Old Pasadena Holiday Celebration

On November 25th, Holly Street in Old Pasadena, was covered in snow! This is a part of the free event, “Old Pasadena Holiday Celebration”. For the event, 20 tons of snow was made and 2 reindeers joined for everyone to enjoy. Later that night, a 35-foot Christmas tree lit up the town. And the most anticipated part of the event was… Santa! The children cheered as he made a grand appearance from the top of the building. Also, the event gathered new toys and books for the less fortunate children in San Gabriel. Children who donated got to take pictures with Santa and many families attended the event. At the event, around 200 gifts were donated and all will be given out on Christmas Eve.

The 80th Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade

Hollywood, on the other hand... Tamie” The 80th Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade is about to begin! There's so many families and as you can see people are out waiting with blankets. And, there are many people along Hollywood Boulevard as well.” Hollywood Boulevard was closed off for the 2.5 mile parade route. The streets filled with spectators throughout the 9 blocks from Orange Street to Vine. Some even had a tent set up! Finally at 6pm, the parade starts. Tamie: “My favorite character from "Kung Fu Panda" is right behind me! Look over here! He won't look over here!”. The parade had stars from the Disney channel as well as LA Mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa. Also, gigantic balloons of kids favorite characters filled the sky. There was 17 balloons this year, making it the most in the parade's history. It took 2 and a half hours for everyone to march across the red carpet. The parade ended with its grand finale. In the mist of the confetti, Santa appeared! The audience was excited to see Santa up close. Tamie: “Although it is the end of November, it turned out to be a warm night. Regardless, tonight I really felt that Christmas season is here! Happy Holidays everyone!”.

Consul General Jun Niimi Welcome Party

On November 22nd, many familiar faces from the JA community gathered in Little Tokyo. They all gathered for Consul General Jun Niimi's welcoming party. This event was co-sponsored by five major groups, including the US-Japan Council. Around 200 people attended the celebration. Since his appointment on October 8th, Consul General Niimi has actively attended and made speeches at many community events. However, since he was the guest of honor, he seemed tense as he thanked everyone. Consul General Jun Niimi "Seeing so many people here today, I can not help but feel the importance of being the Consul General of Los Angeles." At the end of the ceremony, he politely greeted all of the visitors.

The 13th Annual Reception

Next, a reception is held every year in Torrance, the main area for Nikkei businesses. This is a business gathering organized by the Torrance Chamber of Commerce (TACC), Southern California Japanese companies and JBA. This is held every year around this time. The 13th annual reception was held at the Honda Collection Hall where the past Honda cars are displayed. Also, Miyako Hybrid Hotel Torrance and Gonpachi catered the event. At the event, greetings were made by Frank Scotto, the Mayor of Torrance, Consul General of Japan in LA, Jun Niimi. And others including Tara O'Brien, the chairman of the Torrance Chamber of Commerce, Koichi Kinoshita, President of the JBA, and Takashi Horie, President of the JBA Foundation. Also, as a special guest, Honda’s Humanoid Robot ASIMO, also appeared. ASIMO performed a variety of movements on stage and entertained the audience. More than 300 people attended this year and the reception strengthened the business ties between different companies.