Sandra Endo

Sandra Endo is one of NY1's lead political reporters and has covered a wide array of campaigns, four national political conventions, and the transit strike of 2005.

Sandra has regularly broken stories while reporting on City Hall, and has followed Mayor Bloomberg across the country and to the Dominican Republic.

Most recently, Sandra produced and reported and exclusive five-part series on the State's dysfunctional judicial system which is leading to changes in the system.

She helped lead the station's coverage of the 2005 transit strike, she also covered the 2002 talks between the Transport Workers Union and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, often reporting exclusive details throughout the negotiations.

In her time with the political unit, Sandra has covered Hillary Clinton's Senate campaign, the Giuliani administration, and the 9/11 terror attacks on the city. In 2004 she reported from the floor of the Democratic National Conventions in Boston and Los Angeles and the Republican conventions in New York and in Philadelphia. Sandra has also reported from some of the largest labor and anti-war rallies in the state, and covered spot news across the city. She continues to guest host the station's nightly political news program, "Inside City Hall", as well fill-in anchor for the station's daily newscasts.

In addition to reporting extensively on the 2005 mayoral race, Sandra traveled to Japan that year and produced a five-part series comparing how the governments of Tokyo and New York City tackle similar urban problems. While in Tokyo, she landed a rare television interview with the city's governor in the midst of heightened tensions between Japan and China. The series was turned into a half-hour special.

Her work has included an examination of the city's social service system, which led to greater protection for victims of domestic violence and child safety.

Sandra started at NY1 in 1998, shooting video and producing stories, and previously worked at WNBC-TV and interned at ABC News. She is a graduate of New York University.

A California native, Sandra is second-generation Japanese American, and is very active in the Asian American community in New York. She is a member of the New York chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association and spends some of her time helping out a variety of charities. She has been a competitive swimmer for most of her life and is an All-American record holder.

Miki Hayama

She was born in a musical family in Kyoto, Japan. She began to play piano and Wadaiko (Japanese drums) when she was 7 years old.

She enrolled in the Osaka College of Music, majoring in classic piano, and studied jazz piano with Sadayasu Fujii at Fuji Jazz school in Kyoto.

She won the first prize of the Yokohama Jazz Competition in 1996. Currently, she lives in New York City, and has been appearing world wide as a band leader as well as sideman. Miki Hayama has performed and shared the stage with Grammy Nominee alto saxophone player, Kenny Garrett, James Spaulding, Joe Ford, Vincent Herring, Brad Leali, Wes Anderson, Mark Gross, and Bruce Williams to name a few. She has appearanced in such major jazz festivals as Syracuse Jazz Festival (2006), and such prestigious venues as The John F. Kennedy Center (Washington DC), Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola, Blue Note, Joe Zawinul’s Birdlan (Austria) and many more. Her major discography includes “Vibrant” (2004) and “Prelude to a Kiss” (2006).
For more information, please visit www.mikihayama.com

Born in New York, 1963, Leonard Eto joined the Japanese Taiko drum group, KODO in 1984, for which he served as the principal player, organizer, music director as well as composer. In 1992, Leonard left KODO to pursue a solo career, and thereafter produced his own projects such as the Planet ”Leo”, which incorporates String Quartet and his improvisational performances in ”Blendrums”. One of the unique qualities that defines Leonard’s artistic character is his exchanges with international artists which have taken him to over 35 countries. 1994 was a special year for Leonard for he won high acclaim for his performance with such greats as Bob Dylan, Michael Kamen (composer), Bon Jovi, The Chieftains, INXS, Ray Cooper, and Roger Taylor (Queen) at "The Great Music Experience" at Todaiji, the temple of the Great Budda, in Nara, Japan. Through his participation in the "MEGADRUMS" Europe tours as well as a variety of festivals and recording sessions, he performed with such world-renowned artists as Zakir Hussain (tabla), Andreas Vollenweider (harp), Milton Cardona (per.), Doudou Ndiaye Rose (per.), Max Roach (ds.), Michael Shrieve (SANTANA), Siouxsie Sioux, The Creatures and others.

Yet another feature to Leonard's unique make up is the originality of his musical creations. His original works have been featured in such Hollywood film productions as "JFK", "The Lion King" ,"The Hunted" and "The Thin Red Line", and they have also been used in ballet performances by Nina Ananiashvili, with whom he performed in 1998 and Patrick Dupond, as well as for the figure skating performances of Elvis Stojko. "Tsu-Ku-Tsu", a work specially commissioned by PILOBOLUS, the renowned American modern dance company, has quickly become one of Leonard's representative works. "Tsu-Ku-Tsu" premiered in Boston in May 2000 and opened to critical acclaim and enthusiastic audiences in New York at the Joyce Theater in June 2000, where it enjoyed a three week run.
For more information, please visit www.leoeto.com

Soh daiko

Soh Daiko was formed in 1979 at the New York Buddhist Church as the first taiko group on the east coast, taking as its name the ancient, pre-Buddhist characters meaning “peaceful, harmonious drums.” The name reflects the spirit of dedication and cooperation which enabled the group to flourish from its beginnings.

Taiko: the Japanese word for drum. The drum is an instrument that dates back to prehistory; developing out of ancient agricultural rites and the music of Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples, the beat of the taiko resounds throughout Japanese culture, summoning gods and ancestor’s spirits to ritual entertainments and festivals, driving away evil forces, and giving strength and courage to warriors. But in the past 50 years, the word taiko has come to represent a new tradition of mass drumming that has spread across the globe to become a vibrant, contemporary performing art.
For more information, please visit www.sohdaiko.org

Samurai Sword Soul

The International Karate Organization Kyokushinkaikan

We in Kyokushin Karate-Do do not promote or practice discrimination or prejudice based on ethnicity, race, nationality, politics, philosophy, religion, gender or age and recognize that everyone has the same rights. Our greatest pursuit is to reach for the goal of international friendship and world peace.
For more information please visit www.kyokushinkarate.com

The Japanese Folk Dance Institute of New York

1. YAGI BUSHI is a summer festival dance from Tochigi and Gunma Prefectures.
2. USHIBUKA HAIYA BUSHI is sailors drinking song and dance from USHIBUKA a famous natural seaport in Kumamoto Prefecture, Kyushu.
3. HANAGASA ODORI This summer festivals dance is from Yamagata Prefecture in northern Japan.

For more information, please visit www.japanesefolkdance.org

Cocolo Japanese Gospel Choir

Cocolo Japanese Gospel Choir is a community Gospel choir that was established in the summer of 2000. The group was formed out of the members’ sincere desire to expand their knowledge of Gospel music and the faith that is its inspiration.
The musical director and spiritual leader is Professor Gregory Hopkins from Convent Avenue Baptist Church in Harlem, New York. His enthusiasm and boundless energy always brings us together, providing us with new insight and renewed focus. You can visit the group at www.cocolochoir.com
For further information, please contact Akiko Uchiyama at cocologospel@yahoo.co.jp