THE APPA Newsletter

March 13, 2007

See This Weekend

MISSION STATEMENT:

Promote full utilization of the capabilities of the Enterprise's employees and champion the betterment of the company and community. Promote interest in Asian Pacific issues and culture and act as a bridge to all groups within our community. (substitute in your Enterprise and company, etc…)

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ed. by Douglas Ikemi

(dkikemi@pacbell.net)

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Back issues of the newsletter for all of 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005 are available at http://www.ikemi.info/APPA/newsletters.html if you want to look up some past event. The website www.apa-pro.org no longer exists. This newsletter was originally published under the auspices of the Hughes Asian Pacific Professional Association (no longer extant). It currently has no affiliation and is available to anyone who is interested in downloading it.

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Please send in information on cultural events and news items to dkikemi@pacbell.net or dkikemi@mac.com . Thanks to those who have.

Long range calendar items:

Chinatown Farmers Market EVERY THURSDAY FROM 2-6PM, the Chinatown Farmers' Market takes place at Hill & Alpine bringing fresh fruits and produce by California Farmers to the Chinatown Community. FRIED BANANA, FRIED YAM, HAWAIIAN CHICKEN. We invite you to come and experience the Chinatown Farmers' Market. Free parking with purchase.

The Downtown Arts District/Little Tokyo Farmers' Market

Weller Court 2nd & San Pedro in

Little Tokyo Summer Hours 10-3pm

Features fresh produce, Hawaiian Chicken, more food gifts...and live jazz band.

Tuesdays from 10 a.m.- 3 p.m.

The weekly market is held every Tuesday from 10 a.m.- 3 p.m year round, rain or shine.

Sponsored by LARABA the market will include farm-fresh produce, Asian produce, organic produce, eggs, seafood, cheese, olives, olive oils, flowers, plants, bread and prepared foods and more.

Hawaiian Chicken, Roasted corn on the cobb

Local businesses interested in having a prepared food booth at the market or individuals interested in volunteering at this non-profit event, please contact Susan Hutchinson at 323-660-8660 for more information

Los Angeles Public Library Celebrates our DiverseCity

http://www.lapl.org/kidspath/events/diversecity/index.html

March 17 - July 29, 2007

Tokyo ADC Exhibition

A blend of pop, tradition and innovation, this exhibition provides a glimpse into the world of Tokyo Advertising Director's Club. Tokyo ADC promises to showcase some of the most trend-setting minds in commercial visual arts in the world today through examples of logos, print and television advertising, and book and product design.

Simple avant garde, comedic and crisp; the competition to stay ahead of the game is so intense, that these commercial artists explore and discover new ways, and new twists on a few old ways of delivering their products to the consumer market.

George J. Doizaki Gallery

Admission Free

Gallery Hours:

Tuesday - Friday, 12 noon to 5pm

Saturday & Sunday, 11am to 4pm

Closed Mondays & Holidays

Tales of Krishna Exhibition at LACMA Through July 2007

The South and Southeast Asian Art Department presents an exhibition on the representation of Krishna and his legendary deeds in the visual arts throughout India. Drawn primarily from LACMA's renowned collection of South Asian art, the exhibition consists principally of opaque watercolor paintings and drawings, but also includes sculptures in a variety of media, decorative artworks, and ritual objects associated with annual festivals devoted to Krishna. The thematically organized exhibition explores various aspects of Krishna's life, Including his miraculous birth, childhood pranks, heroic exploits, and romantic dalliances.

10:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Los Angeles County Museum of Art 5905 Wilshire Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90036

Cost: Free

www.lacma.org

FACES OF BATTLE: Japanese Prints from the Permanent Collection

On display from May 26 - September 26, 2006

This installation explores the themes of samurai virtue in conflicts ranging from legends of pre-history to epic moments of civil war in the late 19th century.

The thirty woodblock prints from the installation are also presented online in an interactive feature with stories of the protagonists, zoom screens enabling close inspection of the images, and a brief biography of the influential printmaker Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839-92).

http://collectionsonline.lacma.org/MWEB/about/japan_about.asp

Los Angeles County Museum of Art

5905 Wilshire Boulevard

Los Angeles, CA 90036

323 857-6000 (general information)

323 857-0098 (TDD) http://www.lacma.org

November 5, 2006 - April 8, 2007 Three exhibits at CAMLA:

Growing Up Chinese American: Childhood Toys and Memories

Our childhood toys and experiences can deeply influence how we remember the past, understand our place in the world in the present, and lead grown up lives in the future. Growing Up Chinese American: Childhood Toys and Memories is an exhibit that explores this relationship by presenting children’s toys from the Chinese American Museum permanent collection and the personal stories of their owners.

