{"id":22738,"date":"2026-04-26T20:00:36","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T03:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jhollywoodnet.com\/?post_type=socaljapan&#038;p=22738"},"modified":"2026-04-26T22:16:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T05:16:25","slug":"2026-04-26","status":"publish","type":"socaljapan","link":"https:\/\/jhollywoodnet.com\/en\/socaljapan\/2026-04-26\/","title":{"rendered":"April 26th 2026 O.A."},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p><\/p>\n<p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"> April 26th 2026 O.A.<\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<div class=\"youtube\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/GX0xb2HpCCo\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2>L.A. Rising Fest 2026<\/h2>\n<p>On March 29, the LA Rising Fest was held in Little Tokyo.<\/p>\n<p>The event celebrated the second anniversary of the \u201cLA Rising\u201d mural featuring Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, painted on the Miyako Hotel.<br \/>\nIt was organized by the Little Tokyo Business Association together with the artist, Robert Vargas, who created the mural.<\/p>\n<p>Boyle Heights is now widely recognized as a Mexican American neighborhood, but before the war it was home to a large Japanese American  population, and it still maintains strong ties to that history.<\/p>\n<p>Born and raised in Boyle Heights, Robert Vargas has created numerous murals that celebrate community and cultural identity.<br \/>\nAlong First Street, a mural of Dodgers legend and Mexican pitcher Fernando Valenzuela also stands out, reflecting the cultural connection between Boyle Heights and Little Tokyo.<\/p>\n<p>On stage, the event featured taiko drumming, Japanese dance, and mariachi performances, creating a vibrant and festive atmosphere.<br \/>\nCarlos Gonz\u00e1lez Guti\u00e9rrez, the Consul General of Mexico in Los Angeles, Vivian Escalante, president of the nonprofit organization Boyle Heights Community Partners, and East LA born Hollywood actor Edward James Olmos all spoke about the importance of recognizing and sharing each other\u2019s cultural heritage and history across communities.<\/p>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2>Torrance Cherry Blossom Cultural Festival<\/h2>\n<p>On Sunday, March 29, the annual Cherry Blossom Cultural Festival took place at Columbia Park in Torrance.<\/p>\n<p>The event was launched following cherry tree planting efforts and has since been held annually as a symbol of Japan\u2013U.S. friendship and marked its 13th year this year.<\/p>\n<p>At the opening ceremony, Torrance Mayor George Chen and Deputy Consul General Kamitani of the Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles were among those who took the stage to offer remarks.<\/p>\n<p>The park was filled with booths showcasing Japanese culture alongside a variety of food trucks.<br \/>\nA diverse lineup of performances brought the stage to life.<\/p>\n<p>Visitors enjoyed a leisurely spring day under cherry blossoms in full bloom.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the City of Torrance is planning a memorial honoring Japanese Americans who were interned during World War II, and a donation ceremony was held that day in support of the project.<\/p>\n<p>The memorial is planned for a section within the park, with a groundbreaking ceremony expected as early as later this year.<\/p>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_separator][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] April 26th 2026 O.A. [\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text] [\/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_column_text] L.A. Rising Fest 2026 On March 29, the LA Rising Fest was held in Little Tokyo. The event celebrated the second anniversary of the \u201cLA Rising\u201d mural featuring Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, painted on the Miyako Hotel. It was organized by the Little Tokyo Business Association together <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/jhollywoodnet.com\/en\/socaljapan\/2026-04-26\/\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":22739,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"socaljapan_category":[369],"socaljapan_tag":[],"class_list":["post-22738","socaljapan","type-socaljapan","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","socaljapan_category-2026-04-april"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jhollywoodnet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/socaljapan\/22738","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jhollywoodnet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/socaljapan"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jhollywoodnet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/socaljapan"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jhollywoodnet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22738"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/jhollywoodnet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/socaljapan\/22738\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22740,"href":"https:\/\/jhollywoodnet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/socaljapan\/22738\/revisions\/22740"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jhollywoodnet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22739"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jhollywoodnet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"socaljapan_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jhollywoodnet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/socaljapan_category?post=22738"},{"taxonomy":"socaljapan_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jhollywoodnet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/socaljapan_tag?post=22738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}