Nanka Ehime Kenjinkai celebrated its 2024 New Year's Luncheon on Sunday, January 28, 2024, at the Sea Empress Seafood Restaurant in Gardena, CA. A total of 45 Ehime family members, special guests, and friends attended the annual event. The afternoon program was opened with a greeting from the Advisor, Masao "Mike" Okamoto, who was also the MC of the lunch program, followed by New Year's greetings from Kihei Otani, President of Nanka Ehime Kenjinkai, and VIP guest Vice President, Mr. George Howard of the Nanka Kenjinkai Kyogikai. The MC read the New Year's greetings from the honorable Governor Tokihiro Nakamura of the Ehime Prefectural Government, and the introduction of the special guests was announced by a Board Member, Kimiko Fujita. The Ehime Senior Advisor, Bishop Emeritus Taisen Miyata, of the Koyasan Buddhist Temple of Los Angeles, delivered the customary lunch prayer before the serving of the food, and the lunch toast was delivered by the Senior Advisor, Shinya Ogasawara. Everyone who attended the event enjoyed the various Chinese dishes, which were delicious and plentiful for each of our banquet-style tables. One of the highlights of the lunch program included the presentation of the Japan Trip by the Kintetsu Travel Agency Service. Nanka Ehime Kenjinkai will be planning a group trip to Japan in the latter part of October 2024 for about an 8-day trip that will include a visit to Tokyo, Matsuyama City in Ehime Prefecture, Kyoto, and back to Tokyo. The reservations will be on a first-come, first-serve basis and the applications will be closed after a booking of 30 people. Gift Awards from the Ehime Prefecture Government Office were awarded to 4 Seniors, who reached the age of 80+ years old; Mr. Shinya Ogasawara, Mr. & Mrs. Kei Kondo, and Ms. Kumiko Kikuchi, and a Certificate of Appreciation was presented to a Board Member and Vice President, Ms. Michiko Suzumoto, who will be stepping down from her longtime volunteer service with Nanka Ehime Kenjinkai. The winners from the 2 bingo games were awarded Gift Cards from Trader Joe's, and many raffle prizes were distributed to the winning number holders. This year, the Grand Raffle Prize was a 2-night stay in a Suite at the Pechanga Casino and Resort, which was donated by Kimiko Fujita. The lucky winner of the Grand Raffle Prize was Shigemori Kawaguchi. The luncheon concluded with a closing message from the lucky winner and Advisor of Nanka Ehime Kenjinkai, Mr. Shigemori Kawaguchi, thanking the members and guests for attending the 2024 Ehime New Year's luncheon. Nanka Ehime Kenjinkai extends its deepest appreciation for all the generous donations that were issued to the Ehime General Account, and also, the kind and generous donations that were collected from the Ehime members and guests including a generous collection from the General Manager of the restaurant toward the recent Noto Peninsula Earthquake Relief Fund. Nanka Kenjinkai Kyogikai is spearheading this campaign fundraising effort for the relief fund, and all the proceeds will be forwarded directly to the Ishikawa Prefectural Government.