By exploring facets of everyday life for children of Chinese descent coming of age in a rapidly changing 20th century America, Growing Up Chinese American presents a complex picture of how childhood can shape our grown up lives in subtle but meaningful ways. The toys and stories featured in the exhibit also suggest by their multiple and varied frames of reference that a broad spectrum of Chinese American childhood experiences exists, and it is from this rich diversity which Chinese American history and Chinese American futures stem.

Exhibit made possible in part through the generous support of Union Bank of California and Megatoys.

Chinese American Citizens Alliance

The Chinese American Citizens Alliance is a national organization whose purpose has been for more than a century to advocate for the rights and promote the well being of the Chinese American community. A group of young men, born in America of Chinese ancestry, formed the Alliance in San Francisco, California in 1895 to fight discriminatory laws fueled by wide spread anti-Chinese sentiment in the late 19th Century. Since its inception, the Alliance has generated a broad range of political, social and cultural activities based on its abiding commitment to the Chinese American community. Youth programs focusing on civic duty, community awareness, and cultural pride have been a large part of the Alliance's repertoire of community-wide activities. On display in this new exhibit are objects ranging from artifacts to historic collateral materials provided by the various Alliance Lodges located throughout the Unites States.

Celebrate! Chinese Holidays Through the Eyes of Children

The Chinese American Museum and the Chinese American Citizens Alliance (CACA), a pioneering national civil rights organization, present Celebrate! Chinese Holidays Through the Eyes of Children—an exhibit of original artworks about Chinese festivals and celebrations made by school children across the United States. Ten years after the CACA’s original 1995 National Art Competition, these vibrant winning images are brought together again in Celebrate! to signal the exciting return of this nation-wide art contest in 2007, a joint project between CAM and the CACA.

The children’s images featured in this exhibit, all of which garnered awards and special mention in the CACA National Art Competition, celebrate Chinese tradition, the diversity of American culture as seen from a young person’s point of view. Celebrate! also honors the creativity of all the contestants whose artful interpretations of Chinese festivities demonstrate that customs can link us to our history and inspire wonder about what our future holds.

Exhibit made possible through the generous support of the Nissan Foundation and the Chinese American Citizens Alliance.

http://www.camla.org/exhibits/exhibits.htm

Museum Front Desk: (213) 485-8567

An Urban Oasis: The Orange County Agricultural and Nikkei Heritage Museum at the Fullerton Arboretum

Spotlighting the rich agricultural legacy of Orange County and the Japanese American community’s contributions to that chronicle.

Sowing Dreams, Cultivating Lives: Nikkei Farmers in Pre-World War II Orange County.

Opens February 10, 2007.

The Orange County Agricultural and Nikkei Heritage Museum has been built on the grounds of the Fullerton Arboretum and has been designed along the lines of a packing house. California State University, Fullerton, and the Fullerton Arboretum are working together to open the museum to the public. The inside of the building is divided into four sections: Nikkei, Pioneer, Educational, and Transportation and Geography. There is a small bookstore and the Potting Shed will move its plant sales adjacent to the bookstore alcove.

The museum will highlight the history, development, and impact of agriculture, as well as the contributions of the Japanese American community and the local pioneer families, to the growth of Orange County. This introductory exhibit will be a peek into upcoming planned exhibitions and will be open throughout the summer.

The first major exhibit will focus on the Nikkei. Sowing Dreams, Cultivating Lives: Nikkei Farmers in Pre-World War II Orange County will journey with the early Japanese immigrants to California, and follow their stories as they establish permanent communities in Orange County by marrying, raising families, founding schools and social groups, and above all, cultivating the land.

Fullerton Arboretum, California State University, Fullerton

1900 Associated Road

Fullerton, California 92831

The Sculpture of Ruth Asawa: Contours in the Air

March 10-May 27

As one of America's most important women artists of the 20th century, Ruth Asawa produced a body of work celebrating the richness and beauty of everyday life through the use of graceful and intricate forms as demonstrated in her famous wire sculptures.

Born on a truck farm in Southern California, Asawa was incarcerated at Rohwer concentration camp in Arkansas during World War II. In the 1940s, she attended Black Mountain College, the famous experimental art school in North Carolina. The Sculpture of Ruth Asawa begins with her earliest sculptures, drawings, and paintings created at Black Mountain College, and highlights the signature wire sculptures that formed her visual vocabulary of looped and tied open forms, which she continued to experiment with throughout her career.

