only Pacifica Cos., but from the facility’s former owners, Keiro Board of Directors.

Share this?

February 28th 2021 O.A.

February28th 2021 O.A.

MTC Kitchen Home LA

Mutual Trading started a delivery service that delivers Japanese ingredients to your home.

Mutual Trading is one of the largest Japanese food sellers.

MTC Kitchen Home LA, a service where they deliver their products sold on the web to the consumer’s house, started last year as
restaurants had to undergo strict restrictions and consumers had to stay home due to the impact of COVID-19.

MTC Kitchen Home LA holds nearly 500 items, ranging from standard household to bulk size ingredients and kitchen items.
A 15% discount is offered on your first purchase and free shipping for orders starting from $50.
Please check the website for their delivery area.

MTC Kitchen Home LA will also be donating $10 to Little Tokyo Service Center every time a new customer makes a purchase.

LTSC is a non-profit organization that supports and provides social welfare services to local businesses and the elderly impacted by
COVID-19.

MTC Kitchen Home LA will be donating to LTSC until March 31st.

Share this?

February 14th 2021 O.A.

February14th 2021 O.A.

Southern California Gardeners’ Federation Inauguration

Sunday, February 7th was the member inauguration of the Southern California Gardeners’ Federation.

Southern California Gardeners’ Federation is a nonprofit organization with 14 associations.
They support one another as well as work for the community.

This year’s member inauguration was done via Zoom due to the spread of COVID-19.

President Hisamori Iwashita who is taking the office for the 4th year stated his greetings after the members were announced, and commented: “I would like to come up with a detailed solution in regards to our issue with the successor.”

The Special Award was awarded to Masao Morisaku. Morisaku was the editor for 10 years of “The Gardeners’ Friend”, a monthly
magazine that the federation prints.

Representatives of Japanese organizations also said their messages through a video recording.

Lastly was the raffle lottery.
Winners of gift cards and cash prizes were announced.

This year’s inauguration was different compared to previous years since it was held via Zoom and selected members attended
the event.

Share this?

January 24th 2021 O.A.

Foreign Minister’s Commendation

LA Nagoya Sister City Affiliation Chairperson, Teruko Weinberg received the 2020 Foreign Minister’s Commendation.

Japanese Foreign Minister annually commemorates organizations and individuals that contributed to the friendship between the
US/Japan.

Teruko Weinberg, chosen this year by the jurisdiction of the Consulate General of Japan in LA, was born in Aichi prefecture in 1978.
She has been contributing to the Japanese American community in many ways, like starting a human resource company and bridging Japanese workers to various companies for 26 years.

She has especially worked hard as the chairperson for LA Nagoya Sister City Affiliation since 2013 and held many exchange programs and events.

In the 60th anniversary of the sister affiliation, she again contributed to the friendship of both countries by inviting LA Mayor Garcetti and Nagoya Mayor Kawamura to the event.
She was also appointed to Nagoya Tourism, Culture & Exchange Special Ambassador by Nagoya City in 2017.

Share this?

January 10th 2021 O.A.

New Year in Little Tokyo

The Japanese community was filled with New Year’s activity as 2021 arrived.

The annual “Oshogatsu in Little Tokyo” held by JCCSC was held virtually due to the impact of COVID-19.

Representatives of Japanese business and organizations stated their New Year’s greetings followed by entertainment.

“Kotohajime” held by JACCC was also held virtually. Master Artist, Hirokazu Kosaka did a shodo performance as well as the annual “first arrow” archery.

At Koyasan Beikoku Betsuin, New Year’s Day service “Shusho-e” was held and visitors made their first visit to the temple.

This year, the service was held at the precincts of the temple and limiting the number of participants.

Few people visited this year however, visitors wished for the coronavirus to go away and made their new year’s resolution.

Share this?

December 27th 2020 O.A.

Hard Time in Little Tokyo

Restaurants in Little Tokyo are facing difficulties due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Outdoor dinings are currently prohibited and restaurants are losing business despite the holiday season.

Community Feeding Community, a project that happened in April relaunched.

It is a meal distribution program where meals are bought through local restaurants and support those who were impacted by COVID-19.

6,700 meals were distributed during the previous lockdown.
It is helping both the consumers and restaurants.

Many organizations are also standing up to save suffering cities.
This human rights organization supporting minority groups are supporting local restaurants through their fundraising campaign.

Business owners are starting to help one another, as well as local volunteer organizations stepping in to protect the city.

Share this?

December 13th 2020 O.A.

Fall 2020 Decorations

The Japanese government announced the recipients of Fall 2020 Decorations.

