Japan Case
Celebrating Japanese cultural heritage in the community.
The Japan Case supports the efforts of local organizations in San Francisco Bay Area and greater Los Angeles, who all share a common goal: to preserve and celebrate Japanese cultural heritage in the community.
All donations from the Japan Case will go toward qualified organizations and their programs, after completing an application process with JINS.
LTSC COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
One of Little Tokyo Service Center's projects is Terasaki Budokan. Its mission is to provide a facility in downtown Los Angeles for youth, families, and seniors that offers sports, community activities and opportunities to connect visitors to Japanese American culture and to a vibrant, sustainable Little Tokyo. The Inaugural Terasaki Budokan Golf Tournament will bring together supporters of the new facility to work towards closing our fundraising gap in anticipation for its grand opening in Spring 2020.
Learn more about LTSC Community Development Corporation at ltsc.org
SAN MATEO SISTER CITY ASSOCIATION
San Mateo Sister City Association was established to promote good relations and build bonds between two very unique cities: San Mateo, California and Toyonaka, Japan. They have a youth baseball exchange program, a legacy that began in 1979, where every other year the cities rotate host duties in a unique athletic and cultural exchange. In July 2019, twenty players from San Mateo will visit Japan to play with the Toyonaka All Star baseball teams.
Learn more about San Mateo Sister City Association at www.smsistercity.com
HAKONE FOUNDATION
The Hakone Foundation is dedicated to conserving and enhancing Hakone Estate and Gardens for enjoyment and benefit of the public in the San Francisco Bay Area to preserve its Japanese authenticity for future generations. It aims to promote a deeper understanding of Asian cultures and to serve as a global forum for art, music, culture, and ideas.
Learn more about the Hakone Foundation at www.hakone.com
JAPANTOWN PRODUCTIONS
Japantown Productions designs and develops engaging and immersive educational experiences about Japanese American history and culture. Rather than having people learn through traditional learning channels, such as textbooks or lectures, their educational programs engage people of all ages in historical and cultural content.
Japantown Productions is an affiliate of Game Train Learning, Inc., a nonprofit educational organization focused on promoting game-based learning in education.
Learn more about the Japantown Productions at japantownproductions.com
LOS ANGELES TANABATA FESTIVAL
The Los Angeles Tanabata Festival fosters Japanese culture, and features giant 7-foot Kazari - colorful, huge decorations with streamers handcrafted out of washi paper and hung from bamboo poles. The decorations are created by a variety of entities including government, community and non-profit organizations; businesses, schools, churches, Japanese prefectural organization, families and individuals.
Learn more about the Los Angeles Tanabata at www.tanabatalosangeles.org
GARDENA VALLEY JAPANESE CULTURAL INSTITUTE
GVJCI provides a space to engage, share, and embrace the Nikkei experience and culture. The GVJCI envisions a vibrant network and a welcoming space for all who are interested in Japanese heritage and culture where history and tradition are honored, people are inspired to create action and change, and cultural pride and respect for all humanity are promoted. The GVJCI Matsuri is an annual festival that brings together all ages celebrating the Japanese cultural heritage with great food, games, cultural demonstrations and entertainment, and family fun!
Learn more about the GVJCI at www.jci-gardena.org
EAST SAN GABRIEL VALLEY JAPANESE COMMUNITY CENTER
The East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Community Center (ESGVJCC) is dedicated to foster and preserve the cultural heritage unique to Japanese American ancestry, and to serve the community through social services, artistic, recreational, and educational programs. One of their biggest events is the Family Health Fair that focuses on preventative health care and well-being for families. It also provides Japanese food cooking demonstrations on healthy eating at home.
Learn more about the East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Community Center at esgvjcc.org
KIZUNA
Kizuna's mission is to educate, empower, and engage the next generation of the Japanese American community, with the aim of developing strong leaders for our community's future. Founded in 2011 by a group of young Japanese American community leaders in Los Angeles's Little Tokyo, Kizuna's programs teach Japanese and Japanese American culture, history, traditions, and values, while equipping individuals with the skills and opportunities to make lasting impacts in their community.
Learn more about the Kizuna at ww.gokizuna.org/
JAPAN AMERICA SOCIETY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
JASSC was founded to build economic, cultural, governmental and personal relationships between the people of Japan and America. They host multiple events every year, including their 50th anniversary Japan America Golf Classic. Proceeds support educational workshops for low-income children in Greater LA area such as the Hitachi Japanese Kite workshops, and US-Japan related programs focused on business, public affairs, youth education, cultural and social events.
Learn more about the JASSC at jas-socal.org
APA Herritage Foundation
Every year, the month of May is celebrated as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. The APA Heritage Foundation is dedicated to coordinating San Francisco's annual official celebration of APA Heritage Month and promoting Asian Pacific American community collaborations.
