Little Tokyo Dance Club

Updated from original email 8/17 - General Announcement NWF Closing Ceremony and Street Ondo Staging Instructions for Groups, Organizations and Participants…

Hi Everyone,

    The 2026 Nisei Week Festival Closing Ceremony and Street Ondo is less than a week away (Sunday August 23, 2026.)   This announcement is for the Closing Ceremony and Street Ondo PARTICIPANTS (Groups and Organizations) ...  Instructions are the same as past Closing Ceremony and Street Ondo but I am modifying some of the times and logistics… :

• Group check-in begins at 3:30 pm at JANM (corner of Central Ave and 1st  Street in Little Tokyo.) 
• Only one person from your group needs to check in.  At check in, your representative will be given your group’s ONDO PARADE  line up number (it’s actually a “letter”.  
• The program starts at 4pm.  The ONDO Parade, when GROUPS and ORGANIZATIONS enter the street for the Street Ondo, our estimated start time is 4:15 pm to 4:30 pm.  So we are going to MODIFY staging slightly for groups and organizations.  
• LA Bando Ryu will be the first group out followed by the Meiji Dance Club, then the Nisei Week Public Community Dancers. Note: this will be the “2nd time” the Nisei Week Public Dancers will go out at the beginning of the Ondo Parade and not at the end… So instead of having these groups stage at JANM, we would like these groups to stage within the VIP seating area and / or standing behind the VIP seating area in front of the YAGURA on 1st St. 
  • When the Street Ondo parade line up begins, LA Bando Ryu (“A”) will take their place to “greet” groups and organizations as they enter the street.  
  • Meiji Dance Club (“B”) and Public Dancers (“C”) will line up to be “introduced” (instructions TBD at this writing, mostly likely will walk from VIP seating area (west side of yagura) to the east side of the yagura (JVP side) via the Miyako Hotel side of the street and “loop” around the yagura and line up.  Basically walk around the yagura and line up to be introduced…)
  • Hoshun Kai and Kotobuki No Kai as well as Fujima Kansuma Kai and Bando Kyo No Kai will STAGE from the street area.  
• ALL other Ondo Parade Participants need to be at the JANM staging area by  4:20 pm.  At this time please stay with your groups or organizations as we will be lining everyone up in “letter” order…
• Nisei Week Community Public Dancers do not need to check in, just be on 1st Street “behind” the VIP seating area…  Dress any way you wish (no actual dress code.)  I would recommend comfortable walking shoes (but that is your choice.)   
• EVERYONE:  USE the Little Tokyo Dance Club website for continued “practice” and to find ALL Nisei Week Ondo instructions, demonstrations and music gallery.  Google search “Little Tokyo Dance Club” or go to www.ltdanceclub.org
• BANNERS in the “ONDO PARADE” - This is NEW and OPTIONAL.  Your group or organization will have the opportunity to carry YOUR BANNER after entering the street and as your group or organization PARADE’s 1st Street end to end.  This is OPTIONAL and instruction will come on another announcement email.  We will have our NW rented ‘UHAUL” truck available to store your group’s banner after the Ondo Parade ends and the Street Ondo begins…  
• EVERYONE, remember to just have fun, it's going to be a GREAT MONUMENTAL EVENT.  Famous character “Rilakkuma” will be joining Nisei Week’s Mascot “Aki the Akita” greeting everyone (LOL, well kind of.  We have to keep them separated for safety concerns…)  We have LA Taiko Collective and Ryujin Taiko. We also have San Diego Yosakoi joining us this year for entertainment.   Minyo Station and Matsutoyo Kai unfortunately will not be joining us this year and will be so missed.  We look forward to their return next year.   Nobuko Miyamoto, Atomic Nancy Sekizawa & the Fandango Obon Band, our friends from Great Leap never disappoint…  They will open the Street Ondo with a SPECIAL performance of 120,000 Stories and start off the Street Ondo with “Mottainai”.  Another email will be sent out in regards to the event program shortly.    NO OTHER NISEI WEEK CLOSING CEREMONY AND STREET ONDO in recent times has been put together like this…  It’s going to be a BLAST !!!
• Note - all emails will be posted to the Little Tokyo Dance Club website so please use the website as it will be updated till the day of the event.  

Little Tokyo Dance Club (LTDC) website link:  www.LTdanceclub.org 

…  Please check the website for “updated” Ondo list for 1st, intermission Flash Mob and 2nd half of the Street Ondo.  Note, we added “Sho Tokyo Ondo” to the first half of the Street Ondo.  Thank you Minyo Station and Matsutoyo Kai for decades of gracing the NW Street Ondo with your extraordinary talents.  We will dance “Sho Tokyo Ondo” in your honor and look forward to your return next year…

• If you have any additional questions or need additional information please do not hesitate in reaching out to me.  Call, text, message, email…  Be on the lookout for additional announcements and updates (lol, they will be coming…)  HAPPY NISEI WEEK !!! - Thanks,  Wesley Nishina Nisei Week Volunteer Closing Ceremony and Street Ondo (213) 359-7755 wnishinaka@aol.com