| April 16, 2005 |
| SGI-USA Sponsors Japanese-American Peace Friendship Festival in Southern California |
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| Traditional Okinawan dancers |
On April 10, SGI-USA sponsored a Japanese-American "Gathering of Peace" at the SGI-USA World Culture Center in Santa Monica, California, USA. The Japanese language group planned and organized the show with an aim to promote respect for cultural diversity and strengthen bonds of amity between people. Many like-minded local cultural groups participated in the event. Following a rendition of "Sakura, Sakura" by the Ikeda Kings Orchestra, various classical Japanese and Ryukyu dance schools performed. The Golden Chorus sang "Song for Mothers," followed by a young women's dynamic taiko drum performance. Hip hop dancers and jazz soloists, viola player Miguel Atwood-Ferguson and flutist Nestor Torres completed the program. Tatsushi Nakamura, assistant to the president of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Southern California (JCCSC), and JCCSC member Tak K. Nishi were among the 500 guests.
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| SGI-USA Golden Chorus |
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SGI-USA young women's taiko group |
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| Guests at "Gathering of Peace" |
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SGI-USA Ikeda Kings Orchestra |
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