60th Annual Nisei Week Japanese Festival

Congratulations to Tricia Tanaka, crowned Queen of Nisei Week 2000. Erin Nomura is First Princess, and Jill Kadonaga is Miss Tomodachi.

Tricia Tanaka Nisei Week Queen	Erin Nomura First Princess	Jill Kadonaga Miss Tomodachi

Dates for the 60th Annual Nisei Week Japanese Festival were set at an earlier date this year. "We had to schedule the festival earlier because of the Democratic Convention," explained Tim Itatani, the 1999 Nisei Week General Chair who will continue to lead the festival next year. The Democratic Convention will be held in Los Angeles in August of 2000. "We hope to make Nisei Week 2000 the best festival to date."

Nisei Week is the longest continuing Japanese cultural event in the mainland United States. Originally started by the Nisei (second-generation Japanese Americans) in 1934 during the Great Depression, the festival was designed to attract business to the Little Tokyo area, as well as promote general goodwill. The forced removal of the Japanese Americans from the West Coast during World War II led to the curtailment of the festival until 1949.

This year, the Street Arts Festival attracted many talented artisans, crafters, businesses, and exhibitors from Southern California, and far reaching communities of Hawaii, continental USA, and Japan. There was involvement from many non-profit clubs, organizations, churches, schools, and universities from the surrounding community. The organizers made use of an extensive data base, media and web site coverage to publicize the festival to wide demographic communities that were interested in attending Nisei Week.

Six young women, representing various regions of Southern California, vied for the Nisei Week Queen title on the Japan America Theater stage during the festival. Representing various Southern California community organizations, these young women comprising the 2000 Nisei Week Court, served as cultural ambassadors for the Nisei Week Japanese Festival and will be serving the Los Angeles Japanese American community throughout the year at functions in the surrounding area as well as in Japan, Hawaii, Washington and Northern California.

Nisei Week began in 1934, with a Queen Pageant added in 1935. The 'pageant' was in the form of a community wide voting process where those who purchased an item at a store or business in Little Tokyo was able to vote for their favorite queen candidate. The woman who had the most votes was crowned queen. In its day the contest was very popular, bringing more interest and revenue to the Los Angeles Little Tokyo community.

Although the contest has changed tremendously over the years, its purpose has not. Nisei Week continues to hold the queen's contest to provide a venue for which young girls can learn and share their cultural identities and represent our community as ambassadors to the greater Southern California area. Each girl learns and develops skills which enhances their public speaking ability, builds poise and confidence and reinforces the concept of teamwork and develops relationships and experiences that lasts a lifetime.

Returning as Queen Chairs this year were Jennifer Ahn Yoshitake, 1986 Nisei Week Queen and 1987 Miss Nikkei International, and Helen Ota, 1989 Nisei Week First Princess. With their background as having gone through the coronation process as well as all the responsibilities and obligations as Nisei Week Court members along with the experience they had gained as Chair's last year, Jennifer and Helen brought a professional quality and new outlook for this year's contestants, which helped unite these girl's as not only representatives of their respective sponsoring organizations but as representatives of the Japanese American community as a whole.

The local Japanese American community honored seven individuals for their accomplishments and service to the community at the 60th Nisei Week Japanese Festival's Pioneer Luncheon, at the New Otani Hotel and Garden in Little Tokyo.

The honorees included Shinta Asami, a leader in innovating the shipping industry; Reverend Kanshu and Mrs. Hiroko Ikuta, husband and wife who together helped to popularize Japanese calligraphy in Southern California; Bill Hideo Kikuchi, a longtime organizer of community events and social groups; Min Nitta, a family farmer who turned his interest in sports to benefiting local youth; Hitoshi Sameshima, a community volunteer for the Japanese American and Pasadena communities; and Shigeto Yamaoka, a founding member of San Fernando Valley Gardeners' Organization.

"These men and women have made long-lasting contributions to our community," said Junko Yamane, who was co-chairing the luncheon. "It gives us great pleasure to recognize them with this honor."

For more information on the festival and its activities, please visit www.niseiweek.org.