Ayako Harashima will present her paintings at the Orinda Public Library Gallery, 26 Orinda Way, Orinda, Calif. Harashima’s works concentrate on portraits of trees and other plant life. Harashima hopes to donate proceeds from the event to buy art supplies for children affected by the March 11 disaster in northern Japan. The gallery is normally [...]

The San Francisco Japantown plans to observe the Tanabata Festival in the three Japantown malls. The festival this year aims to support earthquake and tsunami survivors by raising funds for children in Iwate, Fukushima and Miyagi Prefectures. Slips of paper with cranes will be sold for $2 for the Northern Japan Earthquake Relief Fund at [...]

Former USC women’s basketball player Jamie Hagiya will lead an Asian Basketball Night Clinic on the STAPLES Center court, 1111 South Figueroa St. in LA, before the Los Angeles Sparks battle defending WNBA Champions the Seattle Storm at 7:30 p.m. The clinic will be held from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Special discounted pricing is available [...]

Artist Judy Shintani’s solo exhibition, “In Liminal Space,” opens with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Enso Art Gallery, 131 Kelly Ave., Half Moon Bay, Calif. There will be an artist’s talk with Mel Ahlborn, Sunday, Aug. 21 at 2 p.m., also at the gallery. The exhibit will continue through Sunday, Aug. [...]

Company of Angels will present “Sun Sisters” a play by Vasanti Saxena and starring Momo Yashima. Angie, a terminal cancer patient, invites her lesbian architect daughter to come home and care for her during her final days. The women clash through unspoken desires and cultural traditions. Performances at the Alexandria Hotel, 501 S. Spring St., [...]

The Japanese American National Museum will host the “Fighting for Democracy: Who is the “We” in “We, the People” exhibit at 369 East First St. in L.A.’s Little Tokyo. Info, including cost of admission and hours: (213) 625-0414.

New People will hold its annual J-Pop Summit Festival for 2011, held at 1746 Post St. in SF’s Japantown, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The weekend-long festival features live bands and DJs, fashion shows, theatrical film premieres, dance workshops and performances, and assorted arts, crafts and food vendors. Info: newpeopleworld.com.

There will be a community discussion on the impact of 9/11 on Muslims, Sikhs, Arabs and South Asians in the Bay Area at the Mountain View Senior Center, 266 Escuela Ave., Mountain View, Calif., from 1 to 4 p.m. To RSVP or info: (408) 277-2003 or Assemblymember.Fong@assembly.ca.gov.

Takeshi Wakabayashi, a fashion designer from Kyoto will present a fashion show featuring his SOU SOU brand, a line of modern footwear based on traditional Japanese tabi (split-toe footwear that was worn by Japanese workers). The fashion show will take place at 1:15 p.m. on the Peace Plaza in SF’s Japantown. Wakabayashi hopes to maintain [...]

The Rev. Ron Kodo Brown of the Sogetsu Ikebana San Francisco branch will demonstrate and explore the usage of water in ikebana as a major design element at the San Francisco County Fair Building, Ninth Ave. and Lincoln Way, Golden Gate Park, Recreation Room in SF at 12:30 p.m. Attendees are asked to bring containers [...]