A THREE-GENERATION LEGACY AT TERASAKI BUDOKAN
Little Tokyo Service Center recently featured some Budokan superstars, Dan, Darin, and Noa Nakauchi, in their 2025 Annual Report! Dan has not only been a long-time supporter of Terasaki Budokan, but he also coached the first season of our PeeWee Basketball program, and Darin runs our Budokan Basketball Academy program every week. As Noa grows up, she will be able to enjoy this community space her family worked so hard for.
Read their story below, and check out LTSC’s full Annual Report here!
On a spring evening in the heart of Little Tokyo, 14-month-old Noa toddles across the gym floor after a bouncing basketball, flanked by her grandpa (Dan) and dad (Darin) to keep her balance. This heartwarming scene is 30+ years in the making – from a far-fetched dream of a recreation center in Little Tokyo to Terasaki Budokan now serving over 90,000 visitors annually. Dan and Darin Nakauchi have a lot to do with that.
After coming up through the Japanese American (JA) basketball leagues, Dan served as commissioner of the Pasadena Bruins basketball organization for 20 years, devoted to its sustainability with his son, Darin, in mind. “JA basketball gives kids with similar backgrounds and interests an opportunity to come together,” Dan explained. Darin added, “I owe a lot to JA basketball. It not only taught me about JA history, but life skills like teamwork, leadership, and commitment.” For many JA families like the Nakauchis, JA basketball is a central cog for building community and sustaining culture. So when Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC) proposed building Terasaki Budokan in the 1990s (then called the Little Tokyo Rec Center), Dan secured a significant donation on behalf of the Pasadena Bruins.
After decades of work by hundreds of supporters like the Nakauchis, Terasaki Budokan opened in 2020. 5 years later, hundreds of thousands of visitors have used the community facility for sports, events, and more. Dan has since retired from his commissioner role, but Darin follows in his footsteps, leading a youth program at Budokan called Budokan Basketball Academy. In a few years, Darin’s daughter Noa will be old enough to join the Academy. “It’s surreal to be part of something my dad helped create,” said Darin. “I can’t wait for my daughter to be part of it too.”
Darin watches Noa giggle as she pushes a basketball across the court to her grandpa. It’s the moment Budokan was built for, and a beautiful example of how this ‘Home Court For All’ will serve the community for generations to come.
