PONYO’s U.S. Release
-Hayao Miyazaki Speaks About the Film in Hollywood-

A special screening for Hayao Miyazaki’s “Ponyo” was held at the The El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood on July 20, 2009. Noah Cyrus and Frankie Jonas, who play Ponyo and Sosuke, arrived on the red carpet with a sea of fans awaiting them. Other red carpet arrivals included Frankie’s older brothers, the Jonas Brothers.

As celebrities arrived one after another, Director Miyazaki Hayao appeared at last! He spoke to members of the media about the film. UTB also got a chance to speak with the director.

“PONYO” is a story of adventure and friendship between Sosuke, a 5-year-old boy and Ponyo, a goldfish who dreams of becoming a human.

Kodomo Nebuta Festival
-Nisei Week is Around the Corner-

A press conference was held in Downtown Los Angeles on July 28, 2009, to unveil details of the Kodomo Nebuta Festival.

Preparations for this event started one year ago. The festival’s origin is the Aomori Ｎｅｂｕｔａ Festival, one of the three largest Japanese festivals.

The first time the nebuta was introduced to Nisei Week was in 2007. This year’s floats included various nebuta that the local Japanese American community made, and a 3-meter tall nebuta from Aomori.

The event will also include “Haneto” dancers, which the Nisei Week community is inviting the public to participate in.

This Child Nebuta Festival will be held at Little Tokyo from 7PM on Sunday, August 16th.