Team Kawachi Ondo made their Nisei Week debut in 2024 and will return for this year’s Closing Ceremonies on Aug. 23.
Team Kawachi Ondo of the L.A. Kansai Club will once again participate in three official events of the Nisei Week Japanese Festival: the Grand Parade, the JACCC Plaza Festival, and the Closing Ceremony and Street Ondo.
Through live music and traditional Bon Odori dances from across Japan, the group will celebrate the richness of Japanese folk culture while honoring the Japanese American community and its enduring traditions.
The group will first join the Nisei Week Grand Parade on Saturday, Aug. 16, at 4 p.m. as part of the Public Ondo Group. Last year, 16 members dressed in colorful yukata delighted spectators as they danced through the streets of Little Tokyo. This year, Team Kawachi Ondo looks forward to once again bringing the joyful spirit of Bon Odori to one of Southern California’s most beloved Japanese American celebrations.
On Saturday, Aug. 22, at 4 p.m., Team Kawachiondo will perform at the JACCC Plaza Festival, presented by the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center. The program will feature “Kawachi Ondo” and other Japanese music together with traditional folk songs and Bon Odori dances from different regions accompanied by live music and singing. This year, they have invited Mike Penny, one of the most renowned Tsugaru shamisen players, and L.A. Dreams.
The group will also make its third consecutive appearance at the Nisei Week Closing Ceremony & Street Ondo on Sunday, Aug. 23, at 5 p.m. During its debut in 2024, Team Kawachi Ondo performed three dances, including “Kawachi Ondo.” Last year, the program expanded to eight dances, featuring the popular “Pokémon Ondo” and drawing participants of all ages and backgrounds into the dance circle.
This year’s Street Ondo program will feature four dances by Great Leap, led by Nobuko Miyamoto and Nancy Sekizawa, followed by Rayko Takahashi leading “Ue wo Muite Arukou” (also known as “Sukiyaki”). Team Kawachi Ondo will then present approximately ten Bon Odori dances from across Japan, including “Kagoshima Ohara Bushi,” accompanied by live musicians and singers.
Together, the performers hope to recreate the vibrant community atmosphere that has long been a cherished tradition of Nisei Week while celebrating the diversity of Japan’s regional Bon Odori and folk dance traditions.
“Bon Odori is more than a performance — it’s a living folk tradition where everyone, from children to seniors, can join the dance circle together,” said Fumio Maruyama, president of L.A. Kansai Club. “For generations, Nisei Week has preserved and celebrated the heritage of Japanese Americans through culture and community. We are honored to share Bon Odori as a tradition that brings people together, remembers our ancestors, and celebrates the cultural roots that connect Japan and the Japanese American community. We warmly invite everyone to join us in Little Tokyo and experience the joy of dancing together.”
For more information about L.A. Kansai Club and its activities, email lakansai.club@gmail.com.