NEW! VIRTUAL - 2020 Annual Venice (VJCC) Japanese Community Center Natsu Matsuri Summer Festival Newly Listed

Please join us at our VJCC Annual Summer Festival - The Virtual Event! This year’s Virtual Summer Festival will feature demonstrations and interviews from VJCC clubs and members as well as how our clubs and classes are continuing to meet during the pandemic.

The live and videotaped event begins on Saturday, June 27, at 5:00 p.m., and will continue on Sunday, June 28, 2020, at 4:00 p.m. during the Sunny Blue Bento Box pick up. Please click on this link for more information: VJCC Annual Summer Festival Info. 

The virtual festival can be viewed starting at 5:00 p.m. on June 27 right here at VJCC.com!

VJCC Summer Festival Bento Box - Presented by Sunny Blue Restaurant

Partnering with the VJCC for this event is Sunny Blue restaurant who will provide Omusubi Bento boxes as a fundraiser for the VJCC Operating Fund.  Sorry if you were unable to place your pre-order, as the deadline was Friday, June 19, and Sunny Blue is no longer accepting any more orders.  For those of you who have already placed your pre-order, the bento boxes will be distributed on Sunday, June 28, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the VJCC. Thank you for all the support!

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2019 Previous Year Information

The Venice Japanese Community Center will present its annual Natsu Matsuri, or summer festival, on Saturday and Sunday. The family-friendly event celebrates the Marina del Rey known locally as Venice area’s deep-rooted, decades-old Japanese American community with Japanese cuisine and Japanese cultural exhibitions, as well as American-style foods and treats like chili dogs, tacos and sno-cones.

Every summer the VJCC’s parking lot is transformed into a carnival of easygoing, child-friendly games for youngsters, plus a baseball-throw dunking booth for older kids. The many food booths will also sell perennial favorites like teriyaki chicken, spam musubi and udon (Japanese noodles), as well as chirashi zushi, inari zushi and maki zushi.

Highlights 
Announcement of the Miss Western Los Angeles, VJCC/Venice WLA JACL Nisei Week Candidate

Matsui Festival Date
June 22 - 23, 2019 - Sat & Sun

Matsui Festival Time
Sat: 12:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Sun: 11:00 am - 8:00 pm

Free Event
Everyone is welcome to participate in the Ondo dance.

Matsui Festival Schedule 
The center’s basketball court, meantime, becomes filled with communal tables and chairs to dine, take a rest, visit with friends and watch the events that unfold throughout the day on the VJCC’s main stage, including demonstrations by the center’s various martial arts clubs (aikidō, iaidō, judō, karaté and kendō) and short programs by Venice Gakuen, hula dancing and line dancing, koto (Japanese zither), and shodō  Japanese calligraphy). Also performing both days will be the VJCC-based Koshin Taiko, and as twilight arrives and the day cools, Japanese American ondo dancing will begin.

Featured both days in the VJCC’s main hall and classrooms will be the “Pioneer General Store”. Walk over to the Cultural Expo and view photography and cultural exhibits of bonsai, watercolor, shodō, sumi-é, and ikebana.

Matsui Festival Location
The VJCC is located at 12448 Braddock Dr., near the intersection of Braddock Drive and Centinela Avenue, not far from both Culver City and L.A.’s “Silicon Beach” area of Playa Vista. Admission is free. Parking is available at Marina del Rey Middle School, as well as on the streets adjacent to the VJCC.

Saturday hours are noon - 9 p.m. and Sunday hours are 11 a.m - 8 p.m. Unless it is a certified service animal, such as a seeing-eye dog, pets or other animals, including emotional support critters, are prohibited.

Serving as this year’s festival co-chairs with Watanabe are Kazie Kame and Pat Dempsey. For more information, visit vjcc.com, send an email to [email protected] or call the VJCC office at (310) 822-8885.

Contact: Debbe Watanabe, (310) 822-8885 or [email protected]

Parking
Street

Ondo Dance Times
Saturday: 6:00 pm
Sunday: 5:30 pm

Festival Location
Venice Japanese Community Center (VJCC), 12448 Braddock Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90066 

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See Ondo Practices
Ondo practice times are: 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Dates: June - Thursdays and Saturdays

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City of Venice has 2 Japanese Festivals You Can See

1) Matsuri Summer Festival (June) Venice Japanese Community Center (VJCC)

2) Annual Obon Festival (July) Venice Hongwanji Buddhist Temple

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Venice Community Center Festival Dates
All Venice Community Center & Practices Dates

Obon Festivals & Practices
All Obon Festivals  All Obon Practices

See Japanese Event Festivals 
All Japanese Festivals Events 

Map of Japanese Festivals 
See Map Japanese Festivals

Celebrate the Japanese Culture food, performances and dancing.
(Please always confirm date & times, the schedule could change)

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Matsui Festival Location
Annual Venice Japanese Community Center Natsu Matsuri Summer Festival (2 Days)

Matsui Festival Title 
2019 Annual Venice (VJCC) Japanese Community Center Natsu Matsuri Summer Festival - Live Taiko, Ondo Dancing, Performances, Teriyaki .. (2 Days)