Learn more about APA at apasf.org
NICHI BEI FOUNDATION
The Nichi Bei Foundation is an educational and charitable NPO dedicated to keeping the Japanese American community connected, informed and empowered - primarily through a community newspaper called the Nichi Bei Weekly, their website, and educational programs. Every summer, they host The Northern California Soy and Tofu Festival, which is an exciting culinary and cultural event that serves as the signature fundraiser.
Learn more about Nichibei Foundation at nichibei.org
TIGERS YOUTH CLUB
The Tigers Youth Club provides youth in our community the opportunity to compete in organized sports. Their sports programs promote sportsmanship, development of good character, self confidence, as well as social and athletic skills. The Tigers Youth Club encourages the development of young adults in our community while providing scholarships to help further their education.
Learn more about Tigers Youth Club at tigersyouthclub.com
VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS
Visual Communications (VC) is dedicated to the honest and accurate portrayals of the Asian Pacific American peoples, communities, and heritage through the media arts. Their mission is to develop and support the voices of Asian American and Pacific Islander filmmakers and media artists who empower communities and challenge perspectives. Every year, they present the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival at select cinemas in the Los Angeles area.
Learn more about the Visual Communications at vconline.org
Pictured are Bob Nakamura, founder of Visual Communications, and his wife Karen Ishizuka.
JAPANESE AMERICAN CULTURAL & COMMUNITY CENTER
Japanese American Cultural & Community Center is a hub for Japanese American arts and culture, and a community gathering place for the diverse voices it inspire. One of the festivals JACCC celebrates is Fiesta Matsuri, which combines the Children's Day celebrations of two communities - Kodomo no Hi in Japan and Dîa de los Niños in Mexico. Both holidays celebrate the growth, happiness, and success of children.
Learn more about the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center at jaccc.org/
Photo credit: Linda Kranz courtesy of JACCC
GENRYU ARTS
Based in SF Japantown, GenRyu Arts teaches 4.5 year olds up to 80 year olds the tradition of kumi-daiko, minyo uta and odori. They average 15-50 performances a year bringing community performances to instill a sense of responsibility for the youth to continue and develop leadership skills.
Learn more about GenRyu Arts at genryuarts.org
Photo credit: Battista Remati, loomflux.com
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF TAKO AGE
Each year, the International Association of Tako Age flies giant Japanese kites made of bamboo and mino paper at the Berkeley Kite Festival. The Festival itself has a 32 year history. They introduce Japanese culture through making and flying giant Hamamtsu kites in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Learn more about the International Association of Tako Age at takoageusa.org
SOKO TARU MIKOSHI REN
Soko Taru Mikoshi Ren’s purpose is for cultural communication between Japan and the US and to be the bridge for both countries. Celebrating 50 years alongside San Francisco’s Cherry Blossom festival, the Mikoshi was carried at the first festival back in 1968. This is the only Taru Mikoshi of its kind in the U.S. It is believed that the more the Mikoshi is rocked back and forth and moved from one side of the street to the other, the more blessings are bestowed on festival-goers.
Learn more about Soko Taru Mikoshi Ren at facebook.com/TaruMikoshiRen
NCAL CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL
Each year, over 200,000 people attend this dazzling display showcasing the color and grace of the Japanese culture and the diversity of the Japanese American Community.
Learn more about the NCAL Cherry Blossom Festival at sfcherryblossom.org
NIHONMACHI STREET FAIR
The Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair considers itself the original “melting pot” of street fairs, with many aspects of Asian-Pacific American life, and San Francisco's cultural life, through performance, tradition, art, music, food, and community outreach. The Nihonmachi Street Fair is proud of its 44 year history in serving the community through education, service, and youth mentorship.
Learn more about the Nihonmachi Street Fair at nihonmachistreetfair.org/
JAPANESE COMMUNITY YOUTH COUNCIL
The mission of the Japanese Community Youth Council (JCYC) is to cultivate and enrich the lives of children and youth from diverse, multi-cultural communities throughout San Francisco and beyond. Every year, JCYC hosts a SF Aloha Run where runners and walkers of all abilities will enjoy Hawaiian music, entertainment and tasty Aloha treats. The funds raised will support JCYC's children and youth services in San Francisco.
Learn more about the JCYC at jcyc.org
OSAKA SISTER CITY ASSOCIATION
The mission of San Francisco Osaka Sister City Association is to introduce Osaka's unique culture, increase businesses for Japantown merchants in SF and raise awareness of Japanese community groups within the Bay Area. They recently hosted the San Francisco Osaka Matsuri, which celebrated the 60th anniversary of San Francisco - Osaka Sister City relationships, where participants learned and experienced the culture and traditions of Osaka and Japan.
Learn more about the San Francisco Osaka Sister City Association at sf-osaka.org