June

June 1—Sponsored by the South Coast Bonsai Association a bonsai lecture will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. at the South Coast Botanic Garden, 26300 Crenshaw Blvd. in Palos Verdes Penninsula. Bonsai is the art of dwarfing trees or plants and developing them into an aesthetically appealing shape by growing, pruning and training them in containers according to prescribed techniques. Come learn about this ancient art. Lecture is free. Gate fees apply to non-members. For more information, call (310) 544-6815 or visit 
www.southcoastbotanicgarden.org

June 6— The West Covina Buddhist Temple presents "Shake Me, Wake Me" at their Oldies Dance XXXIII from 8 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. at the East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Community Center, 1203 W. Puente Ave. in West Covina. Tickets are $12 presale, $15 at the door. Music by High Resolution. Drinks will be available for those 21 or older. For tickets or more information, call Joanie at (626) 284-8192 or Lillian at (626) 780-9866.

June 6—AJA Memorial Court Preservation Organization will hold its first fundraising event at 6 p.m. at the JACCC Plaza, 244 South San Pedro St., Little Tokyo. Cost is $65/$70 at the door (dinner is included). Entertainment will be provided and dancing will begin at 8 p.m. and continue until midnight. Late night entrance fee of $20 after 9 p.m. No host bar will be provided. For more information, please contact Chris Segawa (310) 710-8414 or e-mail doowopchris@yahoo.com.

June 6—Japanese American Optimist Club luau at Nishi Hongwanji Temple, 815 E. First Street in Little Tokyo. "Aloha Time" at 5:30 p.m., dinner at 6 p.m,
entertainment at 7:30 p.m. Door prizes and raffle. Tickets only $35 for
adults ($40 at the door), $15 for children under 13. Corporate "Gold Table"
sponsorship opportunities available at $450. For more information, call
Mike Hirahara at (310)371-7544.

June 7— Ooodles of Noodles, a free family festival celebrating the community’s diversity and preserving its cultural heritage, will take place from noon to 4 p.m. at the Torrance Cultural Arts Center, 3330 Civic Center Dr. Presented in the Torino Festival Plaza, the event features music and dance performances, hands-on folk art activities, and noodle tasting of different ethnic cuisines provided by more than 20 restaurants. For more information, visit www.torrnet.com or call (310) 781-7150.

June 13—Nikkei Singles will hold Japan/Bento Night at the Ken Nakaoka Center, 1700 W. 162n St., Gardena from 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. (Dancing only welcome). Music by David Shinjo. Attire: Happi coat, kimono, hakata, etc. (optional). Free dance lessons from 7:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Ondo lesson, ballroom dancing, line dancing and mixer. Please order bento in advance by calling Bea Fujimoto at (323) 935-8640. Last day to order bento is Friday, June 5. Bento is $7. Pick up at reception desk upon arrival. Members: $10 and nonmembers: $12. For questions or further info, contact Bea Fujimoto at (323) 935-8648.

June 13—Glenn & Lezlie Yata's social will be held at the Nishi Buddhist Temple auditorium, 815 East First Street, Los Angeles 90012.  At 6 p.m. there will be a free dance lesson, the Bachata, a new Latin dance; no partner is needed; everyone is welcome. A buffet dinner will be served at 7 p.m., followed by general ballroom dancing. Advance reservations are required.  For ticket information, call Glenn Yata at (714) 896-8405 or Em Yamada at (310) 306-9338.  For information on beginner dance classes, call Em for the Monterey Park area; Haruko Yoshida at (310) 515-1036 for the Gardena area; and Edna Kurihara at (714) 847-1173 for the Norwalk area.  No partner is needed. For more information, visit http://yatadance.com.

