Cherry Blossom Festival

Maho- “Don't you think Sakura in September is a little late? This festival was delayed for 6 months due to the disaster in Japan” This festival started 9 years ago as an effort to expose the Japanese culture to America and bridge generations. The 2-day event included performances such as Martial Art and booths from various Nikkei businesses. 2 weeks prior to the scheduled date in April, the disaster in Japan hit and 6 months later at the event, a booth calling out for Japan's aid was set up. Maho- “You can purchase an origami for one dollar at the festival. The donations will go to the Japan Earthquake Relief.” Each paper crane is made by volunteers and made with hopes for Japan's recovery. These cranes will be sent to Japan along with the donations. The Cherry Blossom Festival plans to continue this relief effort for 4 years.

Japanese Skincare Expert Chizu Saeki - Event

Chizu- “Don't throw it away! The oil that comes out of your body is a wonderful oil that prevents dryness! Take that oil and put it below your eyes” On September 18th, Japanese skincare expert, Chizu Saeki held a special event. Chizu owns a beauty salon and has published many books about beauty. She has sold over 4 million books.and has appeared in many Japanese TV shows as well as events. Her passion stems from her hopes of making every women pretty, 500 people gathered for her first event in America. They all enjoyed her lecture full of tips and humor. Chizu Interview “Regardless of your age, every women is interested in beauty. So when I saw people leaning forward to listen, or taking notes and just enjoying my lecture as they laugh and even touch my face. I am just filled with joy. Chizu- “Thank you very much! Please become beautiful!” This event full of great information will be aired on UTB during our special programming before or after new years.

JCHA

On September 18th, JCHA, the Japanese Community Health Association held its 21st Nursing Scholarship Luncheon in Torrance. Under the leadership of Dr. Fred Sakurai, JCHA is a nonprofit organization that voluntarily supports Doctors, Nurses, and those in the Medical field. JCHA has provided scholarships towards bilingual nursing students as a way to meet the demands of Japanese speaking nurses. This year, 6 students received the scholarship award. Emi Fuyuki Interview- “I think it's very hard when things are explained in English at a hospital and when you are ill it becomes stressful not knowing what is going on. So I am fortunate that I will be able to care for those in Japanese.” JCHA also provides free medical consultation, health screening for the Hiroshima, Nagasaki nuclear bomb survivors, supports the health faire, and more. Also, they are very active as volunteers in the Japanese American community.

Asian Small Business Expo

The 12th Annual Asian Small Business Expo took place on September 24th. There were 12 seminars and workshops for those small business owners and people interested in the feature. This event was produced by APISBP, Asian Pacific Islander Small Business Program and the U.S. Federal Government smaller business ministry. More than 40 companies participated in the booths and appealed their business in LA. Out of many Korean and Chinese booths, there were only 2 booths from the Japanese companies, same number as last year. Yoshio Aoki Interview- “As the Korean and Chinese population grew so did their small businesses. For the Japanese Americans to start their own business here, they should not focus on the Japanese group but think about other groups such as Korean and Chinese populations.” The Expo was held for 6 hours and a total of 515 people attended and exchanged information regarding business.