It is always a great pleasure to commend our friends for their work in developing goodwill and friendship with Japan, and on March 16, Consul General Kazuhiro Nakai of Japan in Miami was particularly pleased to confer the “Japanese Foreign Minister’s Certificate of Commendation” to the Japan Association of Orlando (JAO). Since the JAO was established in June 2011, it has made outstanding contributions to promote a greater understanding of Japan in Florida and enhanced the friendship between us.
The Orlando Japan Festival, the largest Japanese cultural festival in Florida, was created and has been organized by the JAO since November 2011, shortly after the JAO was launched. The number of attendees has been increasing every year, exceeding 20,000 this past year. Consul General Nakai has taken part in it since his arrival in Florida, and he is always very delighted to see more and more citizens gathering to celebrate Japanese culture. The JAO has also participated in several Asian festivals in Orlando with other Asian ethnic groups to introduce a variety of aspects of Japanese culture.
Consul General Nakai also applauds the JAO’s support of the operation of the “Hoshu-Jugyo-Ko” or “supplementary lessons school” in Orlando, where Japanese children study core subjects such as Japanese language, math based on textbooks used in Japan, and learn Japanese school culture, so that they can smoothly adjust into Japanese schools when they return to Japan.
There are much more JAO activities which helped to bolster friendly relations between Japanese residents and the local community, such as donations to the Central Florida Filipino-American Association for earthquake relief, and support to Asian students in the region.
In recognition of these achievements, Consul General Nakai presented “Japanese Foreign Minister’s Certificate of Commendation” to the JAO. We extend our sincere congratulations and appreciation to the JAO and wish your organization continued success and development in the future.
Orlando Japan Festival in Kissimmee
The Orlando Japan Festival in Kissimmeee event is an annual festival in every November, admission and parking is free. It showcasing Japanese culture. On stage, audiences can experience authentic Japanese music and dance, martial arts demonstrations, raffle drawing, Cosplay Contest, and more! Audiences can also taste Japanese foods at food booths, watch cultural exhibits and presentations like tea ceremony and experience Japanese carnival games at the Ennichi Booths.
The Japan Association of Orlando, a local non-profit, hosts the festival and collects donations throughout the year for the Japanese Public School, as well as local organizations and individuals to help them with their endeavors to support local Japanese visual and performing arts, culture and education events.
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