The jurisdiction of the Consulate General of Japan in LA awarded two persons for either contributing to the nation or society.
President of San Diego Japanese Friendship Garden, Dennis Yukio Otsuji and Lake Forest resident, Glenn Takeo Tanaka were awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays.

Glenn Takeo Tanaka has been managing Tanaka Farm in Irvine for over 40 years. He has been producing high quality agricultural products and also
contributed to promoting friendly relations between Japan and the US.

He also actively held fundraisers for the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Tanaka Farm holds various events for the community.
One of them is “Hikari – A Festival of Lights” held right now.

Different illuminations are lit throughout their 30-acre farm.
Visitors can enjoy tractors, sugarcanes, and an enormous Christmas tree with holiday lights in their mile long drive.

Who awaits at the end is of course… Santa Claus!
About 600 cars came this day and enjoyed the holiday spirit.

Hikari – A Festival of Lights is a booked event and held until January 10th, 2021.

Share this?

November 22nd 2020 O.A.

753 Children”s Celebration

Sunday, November 15th was The Prayers of Celebration for 3, 5 and 7 Years Girls and Boys at Zenshuji Soto Mission in Little Tokyo.

This event celebrates children that turned 3, 5, or 7 years old.
Due to the impact of the novel coronavirus this year, it was held outdoors with an appropriate social distance between each family.

About 30 families participated.
The service was divided between AM and PM with restrictions of participating people.

Reverend Kojima called each child’s name and wished for their well-being.
Then, the kids were given a charm and Chitose candy for their longevity.

Lastly, the family took a picture in the main hall.
It was a great day for the kids as they dressed in kimonos and their family celebrated their milestone.

Share this?

November 8th 2020 O.A.

Documentary film “Words can’t go there”

“Words Can’t Go There,” a documentary film about a Japanese shakuhachi flute master, John Kaizan Neptune will be streamed online starting
November 20th.

This is a feature-length documentary about how a Californian, John Kaizan Neptune became a shakuhachi player.

John starts learning shakuhachi from Genzan Miyoshi of Tozan method in the 1970s at Kyoto.
He then gets promoted to a master and gets the name “Kaizan” following his master.

He later moves to Chiba and releases more than 20 albums as a shakuhachi player.
He has influenced the Japanese shakuhachi community by inventing new techniques and incorporating elements from jazz and Indian
music.

Director, David Neptune is John’s eldest son.
Not only does he talk about his father being a musician but also depicts their relationship as a family.

Strenuous effort is required from John as a foreigner who dived into a conservative culture and seeks new possibilities for the shakuhachi.

The documentary film “Words Can’t Go There” will be available worldwide through iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon starting November
20th.

Share this?

October 25th 2020 O.A.

OCJAA Senior Citizen Appreciation Day

On Sunday, October 18th, Senior Citizen Appreciation Day was held online to celebrate seniors who are over 80 years old.

OCJAA holds this event for the 34th year to celebrate the people who built and contributed to the community.

Normally, more than 300 elderly citizens are invited to a luncheon.
However, the event was live-streamed at Yamaha Music Center in Irvine using Zoom this year due to the novel coronavirus.

The contents were mainly videos that were prerecorded.
Representatives from Japanese organizations and Consul General Muto stated their greetings.
Dances of individuals and organizations were introduced as entertainment.

Followed by the main event, the award ceremony.
12 individuals were awarded this year.

Then, 3 people were announced and awarded the Freshman Scholarship and 1 person for the Nerio Cultural Scholarship.

Lastly, a lottery was held live for the Zoom viewers.
150 people participated from all over the world including Japan and Hawaii and socialized.

Share this?

October 11th 2020 O.A.

Project “debutante” Los Angeles

A sales event introducing Japanese foods including some new products to the US is happening in Mitsuwa Marketplace at Torrance.

Project debutante is held by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) and JETRO to discover and promote rare Japanese food ingredients
overseas.

It is a project that focuses mainly on products that have not yet made business results overseas and do a sales test locally so it can one day become a global
product.

A screening panel was held in the US, France, Thailand, and Vietnam. 50 products were chosen from more than 700 applications that may fit the needs of the 4
countries.
Then, a sales test will take place.

At Mitsuwa, 30 out of the 50 products chosen for LA are picked and sold.

Debutante at Mitsuwa will be held until October 18th.
From thereon, the products will be sold mainly at LA American supermarkets, showrooms, and the internet for the rest of 2020.

Share this?

September 27th 2020 O.A.

Celebrating Our Older Adults

A virtual Keiro no Hi Festival was held on Saturday, September 12th.