Organized by the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, this exhibition of approximately 43 sculptures and over 20 works on paper constitutes the first complete retrospective of the Ruth Asawa's enduring and richly varied career.

This exhibition is curated by Daniell Cornell, Curator of Fine Arts at the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco.

In the Weingart Foundation Gallery, Dr. & Mrs. Edison Miyawaki Gallery and Taul & Sachiko Watanabe Gallery

The Los Angeles presentation of The Sculpture of Ruth Asawa: Contours in the Air is made possible, in part, by the generous support of The Henri & Tomoye Takahashi Charitable Foundation, the Aratani Foundation, and The James Irvine Foundation. Additional support was provided by Ernest & Kiyo Doizaki, Mariko O. Gordon & Hugh Cosman, and Hazel & Kokki Shindo. Media sponsors: Los Angeles Downtown News, LA 18 KSCI-TV, and The Rafu Shimpo.

JAPANESE AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM

369 East First Street

Los Angeles, California 90012

phone: (213) 625-0414

fax: (213) 625-1770

Wed Mar 21, 2007 7:30 PM José Iturbi

Gold Medal Series

Naoko Takada, marimba

Tokyo-born marimbist Naoko Takada is a "First Prize" recipient in the Young Concert Artist International Audition and the winner of the "Beracasa Foundation Prize." She first appeared as a soloist with the Tokyo Symphony and the Tokyo Chamber Orchestra at the age of 11, and has since appeared with the Houston Symphony, the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony, and the China National Symphony Orchestra.

“Naoko Takada plays a thrilling marimba, moving with speed, grace, and extraordinary accuracy. If you have any doubts that a solo mallet instrument can sustain your attention throughout an entire concert, Takada might make you change your mind.” -- The Washington Post

Program

Séjourné - Katamiya

Inamori - Bronze at the Temple from Japanese Folk Songs, Series I

Ewazen - Northern Lights

Marcellino - Remeleixo Choro No.1, Choro No. 3, Choro No. 9 (Arranged by Gordon Scott)

Bach - Gavotte en Roundeau from Partita in E Major, No. 3 for solo violin (Arranged by Naoko Takada)

Schmitt - Ghanaia

Fowler - Michiyuki (The Road to Death) from Chikamatusu's Love Suicides at Sonezaki

Piazolla & Sammut - Libertango - Variations on Marimba

Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts

12700 Center Court Drive -- Cerritos, CA 90703

Info Line: 562.916.8501 Ticket Office: 800.300.4345 or 562.916.8500

or e-mail us at: TicketOffice@CerritosCenter.com

Thrsday March 22, 2007 Sake Festival in Los Angeles

2:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. B to B Event (Media, Restaurants, Supermarket etc)

6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. B to C Event (General Public)

Recently with the spread of Japanese food, Japanese Sake has gained some recognition in America as well. There are multiple ways of drinking sake - cold, room temperature, or hot. Premium-grade Sake, such as Junmai, Ginjyo, and Daiginjyo, have all gained much appreciation. However, even with all their attractiveness, as premium-grade sake is only distributed in a limited number of Japanese restaurants and has not been as popular as wine in American restaurants or households.

At this time, using "Introducing Sake to the mainstream American market" as a key phrase, we are estimating that over 350 brands of Sake will be featured at this event.

This event can be an opportunity to introduce the attractiveness of Sake and expand its market appeal, as well as a chance to promote better understanding between the U.S. and Japan within a very pleasant ambience.

Le Meridien Beverly Hills -Ballroom

465 S. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles, CA

Sake Festival in Los Angeles Executive Committee

(310)592-2686 or email:sake@usjrf.org

March 24 Craft Class with Ryosen Shibata

Punch Art Note Cards

Why buy generic note cards when you can create your own? Design note cards with recycled hole punch confetti. $8 for National Museum members and $13 for non-members, includes supplies and Museum admission. 1-3pm

JAPANESE AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM

369 East First Street

Los Angeles, California 90012

phone: (213) 625-0414

fax: (213) 625-1770

www.janm.org

Saturday, March 24, 2007, 7:30pm

Sunday, March 25, 2007, 2pm

Special JACCC Benefit Performances

The Grateful Crane Ensemble presents

"Nihonmachi: The Place to be"

A musical journey written by Soji Kashiwagi

Grateful Crane Ensemble: Keiko Kawashima, Kurt Kuniyoshi, Darrell Kunitomi, Merv Maruyama, Kerry K. Carnahan, Helen Ota, and Aaron Takahashi

From the Creators of "Camp Dance," The Grateful Crane Ensemble will perform nostalgic Japanese and popular American songs, and will take you to the special place where it all began: Nihonmachi (Japantown). Great for the whole family!

