- Date
08.27.2023 (Sun.)
- Time
04:00 PM - 08:00 PM
- Location
Ovation Hollywood, Level 2 Center Courtyard
6801 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90028
- Fee
Live Performances | Free
Food & Beverage | For Purchase
Join us in celebrating the 5th anniversary of JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles on Sunday, August 27. With the concept of “What Japan Can Bring to the World's Music Scene,” we will feature a music performance that bridges Japanese and American cultures. We invite you to experience the vibrant atmosphere of a Japanese festival by listening to musical performances, and trying authentic Japanese food and drinks.
HEAR JAPAN
On the main stage, the renowned Japanese musician MIYAVI will be accompanied by taiko drums, tsugaru shamisen, and drums, symbolizing the harmonious fusion between Japanese and Western musical elements. Enjoy the mesmerizing and culturally rich musical experience.
SAVOR JAPAN
In the “Savor Japan” zone, a variety of food and beverage booths will be available. Indulge in popular Japanese street and festival foods, try Japanese teas, sweets and desserts, and enjoy Japanese beer and sake.
Join us for a memorable experience that celebrates cultural exchange, unity, and the power of music to bring people together.
Program
- Pre-Event
- 1:00 PM | Food & Beverage Station Opens
- 1:00 PM | Food & Beverage Station Opens
- 5th Anniversary Event
- 4:00 PM | DJ Opening Act
(Food & Beverage Station remains open) - 5:00 PM | Opening Remarks
- 5:10 PM | Asano Taiko’s Drumming Performance
- 5:30 PM | Mike Penny’s Tsugaru Shamisen Performance
(3-string Japanese instrument) - 5:45 PM | YOYOKA Performance
- 6:30 PM | Special Remarks
- 6:40 PM | MIYAVI Performance
- 7:30 PM | Closing Remarks
- 4:00 PM | DJ Opening Act
*Above schedule is subject to change.
Emcee
Helen H. Ota
Helen H. Ota has been a performing member with the Grateful Crane Ensemble for nearly 20 years. She has traveled with the group to Tohoku, Japan for its Goodwill Tours in 2016 and 2018, and will be returning for another tour this October. She recently joined Asian Persuasian, a five-member Asian American vocal harmony group and enjoys singing classic songs from the 50s, 60s, and 70s while learning about the group’s nearly 50-year history from its two original members. Helen is also known for her comedic performances with ...
Cold Tofu, the nation’s premier Asian American comedy improv troupe, where she served as its Artistic Director for more than 15 years and is currently an improv instructor.
Live Performances by
MIYAVI
MIYAVI is a musician, actor, and philanthropist, bridging cultures across the globe with his music and message. His unique style of guitar playing has taken him on 8 world tours in over 30 countries. Fans refer to MIYAVI as the “Samurai Guitarist.” He has released 13 studio albums over the course of his career collaborating with Grammy winning and Oscar nominated artists from all over the world. MIYAVI has had the privilege of performing at iconic venues including Dodgers Stadium and Kiyomizu temple in Kyoto, Japan.
MIYAVI made his big screen debut in the Oscar-nominated film Unbroken. He has since appeared in the 2017 blockbuster Kong: Skull Island, the Emmy Award winning animation ARCANE, the NetFlix original film KATE and Maleficent 2. He is a panelist on Japan’s version of The Masked Singer. As a brand ambassador, MIYAVI has appeared in campaigns for Beats headphones, fashion house Moncler, Gucci and Dell Computers. He is currently a brand ambassador for American Airlines, the Golden State Warriors, and McLaren. In 2021, MIYAVI released a signature Telecaster with Fender guitars. As a model, he has walked the runway for major fashion houses at both Paris and New York Fashion Week.
MIYAVI continues his important work as a Goodwill Ambassador to UNHCR, visiting refugee camps in Lebanon, Thailand, Colombia and Bangladesh, and performing at the United Nations in New York, spreading the message of the refugee crisis around the world.
Asano Taiko U.S.
Asano Taiko U.S. is a full-service taiko (Japanese drum) facility located in Torrance, CA offering a walk-in store, on-site taiko maintenance and repair, and hands-on taiko classes.
The store also features instruments by American maker, Kato Taiko. On-site repair services provide North American taiko groups with professional maintenance and taiko skinning.
Asano Taiko U.S. is home to Los Angeles Taiko Institute (LATI), a full-time taiko school offering courses to both beginning and experienced players. Taught by professional taiko perfomers, classes are offered every day of the week. A hub for advanced taiko pedagogy, the Institute offers 12-week courses, multi-day intensives, and one-time workshops on a wide range of taiko arts.
YOYOKA
Born in Hokkaido, Japan, 13-year old drummer sensation YOYOKA has been playing the drums since she was one. She gained international attention at the tender age of 8, when she entered the 2018 Hit Like a Girl drum contest with a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Good Times Bad Times” and became its youngest weekly champion. She is the youngest drummer in history to be selected as one of the “World’s Top 500 Drummers” and has since performed with world renowned drummers and artists including Fall Out Boy and Cyndi Lauper and has appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show twice.
In September 2022, YOYOKA moved to the US to pursue her passion for performing on the world stage. Her dreams are to play a session with Led Zeppelin, and to perform at the Super Bowl half time show.
YOYOKA is striving to bring energy and courage to people around the world through her drumming as well as becoming an artist who composes songs and plays a wide variety of instruments.
Photo & kimono by Toshiko Okawa
Mike Penny
Mike Penny is an award-winning tsugaru shamisen performer and composer from Los Angeles, CA. He first studied shamisen from 2004-2005 in Santa Cruz, CA with Kevin Kmetz, and later received the Japan Foundation’s Uchida Fellowship which allowed him to study in Tokyo with the highly respected tsugaru shamisen master Toyoaki Fukushi in 2007-2008. Penny has given hundreds of public performances and workshops throughout Japan and the US, both as a solo artist as well as a member of various ensembles.
Through his many performances and viral video performances on YouTube, he has gained a following for his unprecedented style of shamisen playing which combines traditional and extended techniques in a variety of musical contexts including jazz, Balkan folk, Western classical, and popular music in a fusion of both east and west, past and future. Recently, Mike has been active as a studio musician, contributing his shamisen stylings to projects such as Sony PlayStation’s Ghost of Tsushima OST, Netflix’s Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles, and more.
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/mikepenny01
Tsugu Itagaki (DJ)
Tsugu Itagaki is a Japanese artist born and raised in Kumamoto, Japan.
Tsugu began his Djing career in the early 2000s. Primarily influenced by American musical genres such as Soul, Jazz and Hip-Hop he decided to make the move to Los Angeles in the year 2007 to expand his Djing Career. Being a native of Japan, he has taken notice of the recent rise in popularity and demand for Japanese City Pop music. Music, Tsugu grew up listening to.
Thanks in part to social media sites such as Youtube exposing new audiences to music once only heard in Japan, Tsugu has now made it a mission to help bridge the divide between Japanese artist and Western listeners.
Tsugu can be found djing throughout Los Angeles, including residency at Part Time Lover, Homage Brewery, The Let’s Go! Disco. You can also find him selling records, including hard to find Japanese imports, via his company We Share Records, or check out his playlist on Spotify.
Food & Beverage
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