2013 Nisei Week Japanese Festival

Above, Little Tokyo's Japanese Village Plaza.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The annual Los Angeles Japanese festival, Nisei Week is only days away.

About Nisei Week:

The 2013 Nisei Week Japanese Festival is a nine-day event first held in 1934, and is recognized today as one of the longest running ethnic festivals in the United States. This event will take place in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo district from August 10-18. 

The Nisei Week Foundation was established in 1999 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization to oversee and organize the Nisei Week Japanese Festival. The Foundation’s mission is to promote Japanese and Japanese American heritage and traditions while bringing together the diverse communities of Southern California through arts and cultural education. 

For a calendar of events and volunteer information, log on to www.NiseiWeek.org or call the Nisei Week Foundation office at (213) 687-7193. The Nisei Week office is located at 244 South San Pedro Street, Suite 303, Los Angeles, CA 90012.

69th Annual Nisei Week Festival

Above, Los Angeles City Hall from Onizuka Square in Little Tokyo.

August is now here and that means that the 69th Annual Nisei Week Festival will be held in the Little Tokyo section of Los Angeles. The festival starts August 15 and ends August 23 with events spread out in different venues in Little Tokyo.

This year's theme is "A Year of Celebrations." The festival showcases free Japanese cultural events, activities and exhibits that include music, entertainment, food with fun for all ages.

This year, the Nisei Week Festival will have a Tanabata Festival (Tanabata is a Japanese tradition in which people write their wishes on tanzaku (small colored strips of paper) and hang them on bamboo branches that decorate homes, schools and shopping areas), car show, karate exhibit & tournament, kids festival, anime and various cultural exhibits. The grand parade will be held Sunday, August 16. The festival will also have a carnival.

For more information on the 69th Annual Nisei Week Festival, go to www.niseiweek.org.