JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles Forum Held at Japanese American National Museum

On Monday, Sept. 12, JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles held the “JAPAN HOUSE L.A. Forum” at the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo. The forum’s theme was “Culture Startups: Launching JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles” with two panels consisting of JAPAN HOUSE advisory team members from Japan and established art and gastronomy personalities from the States.

The event opened at the Tateuchi Democracy Forum with welcome remarks from the Consul General of Japan in Los Angeles, Akira Chiba. He envisioned JAPAN HOUSE L.A. as a wonderful addition to an already remarkable location. Ms. Yuko Kaifu, President of JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles, followed with an exploration of the vision of the project. She described the meaning of the JAPAN HOUSE logo, saying that it is a stylized interpretation of the number “one (ichi)” meant to represent the idea that “in the many we discover a oneness,” referring in part to the many aspects of Japanese culture creating a single sensibility and the many elements involved with the project coming together under one roof.

The two panels consisted of presentations moderated by Dr. Duncan Williams, Executive Vice President and Planning Director of JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles. The first panel, “Space/Design: Portals for Discovery,” consisted of presentations by Mr. Junji Tanigawa, Founder and CEO of JTQ and lead designer of the JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles space; Mr. Rich Cherry, Deputy Director of The Broad; Ms. Elizabeth Sullivan, President of PACE Palo Alto and PACE Art+Technology; and Mr. Edward P. Gallagher, President and CEO of Scandinavia House in New York. The second panel, “Curating Taste,” consisted of presentations by three speakers from Tokyo: Mr. Shujiro Kusumoto, President and CEO of Café Company; Mr. Masaki Yokokawa, CEO of Welcome Co., Ltd.; and Mr. Kenichi Watanabe, Founder of Genki Japan. They were followed by Mr. Sylvan Mishima Brackett, Chef and Owner of Izakaya Rintaro in San Francisco.

The JAPAN HOUSE L.A. Forum was immediately followed by a reception at the Japanese American National Museum’s Aratani Central Hall where audience members interacted with the JAPAN HOUSE creative team and other panelists.

JAPAN HOUSE is a new international project launched by Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs with three separate locations being planned in Los Angeles, London, and Sao Paolo. JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles will open at its Hollywood & Highland location in 2017. More information about JAPAN HOUSE can be found at http://www.japanhouse.jp.