THE MEANING AND IMPACT BEHIND OUR NEW MURAL
Budokan is now the home of a brand new mural called “Breaking Barriers” by Edwin Ushiro. But what’s the meaning and impact behind this piece and how it connects to the Little Tokyo community?
A BUSY AANHPI MONTH!
May was AANHPI Month, and boy was it busy at Budokan! Check out this post to hear about all of the amazing things that happened, like working with LA Galaxy throughout the month and having our friends at SAN host their annual event in our plaza, and to see our event photos from Kibō Nobori and the BudoComedy Show!
MEET IMPROV LEGEND, GUCHI
Meet Tatyana Komaguchi, aka Tatyana Guchi, aka Guchi in our first “5 Years, 5 Stories” interview!
Guchi is a stand-up comedian with a unique comedic style influenced by their East Coast and Southern roots. Combining storytelling and set-up-punch jokes, they delve into topics such as race, inequality, and human observation, offering a thought- provoking perspective focusing on Black, Queer, and Asian issues.
“As somebody who's a misfit myself, I have never felt more included in my Japanese community than here at the Budokan, and I'm really, really thankful for that.”
WHAT MAKES SAN TAI SAN UNIQUE
San Tai San is the only free, intergenerational, co-ed basketball tournament in DTLA, but there are more unique things about it.
LOOKING BACK AT 2024 WITH RADIO ARTS
Our friends at Radio Arts, Joann and Jess, spent the year with us at our community center- doing photobooth pop-ups, cyanotype workshops, and collaging and origami hangouts, all for FREE for our visitors to enjoy. See 2024 through their eyes after being immersed in the BudoCommunity and learn more about our project together!
A HAUNTED SCAVENGER HUNT
Every “Halloweekend,” something spooky comes to Little Tokyo…Haunted Little Tokyo!
Haunted Little Tokyo Scavenger Hunt is a FREE, family-friendly, Halloween celebration that leads guests through Little Tokyo. Budokan serves as the hub where there are fun games and activities for all ages. This event is connected to the larger “Haunted Little Tokyo” celebration, which was started by local businesses in the community to draw more folks to Little Tokyo. Besides the scavenger hunt, there are also ghost tours and the famous block party!
BUDOKAN CARES
On July 20th, Terasaki Budokan started a brand new annual event called the “CARE Fair.” Something that made this event special for us, was seeing the community come together in so many different ways. This event was truly a collective effort, as we saw volunteers, staff, different departments within Little Tokyo Service Center, interns, non-profit organizations, businesses, healthcare providers, and supporters join forces to make a positive impact on Little Tokyo and beyond.
WHY CAMP BUDOKAN IS SPECIAL
40 campers called our gym “home” for a week to brush up on their basketball skills and make memories. 12 amazing volunteer coaches made this experience possible, and one of them, Peyton Motoyasu, wrote a special piece about her experience mentoring this year’s campers.
FREE FUN FOR CHILDREN’S DAY IN LITTLE TOKYO!
An AAPI market, a meet-and-greet with Jun Endo from ACFC, a golf ball art activity by LAGC, Olympian Sakura Kokumai teaching karate, hip hop, Japanese dance, and music performances, and MORE?? Yup, all of this (and more) went down at Budokan for Children’s Day this year!