japanese american

Any excuse to write about Brian’s Shave Ice is a great one. But this time it’s more than just about Shave Ice, it’s about Camp Musubi. They were having a fundraiser. Until just a bit earlier in the day, I’ve never heard of this Camp. It’s a Japanese American Day Camp for middle schoolers to learn a little bit of something about their history.

In our world that’s increasingly getting busier and bombarded with news from almost everywhere except Asian America, this is important. I’ll also add it’s important for Japanese Americans especially when it seems that “our” numbers are shrinking along with visibility in many public arenas. Sometimes when visiting film festivals, art schools etc, I wonder where the Japanese Americans are? There’s often none.

That’s filmmaker Tad Nakamura enjoying a very tiny serving of shave ice. Go large!

That’s Erika Olsen devouring size large. POG, Rootbeer, and Lihing Mui with Dole Whip in the center. That’s how the champs do it.

Paul Kitagaki Jr, photographer unearthed some Dorothea Lange photos from the Internment experience and coupled them with some more recent photos and stories that are now hanging at the San Bruno Bart station which is where Tanforan Race Track, an assembly center for Japanese American was located and 70 years ago. A great concept, history, and the station will probably get more visitors than a gallery show. Take a look at the photos and read the stories. They never get old. SF Gate.

Yes John Wooden maybe gets that title, but Yoshihiro Uchida is 92 and is the coach of the San Jose State Judo team. He’s been coaching 66 years. That has to be some kind of record. 45 Championships in 51 years. Is that a record too? While some of us try to find a way not to work, this man appears to have figured it all out. A Japanese American, his story is typical of many. Concentration camp, fighting in a war, and then finding a life afterwards. From zero to hero. (NY Times – Yoshihiro Uchida)

What’s in a mural. Usually it’s public art that goes unnoticed. This one in San Bernardino of all places is a testament to Japanese Americans. Yes, they’re working in a field and it could be anywhere. It could be almost any Asian ethnicity, but it’s intentionally Japanese American. Why would Carrie Lange want this on her wall? We don’t know exactly, but it’s there. (KCET – JA Wall)

Fujiya Market which has always looked out of place on Virgil was once in an area of Japanese Americans called J-Flats. No. I’ve never heard of that, and this market at 80 years is still there. The proprietors aren’t the originals, but the space looks classic and great. I made a comment recently about Granada Market on Sawtelle which shares a similar type vibe. It’s old, classic, strange and you hope it won’t close, but it probably will. No kid wants to take over an old market as much as they’d want to own a taco truck. For spots like these, I’d wish there were grants, rent subsidies and so on just to keep them open as historical locations. They do matter in the history of a city. (LA Weekly – Fujiya Market) For more photos, take a look at this flickr page by Guzzleandnosh.

Japanese American National Museum are collecting Japanese American concentration camp stories from survivors. A three year project is underway to get more of these stories, and organizations everywhere have already begun this process. Perhaps it needs to be smaller in scale and some time of initiative for people to just do this at home is a better way to go. (Mainichi – Preserve JA Stories)

Fred Korematsu Day Explained. It’s the second time it’s been celebrated. Yes, it’ll grow. Jan 30th.

I’m always following the work of George Takei. The photo below is from a talk we did together. Who has more greys… me?! He’s on Celebrity Apprentice and he’s supporting the Japanese American National Museum and is talking about it on Good Day LA. (The link opens a video) This man is awesome. At bottom, he intro’d the Giant Robot Biennale 2 and I hope he does Biennale 3 for us in September.

Gordon Hirbayashi, a fighter, pioneer and was the last surviving trio of Japanese American Internment Camp protestors who fought the government on the Constitutional values of the internment and refusing to get imprisoned. All were overturned. The others Fred Korematsu and Minoru Yasui passed away in 05 and 96. He’s a great historical figure and this little bit of text does no justice to his life. There’s a rich history in his accomplishments. (New York Times – Gordon Hirabayashi)

It’s January 1st or “oshogatsu”. Thanksgiving, Christmas and even birthdays have nothing on this day for Japanese families. My photos are of food, but know that the annual feast that’s cooked mainly by my mother but also my aunt and uncle, is for a family get together. We don’t have a shrine to visit as many do in Japan, so we have a special meal that we don’t forget for the rest of the year.

Like any special day, whatever it may be, one would hope it wouldn’t take a date on a calendar to make it come back. I know life can’t be Disneyland everyday, but once a year isn’t often enough. Twice would be nicer, right? Then you have to think: work is maybe 5 days a week, for almost every week and a special day is just one day. It doesn’t make much sense. Hopefully we’ll all figure out how to make this happen one day soon and value things that are really important.

Hope you enjoy the photos. Happy New Year. There are additional photos at the end in the set.

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Wendy’s Japan CEO Ernest Higa gets interviewed about Wendy’s Japan’s relaunch.

“When I did Domino’s, I thought it was very critical to adapt it for the Japanese market. I did a lot of brand repositioning and product adaptation and added Internet ordering. How you adapt and what you adapt for the local market are crucial. There is no manual for that.”

This holds true for all brands in Japan whether it’s food, clothing or toys. You can’t just turn on the ON button and it works. (Japan Today – Wendy’s)

When George Takei speaks, people listen. He is advocating for people to vote against 1253.

