By LYNDA TAKAGI KOVACH and LISA TAKATA

On March 16, approximately 275 attendees, mostly descendants of Japanese American farmers, came to the bustling Tanaka Farms in Irvine for a vibrant celebration of Nikkei farm history, which included presentations, performances, and food.

The event was sponsored by Kansha Project, a community-based history project that is documenting 5,000 pre-World War II Nikkei farms in California, and OCO Youth: Helping Farms Feed Families, an Orange County service club. Grants from Keiro and the Takahashi Foundation funded the event.

On the crisp, sunny spring morning, attendees gathered in the venue overlooking the farm, which the Tanaka family and the farm’s crew members had meticulously staged and decorated. As guests arrived, they perused the extensive floo

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