HONDA Space Science Day　
Learning the Fun of Science

Honda’s Space Science Day was held on April 25, 2009, at El Camino College in Torrance.

This event is held to introduce science to children at an early age, and aims to help children envision dreams as big as space. This year, astronaut Naoko Yamazaki visited the participants and held a Q&A.

There were also man-made robots for the children to learn and have fun at the same time.

Japanese Student Association Athletic Meet
College Students Connecting through Sports

Japanese Student Association, composed of Southern California’s Japanese college students, held their 7th annual athletic meet on April 18, 2009, at Bolsa Chica Beach.

Over 300 students participated from ten universities— some coming as north as Santa Barbara, while others south as San Diego. This annual event is to keep the tradition of Japanese-style athletic meets.

The winning school received a trophy, whereas the last place members were pied in the face!

Despite the results, the students were able to take their minds of their studies and enjoy a day at the beach.

The Mystery of Sake: Jizake Investigation
Contributing to the Community through Sake

On April 23, 2009, a sake-themed charity event “Mystery of Sake: Jizake Investigation” was held at the California Science Center in Los Angeles.

The proceeds of the event benefited the Little Tokyo Service Center, which is a social service and community economic development agency. This organization aids the Southern California Asian American community through projects such as youth and senior services.

Every year, a person or company is awarded the “Fureai Award” to those who have contributed to the community. This year, Japanese food suppliers Mutual Trading received the award for providing the sake every year since the event started.

Over 800 sake enthusiasts participated in the event, which entailed sake-tasting games with jizake straight from Japan. The $100,000 that was raised that night will go back to the community.