Proceeds from this benefit performance will support JACCC programs.

There will be a reception following both shows on the JACCC Plaza.

For more information visit: www.gratefulcrane.com.

Aratani/Japan America Theatre

$35 Orchestra, $30 Balcony

$30, $27 Jaccc Members, Groups of 10 or more, and seniors

$20 Students with valid ID and Children under 15

This is a J-Town Beat Event and sponsors include FIA Insurance Services, Inc.; Fukui Mortuary; The Pacific Bridge Companies; Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd.; American Airlines and The Rafu Shimpo is the Media Sponsor.

March 25 "Pure Beauty: Judging Race in Japanese American Beauty Pageants" by Rebecca Chiyoko King-O'Riain

Pure Beauty shows how racial and gendered meanings are enacted through the pageants, and reveals their impact on Japanese American men, women, and children. Now based in Ireland, King-O'Riain concludes that the mixed-race challenge to racial understandings of Japanese American-ness does not necessarily mean an end to race as we know it and asserts that race is work -- created and re-created in a social context. Book signing to follow. 2pm

This book will be available for sale through the Museum Store Online in March 2007. You can order by phone at 888.769.5559.

JAPANESE AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM

369 East First Street

Los Angeles, California 90012

phone: (213) 625-0414

fax: (213) 625-1770

www.janm.org

March 31 "Roar of the Tiger: The Legend of Tokyo Rose" by Glenn Conner-Johnson

With a story far more complex than that conveyed by the headlines, Iva Toguri D'Aguino (1916-2006) was maligned and imprisoned only to be exonerated and pardoned later in life. In a new play written by Glenn Conner-Johnson, acclaimed actress, Momo Yashima, portrays the erroneously identified "Tokyo Rose" whose actions still resonate in this time of "unlawful enemy combatants" and heated debates about habeas corpus. Free with National Museum admission. Reservations suggested. 2pm

Sponsored, in part, by the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles.

JAPANESE AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM

369 East First Street

Los Angeles, California 90012

phone: (213) 625-0414

fax: (213) 625-1770

www.janm.org

March 31, 2007 6th Annual CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL

www.cherryblossomfestivalsocal.org

Saturday, 11 am – 10 pm Sunday, April 1, 2007: 11 am – 6 pm

Location: Japanese American Cultural & Community Center, 244 S. San Pedro Street,

Los Angeles, CA 90012

Entrance Fee: FREE

The 6th Annual Cherry Blossom Festival will be on March 31st & April 1st moving from its former location in Pasadena to the streets of Little Tokyo in downtown Los Angeles. This prestigious event is produced by RYOMA,

founded in 2002 for the purpose of administering cultural events to bridge generations and expose the mainstream population to various diverse cultural arts. The festival has donated 100 “Pink Cloud” Cherry Trees to the City of

Pasadena yearly and to date 500 “Pink Cloud” cherry trees have been planted in the city as part of their beautification program. We hope to continue this program in downtown Los Angeles.

March 31 Tokyo City Cup & Japan Family Day

Japan Family Day at Santa Anita Park was started as a way to introduce Japanese traditional culture and to interact with the people of Southern California. Through the years, it has become one of the most popular spring festivals in the area. Featuring cultural events and demonstrations, Japan Family Day has something for everyone. So, be ready to observe, participate and most of all, have fun.

Japan Family Day has something for everyone.

Authentic Japanese cultural events and demostrations will be setup on the Santa Anita Park grounds, featuring the following:

Soma Nomaoi (Samurai Horse Racing)

Time: To be announced

All Day (Exhibition Booth)

Karate (Martial Art)

Time: To be announced

All Day (Exhibition Booth)

Shinkendo (Martial Art)

Time: To be announced

All Day (Exhibition Booth)

Koto (Japanese Harp)

Time: To be announced

All Day (Exhibition Booth)

Taiko (Japanese Drum)

Time: To be announced

(Main Stage)

Origami (Japanese paper craft)

All Day (Exhibition Booth)

Calligraphy (Japanese letterform art)

All Day (Exhibition Booth)

Sado (Japanese Tea Ceremony)

Time: To be announced (Exhibition Booth)

Kado (Japanese Flower Arranging)

All Day (Exhibition Booth)

Visit Japan (Travel Info)

All Day (Exhibition Booth)

Japan Family Day Tokyo City Cup Horse Race

from 10:30 a.m.

