Japanese Southern California

Having endured the effects of riots and earthquakes, Orange County tourist officials say they are frustrated by the battering their $4.8-billion industry has taken following problems in Los Angeles County.

When parents came to the orientation in Little Tokyo for their children's Japanese-language school last week, they were welcomed by a familiar sight--a vertical, seven-foot-tall banner with Japanese calligraphy announcing the event, just like the ones in Japan. But the speech by Principal Atsushi Yoshioka included topics they could not have imagined in Tokyo: Do not let your children wear gang-style clothing to school--it could attract real gang members.

Philip Marlowe he's not. Ron Hasegawa's proposed stock in trade is snooping on students to see if they are going to class, doing their homework, and making the right kind of friends. His clients, he hopes, will be worried parents an ocean away in Japan. With tales of crime and violence in the United States frequently dominating headlines in Tokyo, some parents worry that their offspring might encounter more than just cultural enrichment during their year abroad.

Having endured the effects of riots and earthquakes, Orange County tourist officials say they are frustrated by the battering their $4.8-billion industry has taken following problems in Los Angeles County.

When parents came to the orientation in Little Tokyo for their children's Japanese-language school last week, they were welcomed by a familiar sight--a vertical, seven-foot-tall banner with Japanese calligraphy announcing the event, just like the ones in Japan. But the speech by Principal Atsushi Yoshioka included topics they could not have imagined in Tokyo: Do not let your children wear gang-style clothing to school--it could attract real gang members.

A week doesn't pass without Muneo Adachi of Mission Viejo making a trip to the Yaohan Supermarket in Costa Mesa. Adachi, president of Canon Informations Systems Inc., doesn't mind the long drive to his favorite grocery store. For the Japanese executive, Yaohan (pronounced yeow-hahn) is the closest thing to home. There he can shop for groceries, rent Japanese-language video movies and select current books or magazines written in Japanese characters.

Irvine, which is home to two major Japanese manufacturers, ranks among the three most popular areas for Japanese business people to live in the Southland, according to a survey by the Japan Business Assn. of Southern California. The survey, conducted in January, calculates the number of Japanese-nationalbusiness people's children enrolled in Southern California schools. Two other areas popular with Japanese business people are the city of Arcadia and the South Bay area.

After years of economic woes, unrest and other calamities, January's powerful earthquake rocked the Los Angeles region's vital tourism industry just as it was poised for recovery. Some hotels suffered damage. Phone inquiries from prospective visitors dropped, and tourists canceled room reservations. By a twist of fate, the quake's impact was not immediately felt.

Sea urchins are one of the stranger animals around. I know a bit about them because for several years I made my living harvesting urchins. Peculiar, round-shelled and sharp-spined, they seem more like marine cacti than animals, and most people are surprised to find that anyone would harvest them for any reason at all. Usually, people think about sea urchins only when, while swimming or diving, they step on one and a spine pierces a vulnerable body part. So why would anyone gather the things?

Americans in general are showing more interest in learning foreign languages, according to the Modern Language Assn., a nonprofit group in New York. A 1986 survey showed that for the first time in 14 years, more than 1 million Americans were enrolled in language classes. Enrollments had been declining since they peaked in 1968 at 1.1 million. The association said the number of Americans learning a foreign language between 1972 and 1980 declined 8.3%.

After years of economic woes, unrest and other calamities, January's powerful earthquake rocked the Los Angeles region's vital tourism industry just as it was poised for recovery. Some hotels suffered damage. Phone inquiries from prospective visitors dropped, and tourists canceled room reservations. By a twist of fate, the quake's impact was not immediately felt.

Philip Marlowe he's not. Ron Hasegawa's proposed stock in trade is snooping on students to see if they are going to class, doing their homework, and making the right kind of friends. His clients, he hopes, will be worried parents an ocean away in Japan. With tales of crime and violence in the United States frequently dominating headlines in Tokyo, some parents worry that their offspring might encounter more than just cultural enrichment during their year abroad.

A week doesn't pass without Muneo Adachi of Mission Viejo making a trip to the Yaohan Supermarket in Costa Mesa. Adachi, president of Canon Informations Systems Inc., doesn't mind the long drive to his favorite grocery store. For the Japanese executive, Yaohan (pronounced yeow-hahn) is the closest thing to home. There he can shop for groceries, rent Japanese-language video movies and select current books or magazines written in Japanese characters.

Irvine, which is home to two major Japanese manufacturers, ranks among the three most popular areas for Japanese business people to live in the Southland, according to a survey by the Japan Business Assn. of Southern California. The survey, conducted in January, calculates the number of Japanese-nationalbusiness people's children enrolled in Southern California schools. Two other areas popular with Japanese business people are the city of Arcadia and the South Bay area.

The glare from television camera lights reflected off Dave Yanai's glasses as the Cal State Dominguez Hills basketball coach, neatly dressed in a tweed jacket, was questioned by reporters after a road victory at Cal State Bakersfield. Success has come often for Yanai's teams, but the media rush--such as this one in the hallway of the Civic Auditorium in this southern San Joaquin Valley town--is as uncommon for him as snow in Los Angeles.

If you ask the average Japanese whether the United States or Japan makes better cars, he may think you're joking. Japanese autos, after all, consistently beat the rest of the pack in customer satisfaction surveys. It's the same with Japanese televisions, stereos and a host of other products. But when the subject turns to furniture--well, that's a different story.