Asahi Gakuen – Sports day

Under the beautiful blue sky, Asahi Gakuen held its annual Sports day event. 250 elementary to high school students from Santa Monica and their families joined the fun. Asahi Gakuen provides Japanese education for students who may return to Japan so they make the transition smoothly. As a part of that effort, the sports day event was incorporated into the program 30 years ago. At the event, participants enjoyed the different Japanese games. Also, this year, the parents organized and made charity T-shirts to support Japan. Many people participated in the event with their hearts out to Japan.

Ties That Bind

On October 1st, a conference regarding the future of the JA Community was held at JACCC. This started in 1998 when members of the community gathered to discuss issues surrounding the Nikkei community. Around 60 active members of the Nikkei community attended the conference. This is the fourth conference where issues regarding the changing population in the Little Tokyo community was brought up. People were divided into groups and heated discussions took place. Interview: Little Tokyo's Mitsuwa Market is gone now and I have heard about the issues surrounding this. But after attending this conference, I didn't think it was a big issue but now I know it is a big deal. All of the ideas from this conference will be reviewed for the next month's meeting where a specific plan will be made.

Kosetsu Minami Charity Concert

♪The next time my mother visits LA♪ Kosetsu Minami held a charity concert for Japan on October 2nd. The concert was held by Aurora Foundation and his famous songs such as “Kandagawa” and his new song "Ai Wo Isoge”, a total of 14 songs were performed. Kosetsu has held many charity concerts for Japan after the disaster and he has performed around 10 concerts including some in the disaster area. Interviews: In order to continue our support for Japan, we all need to keep a positive spirit. We must all keep that in mind. We need to look forward and live to the fullest. And that will lead to the support of those effected by the disaster in Japan. Kosetsu sang his heart out to the 1,200 people that gathered. “Never give up, JAPAN!”

KIRIN FREE – 0.0% Alcohol

Tamie: “I'm at work but I'm craving beer! In a situation like this, there is KIRIN FREE! “ On October 5th, the World's first 0% alcoholic beverage made its debut in LA. But it's hard to imagine how a 0% alcoholic beer tastes.. To find out first hand, I participated in a blind taste test at the launch event. Out of the 5 beers, I will try to pick out the glass with KIRIN FREE. Tamie: “All of it tastes like beer. I thought I would know right away but it's very hard!” My guess was the C glass. and everyone else had a different pick! …and the answer is... Tamie: “This A glass was the KIRIN FREE! I thought that this was beer with a great, fruity taste but I would never have guessed it as the 0% alcohol beer! It tastes like beer, so I wondered if it really is 100% alcohol free. I asked someone who has been drinking KIRIN FREE to do the breathalyzer. Tamie: “So the result is...0.00! It truly is alcohol free!” Interview: I would drink this beer for its great taste. The fact that it's alcohol free and I can safely drive home is an added bonus. Since KIRIN FREE's debut in 2009, the sales in Japan skyrocketed. In America, the product will appear in sport centers or served as a drink before driving. Tamie: “Okano-san, Inoue-san! Since this is alcohol free, I will bring some back to the studio!”