Could it happen again? Maybe not in mass, but who knows.

“Now a bill proposed in the U.S. Senate, S. 1253 (McCain/Levin) would authorize a similar sweeping authority, granted to the President, to order the detention–without charge or trial–of any person even suspected of being associated with a “terrorist organization.”  I could scarcely believe my eyes when I saw that we hadn’t learned from the terrible lessons of the past.” (allegiancemusical – Takei)

It’s Downer Saturday. This man, Akira Hoshizaki was about to get a Congressional Gold Medal for his service in World War II. It’s a long tale and journey for a man who was interned in a Concentration Camp, then went to serve for the US who imprisoned him and was to get a medal decades later. But he died just hours in his hotel room before the ceremony in Washington DC. His family got hold of the medal and put it in his hand. (Sun Times – Akira Hoshizaki)

7 brothers all in World War II, and they fought against each other! In World War II Japanese Americans were often sent home, and some were sent home before war broke out just so they could grow up Japanese. In a large family, this happened. In the case of the Oka family, the kids joined the armed forces. Some of the US and some for the Japan Imperialist Army. Here’s their story. (CNN – Oka)

KAMEN RIDER Vs. SUPER SENTAI kicked off a double anniversary celebration of Ishimori Shotaro’s famous characters in downtown Los Angeles last weekend.  Curated by Little Tokyo’s new pop-culture shop addition, Q Pop Shop, and supported by Bandai and Anime Jungle, this official tribute honors 40 years of Kamen Rider and 35 years of Super Sentai.  150 artists offered a unique and eclectic twist on these retro icons that have captivated generations.  Super Sentai would eventually evolve into today’s Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series.  Artists representing Japan included a rare mix such as TOUMA, Devil Robots, Chikuwaemil, Mad Barbarians, and Yucachin’- joined by Luke Chueh, Misha, Martin Hsu, Lillidoll, and a larger-than- life Kamen Rider.  The timing of this exhibit, hosted by JACCC  (Japanese American Cultural Community Center), falls on coinciding celebrations.  In Japan, Bandai is simultaneously developing a new Super Sentai artist-series line.  Their video game “Super Sentai Battle Ranger Cross” was released in September this year.  “KAMEN RIDER Vs. SUPER SENTAI: Anniversaries Tribute Exhibition” exhibits at JACCC in downtown Los Angeles, from November 5 – November 13, 2011. (Text and photos by Caro)

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Thanks fellas. The 100th Infantry Battalion, the 442 and Military Intel folks were honored and the medal donated to the Smithsonian. It’ll go on tour. (Smithsonian - API)

A little about the 442nd Japanese American battalion. The KCET article is basically introducing the work of Art Center photography student Michelle Kunz. If you go to Michelle’s site you’ll see the project. (Michelle Kunz – Go For Broke). This modern photography approach works well, and of all people who get photographed, artists, cute girls, etc, it’s the living 442nd who deserves it as much.

Julie Otsuka’s second novel is a quiet and disquieting story of the Issei. Written in the first-person plural from the point of view of the picture brides who become wives and then mothers, The Buddha in the Attic begins with the uneasy journey across the ocean. We follow the women and girls (as young as the early teens) as they experience disappointment and heartbreak with only flashes of satisfaction and hope. All the time there is a sense of impending doom that will snatch all of them away — and of course it happens.

The narrative structure allows for multiple and sometimes contrary impressions while providing a uniform voice. Consider the experience of the women on their first night with their husbands.

The tied us up and took us facedown on threadbare carpets that smelled of mouse droppings and mold. They took us frenziedly, on top of yellow-stained sheets. They took us easily, and with a minimum of fuss, for some of us had been taken many times before. They took us drunkenly. They took us roughly, recklessly, and with no mind for our pain.

The voice is most effective when capturing the paranoid time after Pearl Harbor was bombed and men are being rounded up and taken away after possibly having their name on a list.

The list was written in indelible red ink. The list was typewritten on index cards. The list did not exist. The list existed, but only in the mind of the director of military intelligence, who was known for his perfect recall. The list was a figment of our imaginations.

The Buddha in the Attic is a short book that also happens to be a quick read — Otsuka has chosen her words her words with care and the text is tight enough to repel rain. It is among the best fictional renderings of the stories of early Asian Americans who were allowed to exist in this country but never truly live.

Mari Inukai is a friend to Giant Robot much like many other artists. Her work is often depicting her daughter Sena, but not always. Inukai explores popular culture with her own range of characters, which manifested into her own character figure series, Sekaiseifukudan as seen at Giant Robot Store. They’re not toys, but more in line as an artist work. The video below was taken at Comic-Con when Inukai signed figures and charmed new and old fans.

Her next exhibition, In the Wake of Dreams is below and begins tomorrow. It’s a four person show and should promise beautiful art works. Inukai’s daughter, Sena is pictured below, second from the left.

Wat Misaka will be honored at a Japanese American Gala in Washington DC. In case you haven’t heard of this man… he was the first draft pick in 1947 for the New York Knicks. The game was different back then, but watch the video below. It’s for a documentary about the man and he could play. at 5’7″ and speedy, he’s the prototypical tiny guard that’s still used in the NBA. (Salt Lake Tribune – Wat Misaka)

(watmisaka.com)