Santa Anita Park www.tokyocitycup.com/

Santa Anita Park

Arcadia, CA

805-449-8726

March 31 Lecture and Screenings: Korean and Japanese Animation Today

11:00 am: Aach & Ssipak directed by Bum-Jin Joe

1:30 pm: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time directed by Mamoru Hosoda

Egyptian Theatre

6712 Hollywood Blvd.

Hollywood, CA

323-466-3456

americancinematheque.com/ www.jflalc.org

April ? [usually earlyt] Thai New Year's Day -- Songkran Festival - East Hollywood – [information based on previous years-update for 2007 not yet found]

Free community event

Thai New Year's Festival Location

Hollywood Boulevard

Between Western Ave and Kingsley Drive

East Hollywood, CA 90027

800-921-2595

Outside of Thailand, Los Angeles has the largest communities of Thais. On Hollywood Blvd between Western and Normandie is a stretch of Thai businesses known as "Thai Town." There are over 50 Thai organizations and clubs in the LA that all have hosted various events in the past. In 2003 it was decided to pool their resources and hold one grand event, Thai New Year's Day, the Songkran Festival on the first Sunday of April.

Festival activities include opening ceremonies where Buddhist Monks give blessings and a 200-pound pad thai will be made in a huge six foot wok, There will also be Thai dancing, Thai music, Thai costume contest, cultural workshops, Thai sports demos such as Muay Thai (kick boxing) and Takraw, Thai children's games, and fruit and vegetable carving demos.

April 5 Voices from Okinawa

A Staged Reading by East West Players' Writers Gallery Kama Hutchins, an American graduate student of one quarter Okinawan descent, teaches English in Okinawa and receives an unexpected education in Okinawan-American relations. From the author of Leilani's Hibiscus and Lucky Go Hawaii. 7:30PM

Developing new work and introducing new talent is vital to the creative process at East West Players. Promising new scripts are presented to the public as staged readings that offer a tantalizing glimpse of works that may be developed for the main stage.

JAPANESE AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM

369 East First Street

Los Angeles, California 90012

phone: (213) 625-0414

fax: (213) 625-1770

Saturday, April 7, 2007, 8pm

Top Winners of the International Taiko Contest!

TAIKOPROJECT: (re)generation

Back by popular demand, this exciting ensemble brings its 'state-of-the-art' theatrical production that blends taiko with storytelling, spoken word, music, hip-hop choreography, video multi-media and dance.

For information visit: taikoproject.com.

Aratani/Japan America Theatre

$35 orchestra, $30 balcony

$30,$27 JACCC Members, Groups of 10 or more

$20 Students and children under 15

Japanese American Cultural and Community Center

244 South San Pedro Street, Suite 505

(between 2nd and 3rd Streets)

Los Angeles (Little Tokyo), CA 90012

(213) 628-2725

Aratani/Japan America Theatre Box Office Info: (213) 680-3700

April 14 Ruth Asawa and the Alvarado Art Workshop

Ruth Asawa started an art program at Alvarado Elementary School, the public school her children attended. Co-founded by Sally Woodbridge in 1968, the program included classes in sculpture, ceramics, drawing, mosaic, and painting, and was integrated into the school's curricula. Teachers and parents are invited to learn innovative ways of teaching art to children in an enlightening afternoon that includes a screening of Each One Teach One: The Alvarado School Art Program (directed by Valerie Soe and Asawa), and a presentation by Woodbridge and Paul Lanier, Asawa's son and former Alvarado School student and teacher. Light refreshments to follow. Reservations recommended. 2PM

Made possible, in part, by the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles.

In conjunction with the exhibition The Sculpture of Ruth Asawa: Contours in the Air

JAPANESE AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM

369 East First Street

Los Angeles, California 90012

phone: (213) 625-0414

fax: (213) 625-1770

April 21 ''Mizuhiki'' with Ryosen Shibata

Rescheduled 1-3PM

Design elaborate knots using paper cords--the perfect accessory for decorating a card or gift for that special someone. $8 for National Museum members and $13 for non-members, includes supplies and Museum admission. Reservations recommended.

Made possible, in part, by the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles.

JAPANESE AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM

369 East First Street

Los Angeles, California 90012

phone: (213) 625-0414

fax: (213) 625-1770

April 21, 22 Monterey Park Cherry Blossom Festival at Barnes Park

The 2007 Cherry Blossom Festival Committee and the City of Monterey Park are pleased to present the 10th Annual Cherry Blossom Festival on April 21& 22, 2007 at Barnes Park, located at 350 S. McPherrin Avenue; Monterey Park, CA. Entry to the Festival is FREE.