This year marks the 3rd year of Keiro no Hi Festival, celebrating the health and longevity of the Japanese American elders just like the Keiro no Hi in Japan.
This event is held by the non-profit organization, KEIRO.

Due to the impact of the novel coronavirus this year, they did live streaming of shows for the community and elderly.

Consul General, Akira Muto from the Consulate General of Japan in LA stated his greetings in the show, followed by workshops, art exhibitions, and entertainment.
The wife and daughter of late George Aratani, the founder of KEIRO, Sakaye and Linda also sent a video message.

Bento pickups were canceled due to the unhealthy air quality of local fires.

Currently, 1 in 3 Japanese and Japanese Americans living in LA, Ventura, and OC are over 65 years old.
Therefore, KEIRO supports the community by holding webinars, grant programs, and free Iyashi Care.

Share this?

September 13th 2020 O.A.

JCCSC Office Space Reduction

Restrictions amidst the novel coronavirus have a great impact on Japanese organizations.

Japanese Chamber of Commerce of SoCal located inside JACCC had to minimize their office space starting this
month.

Japanese Chamber of Commerce of SoCal is a non-profit organization with a mission to facilitate Japanese business in the US, and currently has 140 individuals as members.

They also hold the annual new year’s event “New Years in Little Tokyo” and focuses on spreading the Japanese culture
as well as goodwill activities for the US/Japan relationship.

The charity golf tournament scheduled in August was postponed and they lost ⅓ of their members because of the pandemic, which resulted in losing the majority of their source of income and had to minimize their office space.

Japanese Chamber of Commerce of SoCal is the oldest organization in the Japanese community founded prewar.
They first focused on bettering daily lives and human rights for Japanese Americans.
Postwar, they focus on goodwill acts for the US and Japan as well as nurturing younger generations.
However, they had to postpone their 115th-anniversary event.

The organization will continue to operate under government subsidies and donations from members for the time being.

Share this?

August 30th 2020 O.A.

The battle against the novel coronavirus

Different obstacles are hitting the Japanese American community as the battle against the novel coronavirus continues.

This insurance agency is facing difficulties with customer service since the Stay-At-Home Order took place.

They type of insurance they process is also changing nowadays.

If a similar problem rises, one must first contact their insurance agency.

This is a law firm specializing in immigration. The coronavirus also has a great impact with their work.

They were also busy taking care of clients with misinformation about visas.

Getting the correct information is the key to not waste an opportunity.

Share this?

August 23rd 2020 O.A.

Hiroshima Nagasaki 75th Anniversary

It’s been 75 years since the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The “Peace Flame” from Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park was lit at the Little Tokyo Koyasan Buddhist Temple on Sunday, August 2nd.

An annual memorial service has been held in the US since 1993 by the American Society of Hiroshima-Nagasaki A-Bomb Survivors.

A virtual memorial service was held this year on Sunday, August 9th due to the novel coronavirus.

Keynote speaker, Robert Horsting showed interviews with the survivors and emphasized the importance of history education.

A message from Mayor Taue of Tomihisa City, Nagasaki and Hiroshima mayor, Kazumi Matsui were also streamed.

It’s been 75 years and President Junji Sarashina and the members of the Survivors Society stated how atomic weapons are still dangerous, along with the importance of world peace.

New Normal for Restaurants

As the fight against the novel coronavirus continues, many restaurants are doing their best keeping up their businesses.

This restaurant in Little Tokyo did not have outdoor seating since they are a revolving sushi restaurant however, they decided to put out tables and chairs outside so customers can dine outdoors.

Revolving sushi is still prohibited. The touch screen order and express lane used to send sushi to tables are now used as a communication tool between the hall and kitchen staff.

All Kura Sushi locations offer takeout. Outdoor dining and delivery are currently offered in limited areas, however, they are hoping to expand service in the future.

On the other hand, this restaurant in Little Tokyo serving ramen did not previously offer takeout, so they had to make new decisions.

Shinsengumi Little Tokyo provides various menu items for takeout.
They also do different events and will be offering fresh yakitori this weekend.

This Japanese restaurant in Torrance provides an aesthetic takeout as it is located inside a hotel.

They offer chirashi bento boxes and onigiri assortments for party occasions.
Not only Japanese cuisine but they also offer western style foods like roast beef bento and hamburg steaks. Snacks like karaage and takoyaki are also available.

Their menu is largely displayed at the front door for the customers.

Patio dining is also available starting this month where guests can eat at the courtyard.
This is gaining popularity as guests can quietly enjoy their meal since they are not facing the streets.

Iseshima located inside Miyako Hybrid Hotel in Torrance is currently offering a $3 draft beer summer special for the month of August.

Share this?