21st Irvine Global Village Festival Held

On Saturday, October 8, the Consulate-General of Japan in Los Angeles participated in the 21st Annual Irvine Global Village Festival, organized and sponsored by the City of Irvine, and held in Orange County’s Great Park. The Consulate set up a booth to introduce Japanese culture and its partner organizations. In addition to providing free information on affiliate programs such as JET and MEXT, we also distributed the Japanese culture magazine, “Niponica”, along with free information on travel in Japan, courtesy of Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO). Among these resources, there were also pamphlets provided by Tsukuba City, which has a sister city relationship with Irvine.

The Consulate booth’s team was strengthened by a group of volunteers from UC Irvine who helped guests learn more about Japan. Additionally, with the partnership of the Orange County Japanese American Association (OCJAA), instructors of the Sogetsu Ikebana and Bunka Shodo groups gave demonstrations on Japanese flower arrangement and calligraphy. They also gave presentations and workshops that proved so popular, people lined up to participate. It didn’t take long before all classes were fully booked for the day.

Consul General Sone participated in the Dignitary Meet & Greet as well as the Opening Ceremony, deepening ties with Irvine’s Mayor Khan, City Council, and other dignitaries from around the world.
 

Dignitary Meet & Greet	Consulate Booth
Ikebana Workshop	Japanese Calligraphy Workshop
Festivalgoers	Festivalgoers