June 15—The Japan America Society will be hosting its Centennial Dinner & Gala Celebration from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Globe Theatre in Universal Studios Hollywood. The JAS of Southern California was founded in 1909 to build economic, cultural, governmental and personal relationships between the people of Japan and America. For more information, visit www.jas-socal.org or call (213) 627-6217

June 20-21—The Venice Japanese Community Center, 12448 Braddock Dr., will be holding its annual Summer Festival. Activities include the ondo, martial arts, cultural exhibits, games, White Elephant and plant sales, and a drawing for cash and gifts. Ondo practice to be held on Thursday and Saturday evenings, June 4 through June 18, from 7-8:30 p.m. at the VJCC. For information, call (310) 822-8885 or visit www.vjcc.com.

June 21— Pasadena Buddhist Women's Association will be selling their delicious chirashi for Fathers Day at the Pasadena Buddhist Church,
1993 Glen Ave. in Pasadena. Costs each order is $4. Special orders (you bring the plate, and they’ll put the chirashi on it and it will look homemade). Pre-Orders due by June 14th. Download the order form at
www.japanese-city.com/calendar/events/a_jt_2009Chirashi.pdf  For more information, call (626) 798-4781 or visit www.janet.org/~pjci/PasadenaBuddhistChurch/pbc.html

June 26—The 2009 South Bay F.O.R. Junior Golf Clinic sign-up deadline is June 16. The golf clinic, for golfers between the ages of 6-15 years old, will be six weeks in length and held on consecutive Thursdays at Dominguez Golf and Practice Center, 19800 S. Main St. in Carson. It will begin on June 26 and end on July 31. The clinic will start at 9 a.m. and end with a lunch at noon. On July 31, an optional culminating tournament will be held at the Dominguez Golf and Practice Center. For more information call, (310) 719-1942.

June 27—West Covina Buddhist Temple invites everyone to our own Obon Festival from 2 to 9 p.m. Cultural displays and martial arts demonstrations, as well as jewelry, clothing/craft items will be on sale in the gym. There were will be food booths, farmer's market, and game booths outdoors. The highlight will be the Bon Odori dancing beginning at approximately 7:30 p.m. Please come and participate in this special occasion. For information, call (626) 913-0622 or (626) 960-2566, or visit www.livingdharma.org.

June 27— Maryknoll Karate Bingo Nite will be held on June 27 from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. The event features big cash pots, delicious beef teriyaki (skewered carnival-style), free door prizes, and lotsa fun!   St. Francis Xavier Japanese Catholic Center (formerly Maryknoll), 222 So. Hewitt Street, Los Angeles (2 blocks east of Alameda and 2nd St. in Little Tokyo).  Bingo players must be 18 yrs. or older to play.  For further info contact James Uyeda @ (213) 489-6873.

June 27-28— The annual JCI Carnival will be held on the grounds of the Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute (JCI), 1964 W. 162nd St., Gardena. Attractions include food, games, live entertainment & demonstrations, Japanese cultural arts displays, hands-on activities, nursery & produce sale and much more. Saturday, June 27 Noon to 9pm & Sunday, June 28 Noon to 7:30pm
For information, call (310) 324-6611.

June 27— The Institute for Healthy Aging at Keiro and Partners in Care Foundation present a workshop for Japanese-speaking caregivers, to be held on Keiro’s Los Angeles Campus at 325 S. Boyle Ave., Los Angeles 90033. The conference will include a health and wellness resource fair, an educational presentation for caregivers, lively entertainment, and a healthy lunch. The health and wellness resource fair will provide free screenings for blood glucose, blood pressure, osteoporosis, and more.  Kanako Kusano, director of IHA, will give an educational presentation on caregiving. The program, which will be conducted in Japanese, will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. To RSVP, please call Kanako Kusano at (323) 980-2353 or e-mail kkusano@keiro.org.

Readers who wish to publicize events for their non-profit organizations in the Community Calendar are encouraged to send in news releases--in one brief sentence containing the essential facts--to Community Calendar, English Section, The Rafu Shimpo, 138 Onizuka Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012, or e-mail to ngunji@rafu.com