Photo: Taiko drummers from Myo Onji Daiko depict stories through the ancient art of drumming

Seal Beach, Calif. flew high last weekend when an annual kite festival sponsored by the Japan America Society of Southern California drew some of the world’s best flyers from India, Japan, Wisconsin (Team 02), Illinois (Chicago Fire), plus thousands of spectators and volunteers.

Considered the most “Family Friendly Kite Festival in the U.S.”, the event included kids’ kite clinics with volunteers helping children make their own free kites to fly at the event and take home. One volunteer at the kite clinic said she just moved back from Japan this month after living there three years.

“It’s such a cultural shock to return home and move to Ventura, but my parents urged me to leave Japan and I agreed it was time to go,” she said. Helping several hundred kids build kites at the clinic, she said the Japan America Society has likewise helped her transition back into the California lifestyle by providing her opportunities to volunteer.

Doug Erber, president of the Japan America Society of Southern California, said he just returned from a visit to the devastated areas in Japan and was simply shocked by what he witnessed. "Imagine a swath of land stretching all the way from Santa Barbara to San Diego – up to six miles wide from the Pacific Ocean to inland – simply gone," he said. Erber said the Japan America Society created a "2011 Japan Relief Fund that has successfully raised over $1.3 million to benefit Japan's earthquake and tsunami victims. "We've been around for 102 years and during that time the Japan America Society has raised funds for four major Japanese disasters during the past century, but the recent earthquake, tsunami and nuclear catastrophe will keep us busy for years," he said.

Among the fun at the free kite flying event were kite demos, a candy sculptor, sushi spinners who sold out 5,000 pieces of sushi, and sales of kites, t-shirts, food and merchandise with portions of the proceeds earmarked for the Japan disaster. Sponsors included Hitachi, Delta, Mattel, Home Depot and many more. If you want to donate visit jas-socal.org