Anime Expo 2019
Author: Newsroom
Santa Ana, Calif. (June 6, 2019) – Anime Expo (AX), the largest celebration of Japanese pop culture in North America, has brought fans and industry professionals from Japan, the United States, and the world to Los Angeles for nearly 28 years. As part of their ongoing support of the local community, the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA) and host of AX has identified Terasaki Budokan, a Project of Little Tokyo Service Center, as the AX 2019 Charity Auction recipient. Expected to open in the spring of 2020, Terasaki Budokan will be a unique gathering place for future generations and act as a bridge, bringing together different communities through sports and events.
A “Home Court for All,” Terasaki Budokan, the BIG Gym in Little Tokyo, will be a unique gathering place to enhance the quality of life for locals and commuters through its diverse, intergenerational programs. The recreation and sports facilities will fill a huge void for the greater Los Angeles community offering two basketball courts, four volleyball courts, and martial arts training/competition space. Terasaki Budokan is currently under construction on Los Angeles Street (between 2nd and 3rd Street).
This year, the Charity Auction will be held at Anime Expo on Sunday, July 7, between 10:00 AM and 12:30 PM in Live Programming 3 (408 AB). The Charity Auction will feature items donated by AX 2019 Guests of Honor and anime-related vendors and companies, including signed merchandise, memorabilia, and original artwork. Some of this year’s exclusive auction items include an AX 2019 poster autographed by the Guests of Honor. To see a selection of the auction items for 2019, please visit the Charity Auction display in the Annex @ Kentia Hall from Day 1 to Day 3 at Anime Expo 2019.
“We are thrilled to have Terasaki Budokan being built up the street from our “home” and are inspired by Little Tokyo is work to support the Japanese American community and the greater Los Angeles area. Anime Expo attendees bidding on Charity Auction items should know that not only are they getting a treasured, one-of-a-kind keepsake, but they are also contributing to a very worthy organization,” said Ray Chiang, CEO of The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation. “We know with the enthusiastic backing of our dedicated anime community; we will surpass 2018’s fundraising effort.”
For more information about Terasaki Budokan, please visit www.terasakibudokan.org.
Past Charity Auction recipients include Animator’s Dormitory, CHOC, Japan Society’s Earthquake Relief Fund, Global Giving’s Earthquake Relief Fund for Kumamoto, Japan, Japanese American National Museum, CARE, and Red Cross International.
With more than 27 years of successfully bringing thrilling experiences to fans of Japanese pop culture, AX has become the premier event to introduce the newest anime films, television series, AMVs (anime music videos), fashion, video games, manga, dance, music concerts, and exhibitors to its more than 350,000 (110,000 unique) attendees. For more event details, visit www.anime-expo.org. For additional news and assets, please see the online press kit at http://stage.vporoom.com/animeexpo/.