From the Desk of Consul General Osumi

2024/10/14
Remarks from CG Osumi
Ms. Blakely receives the Foreign Minister’s Commendation on behalf of JFAN
Essay Vol. 14
~Nevada’s 15th Aki Matsuri Japanese Festival ~
 
October 14, 2024
Yo Osumi
Consul General of Japan in San Franscicsco

 
  On Saturday, October 12, I had the pleasure of attending the 15th annual Aki Matsuri Japanese Festival in Henderson, Nevada. As I attended last year’s Aki Matsuri and this year’s 7th Kizuna Japanese Spring Festival in Las Vegas in April, many people came up to me and told me, “It’s been a while!” I was very grateful to everyone who took the time to come speak with me. I had to leave midway through the event, which was a pity — I had hoped to be able to stay until the second sake tasting session at the festival’s Sake Pavilion.

One highlight of this year’s event was the opportunity to present the 2024 Foreign Minister’s Commendation to the Japanese Festival Association of Nevada (JFAN), the nonprofit that organizes Aki Matsuri. The Foreign Minister’s Commendations are awarded to individuals and groups with outstanding achievements in international fields, in order to acknowledge their contributions to the promotion of friendship between Japan and other countries and areas. JFAN was selected as one of the 59 organizations worldwide to be honored in 2024 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The ceremony began at 2 o’clock on the main stage, where the audience gathered to witness the Foreign Minister’s Commendation, received by our Honorary Consul of Japan in Las Vegas, Kathleen Blakely, on behalf of JFAN. Congratulations!
Sake Pavilion
Uzumaru performance
  This year marks the 15th Aki Matsuri, and in the beginning, it started with just a few families . Now, both stages have full rotations of performances, and various groups including an association of people with roots in Okinawa Prefecture fill the festival grounds with exhibits displaying a range of traditional and contemporary Japanese culture. It was spectacular to see the crowds lining up, full of people attending out of love and desire to engage in Japanese culture. There was also a great variety of delicious food, and I ate until I couldn’t take another bite! With so many people who have ties to or interest in Japan, I could see the relationship between Japan and Nevada growing right before my eyes.
As this year is an all-important presidential election for the country, I have visited Las Vegas four times over the year to learn about the situation in Nevada, and many Consulate staff have also visited on business trips. Consular services for Japanese residents are also our priority, and our office has made two trips this year to provide consular services for Japanese citizens residing in Nevada. In addition, I visited Reno in May and June, and I understand many people reside in even more outlying areas. During my visit to the Panasonic Gigafactory outside Reno, I learned how difficult it is to keep the factory running 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in the middle of the desert. I know that there are many challenges when living in a foreign country, so I would like Japanese citizens to feel that they can rely on our Consulate General while they visit or live in the United States.

Many events and activities were delayed or cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but I sincerely hope the Japanese Speech Contest in Southern Nevada will resume in the near future. Thank you very much for your support this year, and we at the Consulate General of Japan look forward to working together with you over the next year to expand and strengthen the relationship between Japan and Nevada.