Great East Japan Earthquake commemoration events and fundraisers

KashimamikoShrine-Ishinomaki

Editor’s Note: This is not a comprehensive list. Saturday, March 10 Tatsumaki Taiko will perform at Berkeley Bowl, at 920 Heinz Ave. in Berkeley, Calif., from 1 to 3 p.m. Info: (510) 548-3508. Inori 311/Rise Japan presents “‘Akashi’: Candlelight Vigil Ceremony” from 8:30 to 10 p.m. at the Peace Plaza at Post and Buchanan streets [...]

Nikkei bridge the digital, generational divide

CONNECTING ­— Lauren Morimoto (left) assists Hiroshi Kashiwagi (right) at a Digital Leadership Program, held at the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California, in San Francisco’s Japantown. photo by Aidan Noda/Nichi Bei Weekly

Youth and seniors are slowly bridging the gap between the community through a series of workshops that are being held at the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC). The Digital Leadership Program’s classes encourage senior citizens to embrace technology, and allow San Francisco Japantown’s youth to develop their communication skills. The classroom [...]

A TIME TO REMEMBER: The 70th anniversary of Executive Order 9066

Design by Rodger Takeuchi. Guard tower from the Yoshikawa Family Collection, University of the Pacific

On Feb. 19, 1942, then-President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, setting the wheels in motion for one of the largest violations of civil liberties in the country’s history. The forced exclusion of those of Japanese descent from the West Coast — most of whom were American citizens — and their mass incarceration in [...]

THE GREAT DIVIDE: Community discusses redistricting in S.F.’s Japantown

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Concerned members of the Japantown community and those of neighborhoods surrounding the ethnic enclave met on Feb. 3 to discuss the potential redistricting boundaries of San Francisco’s voting districts. One of the proposals suggested drawing a boundary that would result in the area north of Geary Boulevard leaving Japantown’s District 5 for District 2, which [...]

Films of Remembrance

Enemy Alien

Monday, Feb. 20 Union Bank Hospitality Room, Japan Center East Mall, S.F. Japantown Admission: FREE (donations welcome) Seating limited More info on Day of Remembrance: www.dayofremembrance.org A one-day film series held in conjunction with the Bay Area Day of Remembrance on Feb. 19, commemorating the 70th anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066, which [...]

A ‘LABOR OF LOVE’: Farming exhibit in San Jose honors Issei legacy

Jimi Yamaichi, a former vegetable farmer, and director and curator at JAMsj. photo by Erin Yasuda Soto/Nichi Bei Weekly

SAN JOSE — The Japanese American Museum of San Jose (JAMsj) introduced its new agricultural exhibit, “Yesterday’s Farmer: Planting an American Dream,” on Dec. 10. With a focus on the Japanese immigrants who settled in Santa Clara Valley in the early part of the 20th century, the permanent exhibit features more than 100 types of [...]

Randy Hagihara, a journalist’s journalist

BODY COUNT — Randy Hagihara (above left) and K.W. Lee examine their collection of captured mice.

Buried in Asian American journalism lore is the untold story of the first English-language newspaper for Korean Americans and the vital role played by a young, fresh out-of-college Sansei journalist, Randy Hagihara. It was from these humble origins that a storied career came into bud. The time was the fall of 1979 and the place [...]

Little Tokyo leaders retire: Nonprofits see rash of leadership changes

Akemi Kikumura Yano

LOS ANGELES — Four prominent Little Tokyo nonprofit organizations — Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC), Japanese American Cultural and Community Center (JACCC), Japanese American National Museum (JANM) and Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics (LEAP) — have experienced leadership changes this past year. Bill Watanabe, founder and executive director of LTSC for the past 31 years, [...]

Connections to Clarksburg

OLD SCHOOL — A group of Japanese School students stand proudly in front of their beloved schoolhouse in the 1930s.  photo courtesy of  Holland Doshi Kai

CLARKSBURG, Calif. — Passing through acres of vineyards along the narrow country road, we are mesmerized by the serene rural landscape and miss the turn. We double back to find our way, and spy in the distance, a forlorn wooden-framed structure with mint julep painted trim that otherwise matches the silhouette of the old gakuen [...]

The internment camp in West Oahu’s backyard

A WARTIME ‘HELL’ IN HAWAI‘I ­— Some 3,000 prisoners were held at the Honouliuli incarceration camp, located in a gulch in Central Oahu, during World War II.  courtesy of Hawai‘i’s Plantation Village / http://hawaiisplantationvillage-info.com

“There are still scholarly works that say there were no internment camps in Hawai‘i,” observes archaeologist Mary Farrell. In fact, there were at least 14 places in the islands where people were detained during World War II. The Honouliuli camp, located in a gulch cutting through agricultural land of Central Oahu, was the largest and [...]