{"id":23171,"date":"2026-08-30T19:00:59","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T02:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jhollywoodnet.com\/?post_type=socaljapan&#038;p=23171"},"modified":"2026-08-30T12:52:01","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T19:52:01","slug":"2026-08-30","status":"publish","type":"socaljapan","link":"https:\/\/jhollywoodnet.com\/en\/socaljapan\/2026-08-30\/","title":{"rendered":"August 30th 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;\">August 30th 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\/O79efTFROxE\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2>2026 Nisei Week<\/h2>\n<p>The 84th Nisei Week Japanese Festival was held in Little Tokyo from August 15 through 23, with events taking place throughout the nine day celebration.<\/p>\n<p>Nisei Week celebrates the history, culture, and traditions of the Japanese American community and helps pass them on to future generations.<\/p>\n<p>On August 15, a coronation ceremony was held at a theater in downtown Los Angeles to select the Nisei Week Queen, who will serve as an ambassador for the Los Angeles Japanese American community this year.<\/p>\n<p>This year, seven candidates were nominated by Japanese American organizations throughout Los Angeles.<br \/>\nThe Queen will be selected by a panel of judges.<\/p>\n<p>The candidates spent about three months preparing for the competition, learning proper etiquette, public speaking, dance, and Japanese traditional culture. On stage, each candidate showcased what she had learned, receiving enthusiastic applause from the packed audience.<\/p>\n<p>During the judging, this year\u2019s Grand Marshal, U.S. Representative Mark Takano, and Parade Marshal and mural artist Robert Vargas were honored.<\/p>\n<p>Mutual Trading, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, Eric Nakano, former executive director of the Little Tokyo Service Center, and two other recipients were honored with the Frances K. Hashimoto Community Service Award for their contributions to the community.<\/p>\n<p>And finally, the results were announced.<br \/>\nThe 2026 Nisei Week Queen was crowned Kara Kimiko Chu.<\/p>\n<p>Ai Grace Kusayanagi was named First Princess.<br \/>\nJacqueline Fujiko Naito was named Miss Tomodachi.<\/p>\n<p>Over the next year, the seven members of the court, led by the Queen, will represent the Los Angeles Japanese American community at events across the U.S. and abroad.<\/p>\n<p>On August 16, the first ever JX Matsuri was held at Weller Court in Little Tokyo.<\/p>\n<p>The event was designed to bring together people of different generations and community organizations.<br \/>\nA variety of attractions were offered, including music, games, food, and open play table tennis.<\/p>\n<p>The Nisei Week Grand Parade, one of the highlights of the festival, was also held that day, drawing large crowds along the parade route.<\/p>\n<p>The parade got underway, led by veterans of World War II and the Vietnam War.<\/p>\n<p>Mikoshi.<br \/>\nTaiko drumming.<br \/>\nCultural groups, including karate organizations.<br \/>\nOther local community organizations.<br \/>\nRepresentatives from Japanese and U.S. government agencies also joined the parade one after another, adding to the excitement.<\/p>\n<p>One of the highlights of the Grand Parade is the Ondo dance, performed by various Japanese dance groups from across Los Angeles as well as community participants.<br \/>\nThis year, the choreography was created by Bando Hidesomi of the Bando Ryu in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n<p>Parade Marshal Robert Vargas is well known in the Japanese American community for his mural of Shohei Ohtani at the Miyako Hotel in Little Tokyo.<\/p>\n<p>Grand Marshal U.S. Representative Mark Takano was first elected in 2012. He has worked on issues including U.S. Japan relations, LGBTQ+ rights, and veterans\u2019 affairs.<\/p>\n<p>Community Service Award recipients also joined the parade and waved to cheering spectators.<\/p>\n<p>The 2026 Nisei Week Queen and her court, selected the previous day, were also introduced to the crowd, sharing their smiles with the spectators.<\/p>\n<p>The parade came to a spectacular finale with the Nebuta floats.<br \/>\nThis year marks 20 years since Nebuta first joined the parade in 2007.<br \/>\nTo commemorate the milestone, two floats created in Los Angeles, \u201cYoshitsune\u201d and \u201cKintoki,\u201d made their appearance.<br \/>\nAccompanied by the spirited chants of the Haneto dancers, the Nebuta brought the parade to a close.<\/p>\n<p>On August 19, the Nisei Week Pioneer Spirit Award Luncheon was held at a hotel in downtown Los Angeles.<\/p>\n<p>The luncheon honors individuals for their contributions to the community.<br \/>\nThis year, six recipients nominated by various organizations, including Dan Fukushima and Miyoko Hatae, received plaques and certificates of recognition.<\/p>\n<p>From August 15 through 23, the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center hosted exhibitions and hands on activities showcasing Japanese culture.<\/p>\n<p>Visitors could explore ikebana, tea ceremony, bonsai, calligraphy, pottery, and more. The tea ceremony program included demonstrations of tea preparation, as well as hands on experiences where visitors could enjoy matcha and traditional Japanese sweets.<\/p>\n<p>The annual Los Angeles Tanabata Festival was also held during Nisei Week, featuring colorful Tanabata decorations for visitors to enjoy.<\/p>\n<p>On August 22 and 23, the Plaza Festival was held in the plaza in front of the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center.<\/p>\n<p>The venue featured booths offering food, merchandise, and information from various community organizations, showcasing the unique food and culture of the Japanese American community to visitors.<\/p>\n<p>On stage, various taiko groups delivered powerful performances, filling the venue with the lively spirit of a traditional summer festival.<\/p>\n<p>On August 23, the closing ceremony was held, bringing the 84th Nisei Week to an end.<br \/>\nFirst, President Helen Ota expressed her gratitude to the visitors and community members who supported Nisei Week and encouraged everyone to continue visiting and supporting Little Tokyo.<\/p>\n<p>The festival came to a close with the annual Street Ondo.<br \/>\nJapanese dance groups, the Nisei Week Queen and her court, Consul General Kosei Murota, and community participants joined together in the circle to dance the Ondo.<br \/>\nWith smiles all around and lively singing filling the air, the 84th Nisei Week came to an end.<\/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] August 30th 2026 O.A. [\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text] [\/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text] 2026 Nisei Week The 84th Nisei Week Japanese Festival was held in Little Tokyo from August 15 through 23, with events taking place throughout the nine day celebration. Nisei Week celebrates the history, culture, and traditions of the Japanese American community and helps pass them on to future <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/jhollywoodnet.com\/en\/socaljapan\/2026-08-30\/\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":23179,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"socaljapan_category":[376],"socaljapan_tag":[],"class_list":["post-23171","socaljapan","type-socaljapan","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","socaljapan_category-2026-08-august"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jhollywoodnet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/socaljapan\/23171","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=23171"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/jhollywoodnet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/socaljapan\/23171\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23180,"href":"https:\/\/jhollywoodnet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/socaljapan\/23171\/revisions\/23180"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jhollywoodnet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23179"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jhollywoodnet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"socaljapan_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jhollywoodnet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/socaljapan_category?post=23171"},{"taxonomy":"socaljapan_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jhollywoodnet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/socaljapan_tag?post=23171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}