Planned and coordinated by community volunteers, the Cherry Blossom Festival strives to provide a cultural arts event that offers a forum for learning, entertainment, fun, and support of community.

So take the time to see, hear, and taste a bit of the Japanese and Japanese American culture through a first-hand experience of watching traditional Japanese dancing, hearing the resounding beats of the taiko drums, observing the mastery and various skills of martial arts, participating in the ancient art of the tea ceremony, or buying hand-made crafts or food with an Asian flair. Other highlights of the Festival include games & crafts for children, and numerous cultural displays.

Barnes Park: 350 S. McPherrin Avenue (directly behind Civic Center)

http://www.ci.monterey-park.ca.us/home/index.asp?page=812

Saturday, April 21, 2007 Conserving Culturally Specific Art Works: Conversations and Practice

A discussion around cultural conservation and preservation, this panel is in conjunction with the National Museum's NEA grant to support the conservation treatment of paintings by Benji Okubo, a Nisei artist who painted while incarcerated at Heart Mountain, Wyoming during World War II. Panelists includ Rushmore Cervantes, chief deputy controller -- City of Los Angeles and former general manager of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument; Jo Hill, director of conservation, Fowler Museum at UCLA; Jill Moniz, program manager, Visual Arts, California African American Museum; and Linda Strauss, senior director of Collections, Autry National Center of the American West. Moderated by Leslie Rainer, senior project specialist, Getty Conservation Institute. Following this discussion, Scott M. Haskins, conservator, Fine Art Conservation Laboratories, focuses on the work he performed on the Okubo paintings. A unique opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes view of the conservation process. 2PM

JAPANESE AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM

369 East First Street

Los Angeles, California 90012

phone: (213) 625-0414

fax: (213) 625-1770

April 21 & 22 Bunka Sai Cultural Festival

Torrance Cultural Center

3330 Civic Center Dr. N

Torrance, 90503

Saturday April 21, 2007, 8Pm:  The Stars Of Tomorrow!

Norris Theatre for the Performing Arts

27570 Crossfield Drive, Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274

Eleven year-old violinist Eleanor Dunbar makes her debut with the Asia America Youth Orchestra. Also featured is twelve year-old virtuoso cellist Zachary Wong.

Music Director David Benoit conducts works by Bernstein, Mendelssohn, Benoit, Bizet, and the 1st prize winner of the 5th Annual International Composition for Orchestra Competition.

This concert also features a musical tribute to the incomparable Henry Mancini.

http://www.asiaamericasymphony.org/season.html

Asia America Symphony Association • 608 Silver Spur Road #320 • Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274  tel: 310-377-8977 • fax: 310-377-8949 • aasa@asiaamericasymphony.org

April 26, Jazz Concert: Keiko Matsui

94.7 the WAVE's Live Jazz Thursdays

8:00 & 10:30 pm

Advanced Price: $25.00

Mezzanine Price: $25.00

The Vault

350 Pine Ave Long Beach, CA

562-590-5566

www.vault350.com

Saturday, April 28, 2007 Little Tokyo Walking Tour

Relive history and learn about present-day Little Tokyo with National Museum docents on this historic walking tour. $8 for National Museum members and $13 for non-members, includes Museum admission. Reservations along with comfortable walking shoes and clothes are recommended. Weather permitting.

JAPANESE AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM

369 East First Street

Los Angeles, California 90012

phone: (213) 625-0414

fax: (213) 625-1770

April 28-29 The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books On the UCLA campus

Come join us at the 12th Annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. Free to the public, it occurs the last weekend in April — Saturday, April 28 10am-6pm and Sunday, April 29 10am-5pm — and offers something for all ages and interests. Every year, it adds up to be America's largest and grandest literary event…

130,000+ Passionate Readers 370+ Famous Authors 300+ Popular Exhibitors 900+ Loyal Volunteers 6 Exciting Stages 2 Interactive Children’s Areas

And on Friday, April 27, also join us for the 27th Annual Los Angeles Times Book Prizes, a renowned awards ceremony honoring great and noble writers and their works for 2006. For more information, click here.

Don’t miss the 2007 Festival of Books and Book Prizes Ceremony. Over two festive days and one fascinating evening, come fall in love with the written word in lots of special ways!

http://www.latimes.com/extras/festivalofbooks/

April 29 Screening of The Homeland featuring Mako Iwamatsu.

