August Events

35th Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair

Saturday & Sunday, August 9 and 10, 2008
Post Street from Laguna to Fillmore Streets

The 35th Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair is a celebration of the diverse Asian and Pacific American communities here in the Bay Area. A place where one can taste and learn about the various cultures. What makes NSF unique and what common thread there is between us. It is a place where our children can go and identify with ... a celebration they can call their own.

Organized by community volunteers, the Nihonmachi Street Fair is one of the premiere non-profit festivals for the Asian American community of the Bay Area during the summer. For the past 34 years, the Fair's goals have been to create an atmosphere in Japantown where Asian American and Pacific Island people can celebrate the spirit of community and cooperation. It is also a place where we encourage everyone from the diverse Bay Area to come, learn and see what our communities are all about.

The two-day festival is the largest gathering of the summer for Asian American social service organizations. Groups from around the Bay Area sponsor food booths and arts and crafts booths to raise funds for programs and services. Artisans will gather in Japantown as well for one of the biggest displays of Asian American creativity for the season.

Additional events include two days of free musical entertainment which showcases hip-hop, R&B, and Top 40 music and cultural performing artists.

For more information, please visit www.nihonmachistreetfair.org.

Japan Society Presents Zandakai Series:Part 3
"Japan & US Cross-border M&A"

Thursday, August 21 from 12 to 1:30 p.m.
Please arrive no later than 12:10 p.m.
Morrison and Foerster LLP

Please join the Japan Society for Part 3 in the Zadankai Series - "Japan & US Cross-border M&A" on Thursday, August 21 from 12 to 1:30 p.m. at Morrison and Foerster LLP, 425 Market Street, 33rd Floor in San Francisco.

Recent events in Japan and US M&A have highlighted the differences between those markets and in deals that cross national borders. Morrison & Foerster partner Michael O’Bryan, with GCA Savvian Vice President Tracy Gopal, will look at the differences that must be kept in mind in cross-border mergers between Japanese and American firms as opposed to mergers and acquisitions in the US.

Michael O’Bryan received BA degrees in history and economics from the University of Michigan, his JD degree, cum laude, from Harvard Law School, and is a member of the California Bar. From 1985 through 1987, Mr. O’Bryan worked at a Japanese law firm, concentrating in cross-border transactions. He joined Morrison & Foerster in 1988 and worked in the firm’s Tokyo office before relocating to San Francisco, where he is a Corporate Finance Partner. His practice involves corporate, transactional and securities matters, including US and international mergers and acquisitions.

Tracy Gopal is a Vice President with GCA Savvian, with a primary focus on cross-border Mergers & Acquisitions. Tracy has been providing investment banking and financial advisory services to clients for 9 years and her expertise spans both healthy and distressed situations. Prior to GCA Savvian, Tracy was a Director at Giuliani Capital Advisors and its predecessor company, Ernst & Young Corporate Finance. Tracy received a BA in Economics from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the Duke Fuqua School of Business. She is a CFA charterholder and is fluent in Japanese.

The cost of the event is $35 for members and $50 for non-members. Lunch will be provided courtesy of Morrison and Foerster, LLP. To purchase tickets or to learn more about the series, please click here.

For more information, please contact the Japan Society at (415) 986-4383 or jsnc@usajapan.org.

The New Entrepreneurial Dynamic in Japan

Wednesday, August 27
SF State University, Downtown Campus

On Wenesday, August 27 the Japan Society will present "The New Entrepreneurial Dynamic in Japan" at the San Francisco State University Downtown Campus at 835 Market Street, 6th Floor, Room #609. Check in is at 11:45 a.m. and the program is from 12 noon to 1:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Please join our brown bag lunch group as Robert Eberhart, Visiting Scholar at Stanford University’s Asia Pacific Research Center, surveys recent changes in Japanese Corporate Law and their effects on corporate governance and finance with reference to the entrepreneurial environment. Using some recent examples of entrepreneurial success, Mr. Eberhart will identify new trends in corporate behavior and entrepreneurship that show the positive, growing new environment for entrepreneurship in Japan.

Robert Eberhart, a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University, is researching the evolution of corporate governance in Japan. As an executive in residence at the private equity firm Pacific Rim Partners, Mr. Eberhart is responsible for initiating, closing, and managing a portfolio of investments in Japan and U.S. ventures. From 1999–2007, he served as CEO of WineInStyle, a venture capital-funded start-up company in Japan that developed a solution to radically shorten the supply chain for wine distribution in that country. Mr. Eberhart was previously President of the Japan subsidiary of Plantronics Inc., and also held engineering management positions at Applied Materials Corp. and Performance Semiconductor Corp.

Advance registration is requested. Please click here to register. For more information, please contact the Japan Society at (415) 986-4383 or jsnc@usajapan.org.

2008 Events by Month

Current News & Ongoing Events

August

September

October

November

December

2008 Past Events

January - [ KB]

February - [ KB]

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April

May

June

July

'Fusion' - Weekly Magazine - now on TV "Pacific Fusion," a new weekely magazine show that explores and illuminates the diversity and flair of Asian Pacific American cultures and lifestyles recently debuted this past sunday with showings every week at 12:30 p.m. on KRON-TV (channel 4),

The host is 1997 Miss Universe, Brook Lee, who has hosted programs on ESPN, the Travel Channel, and E! Entertainment Channel.

The show also airs in Honolulu on KHON2. For more information, please visit www.pacificfusion.com

Japanese Language Courses Offered at Nobiru-Kai

Japanese language courses for beginner and advanced students are now in session at the Nobiru-Kai office located at 1840 Sutter St. Suite #207 in San Francisco's Japantown. Students can study Japanese in a ligh-t mood at competitive prices. Classes offered are:

*Level 1 (beginning) - Saturdays 12:45 p.m. to 1:45 p.m.

*Level 2 (Beginning) - Saturdays 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

*Level 4 (Advanced) - Saturdays 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.

The tuition is $7 per class for Nobiru-Kai members and $10 per class for non-members. There re is a $10 fee for each session after the first class. For more information, please call Nobiru-Kai at (415) 922-2033.