(2005) 108min., color

Directed by Tonko Horikawa

Takaya Kamikawa, Mako, Yoshino Kimura

Japanese Version (No English Subtitles)

Master director Yoji Yamada, acclaimed worldwide for the "Twilight Samurai," and Mako, teamp up in this new dram about war, homeland, and family. A young man meets an old former Kamikaze pilot (Mako) on a southern island, and becomes involved in a poignant mystery.

For more information visit: www.jlsf.aurora.org

1pm at the Aratani/Japan America Theatre in Little Tokyo. No subtitles, $10, 213-680-3700

Japanese American Cultural and Community Center

244 South San Pedro Street, Suite 505

(between 2nd and 3rd Streets)

Los Angeles (Little Tokyo), CA 90012

(213) 628-2725

Aratani/Japan America Theatre Box Office Info: (213) 680-3700

May 3, 6, 9 & 10 L.A. Asian Pacific Film Festival

23rd Anniversary Edition

VC FILMFEST 2007

The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival features over 100 new and exciting film and video works by Asian and Asian Pacific American Filmmakers. Complete program information will be available April 2007. Ticket and program info VC FILMFEST line (213) 680-4462 x68 or visit www.vconline.org.

Thursday, May 3, 8pm

Opening Night

Directors Guild of America

Sunday, May 6, 8pm

"Tribute to Mako"

Wednesday, May 9, 8pm

World Premiere, VC Digital Posse 2007

Thursday, May 10, 8pm

Closing Night & Awards Ceremony

Aratani/Japan America Theatre

$10 General Admission

$8 JACCC Members, Friends of VC, Students

Aratani / Japan America Theatre

244 S. San Pedro St.

Los Angeles, CA 90012 (Little Tokyo)

213-680-3700  ww.jaccc.org

May 5 Lotus Steps 2007

Royce Hall, UCLA

10745 Dickson Plaza, Westwood

ccdcbruins.com

The Chinese Cultural Dance Club at UCLA celebrates the diversity within Chinese culture with a program of dances from the Han, Dai, Mongolian, Uygur, Wa and Taiwanese aboriginal minorities.

Saturday,: 7 p.m.

Price: Free.

Information: 714-860-0860

May 6 16^th Biennial Awaya-kai Koto Concert

$10

2:00 p.m. at Marsee Auditorium, El Camino College,

16007 Crenshaw Blvd., Torrance.

310-329-5965 Awaya Kai

awayamusic@msn.com

May 08, 2007 Lecture: Rocks in Chinese Culture

At The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens

Robert Mowry of the Sackler Museum at Harvard University will give a slide lecture that explores the use of rocks in Chinese gardens, where they serve as building materials, as sculpture, and as symbolic representations of mountains. Tai Hu rocks, such as those used in the Huntington’s Chinese Garden, are among the most prized. Free. Friends’ Hall. (626) 405-2100.

Tuesday,

Time: 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM

The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens

1151 Oxford Road

San Marino, CA 91108

Cost: Free

Tel: (626) 405-2140

lblackburn@huntington.org

www.huntington.org

Saturday, May 12, 2007, 10am - 4pm

24th Annual Children's Day Celebration

Family FunFest

Annual Children's Day celebration or Kodomo no Hi!

Join us for a fun-filled day for the entire family.

Activities for children of all ages include the Chibi-K: Kids for Kids Run, the San Tai San: 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament. And, the Asian Pacific Arts and Crafts Faire features cultural entertainment, demonstrations, crafts, and games.

This event is co-sponsored by the Little Tokyo Service Center, Little Tokyo Rec Center, and the JACCC.

Asian Pacific Arts and Crafts Faire

Admission Free

Chibi-K: Kids for Kids Fun Run

For more information and to register call jessie Kikuchi (213) 628-2725.

San Tai San: 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament

For ages 7 to 12 years

For more information and to register call Thomas Yee (213) 473-3030.

244 S. San Pedro St.

Los Angeles, CA 90012 (Little Tokyo)

213-680-3700  ww.jaccc.org

Saturday, May 12, 2007, 10am - 4pm

Nikkei Community Day

The First Annual Nikkei Community Day invites Japanese and Japanese Americans from all over the greater L.A. area to come together to celebrate who they are and what they do! Japanese and Japanese community centers and community organizations will share information about their groups, sell food, and participate in a showcase featuring performances and demonstrations including taiko, martial arts, dance, and more.

This event is co-sponsored by the Little Tokyo Service Center, Little Tokyo Rec Center, Ties That Bind, the Nikkei Federation, and the JACCC.

For more information visit the Nikkei Federation website: www.nikkeifederation.org.

Saturday, May 19, 2007, 7:30pm

Special JACCC Benefit Performances

Sounds & Voices of J-Town

June Kuramoto (of Hiroshima)

Daniel Ho with members of Kilauea

Amy Hill ("Tokyo Bound", "Cat in the Hat")

Zendeko Zenshuji (Taiko Ensemble)

Alison De La Cruz (multi-disciplinary artist)

This special celebration features artists from our J-Town Beat Series who have come together to share the stage and show their support for the JACCC.

Proceeds will support JACCC community programs.

There will be a post performance reception following the concert on the JACCC Plaza.

Aratani/Japan America Theatre

Special VIP Seating $100*

$50 Orchestra, $45 Balcony

This production is *(tax deductible to the extent of the law)

JACCC Plaza

Admission Free

May 27 & 28 Exhibition: Santa Anita Bonsai Society

Ayres Hall & Gate & Kitchen

Arboretum of Los Angeles County

301 N. Baldwin Ave.

Arcadia, CA, 91007

626-821-3222

www.arboretum.org

Saturday, June 9, 2007, 8pm

Asia America Symphony Orchestra

David Benoit, Music Director and Conductor

Special Guest Keiko Matsui

Jazz Superstar and Japanese treasure Keiko Matsui performs with Orchestra. Works by Ravel, Copeland and others will complete the program.

For more information visit: www.Asiaamericasymphony.org.

Aratani/Japan America Theatre

$75 VIP orchestra and reception

$35 Premiere orchestra, $25 orchestra and balcony

Aratani / Japan America Theatre

244 S. San Pedro St.

Los Angeles, CA 90012 (Little Tokyo)

213-680-3700  ww.jaccc.org

Dec 1, 2 Japan Expo 2007

See LA Library DiverseCity events at http://www.lapl.org/kidspath/events/diversecity/index.html

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This Weekend (and earlier/later)

Saturday March 17& 18 Katen - Ikebana International

Location: Ayres Hall & Gate

Arboretum of Los Angeles County

301 N. Baldwin Ave.

Arcadia, CA, 91007

626-821-3222

www.arboretum.org

March 18 Barbara Kawakami on Issei Women and Textiles from the Plantation

Groundbreaking researcher, Barbara Kawakami, makes a rare visit to the National Museum for a conversation about the critical role Issei women played in shaping the socio-cultural life of pre-World War II Hawai`i. By "talking story" about women both remarkable and ordinary, Kawakami uses the treasure trove of textiles and oral histories found in her collection to shed light on the legacy of the Issei pioneers. Light reception to follow. Reservations recommended. 2pm

JAPANESE AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM

369 East First Street

Los Angeles, California 90012

phone: (213) 625-0414

fax: (213) 625-1770

www.janm.org

Last weekend (or so) I went to:

The Ruth Asawa exhibit at the JANM (see above)

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Links to selected articles from the LA Times. To actually access the articles, you may have to sign up for a free account.

Dodgers' Kuo unlikely to be penalized for drug-test result

Left-hander tested positive for a banned substance before Asian Games, but it was outside MLB's jurisdiction. His agent says herbal cold remedy was to blame.

By Kevin Baxter, Times Staff Writer

March 13, 2007

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-dodgers13mar13,1,6413277.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

Obama classmates saw a smile, but no racial turmoil

His Hawaii peers had no idea of the inner conflict his memoir describes. They recall a happy kid who fit in.

By Richard A. Serrano, Times Staff Writer

March 11, 2007

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/washingtondc/la-na-obama11mar11,1,7949736.story

Julia Cho, puzzle-maker

Past or present? Imagination or reality? When fitted together, the results can be poignant, funny or bleak. Ghostly memories haunt her new play, 'The Piano Teacher.'

By Karen Wada, Special to The Times

March 11, 2007

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-ca-cho11mar11,1,5264746.story

At this ski resort, only the snow is all white

In a sport not known for ethnic diversity, Mountain High stands tall. Most customers are snowboarders, helping supplement skiing's slow-growing core demographic of white male baby-boomers.

By Mike Anton, Times Staff Writer

March 9, 2007

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-mountain9mar09,1,3974824.story

The American dream is alive at Franklin High

A Highland Park school with a 90% Latino student body is a laboratory for what's possible when everyone works together.

March 12, 2007

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-schoolme12mar12,1,5156735.column

Entrepreneur knows Watts cool -- and sells it

By John L. Mitchell, Times Staff Writer

March 11, 2007

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-watts11mar11,1,5335990.story

Calligraphy finds a shared language