A decorated World War II veteran, Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, died Dec. 17. He was 88. Hawai‘i’s most senior politician passed away from respiratory complications at 5:01 p.m. Eastern Standard Time at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., his office said in a statement issued Dec. 17. According to the statement, […]
Archives for 2012
Hawai‘i political icon Sen. Inouye, third in line of presidency, dies at 88
Esteban won’t be paroled if she stays unremorseful
OAKLAND, Calif. — (Bay City News Service) — Giselle Esteban was sentenced Dec. 10 to 25 years to life in state prison by a judge who warned her that she will never be paroled if she continues to feel no remorse for murdering nursing student Michelle Le, her former friend and high school classmate, in […]
‘Tim’ Nomiyama, a Nisei military resister, dies
Tetsuo “Tim” Nomiyama, a Kibei Nisei military resister, passed away on Dec. 10, 2012 at the age of 96. Nomiyama was born on Jan. 20, 1916 in Alameda, Calif. Around the age of 4 or 5, his parents sent him to their ancestral home in Fukuoka Prefecture to receive a Japanese education. When Nomiyama returned […]
THE GREAT UNKNOWN AND THE UNKNOWN GREAT: Poet, writer Mary Oyama Mittwer championed literary and intellectual exchanges
One astounding aspect of Japanese American life is the number of accomplished families — clans that gave birth to multiple members who made names for themselves in different fields of endeavor. I recently had the occasion to work on the Tajiri family, which produced in one generation the journalists Larry and Yoshiko Tajiri, the photographer […]
FULL COUNT: Year’s end update
As 2012 comes to a close, here’s a recap of the most recent transactions involving Japanese or Japanese American ball players. Reports indicate Seibu Lions infielder Hiroyuki Nakajima and the Oakland A’s have agreed on a two-year deal worth $6.5 million. Nakajima made seven all-star appearances in 11 seasons with Seibu, hitting .302 with 149 […]
OBITUARY: Ben Arai
ARAI, BEN, 89, a resident of Fremont, Calif., passed away on Nov. 23, 2012. Ben was born on Oct. 21, 1923 in Sacramento, Calif. to Shigezo and Haki Arai. He graduated from Sacramento High in 1941 and was interned during World War II with his family at the Tule Lake War Relocation Center and later, […]
THE KAERU KID: Lima — more than beans
Editor’s Note: This is the second in a two-part series. I read about the Chez Wong (aka Sankuay) restaurant that some rate as one of the top 50 in the world (114 Calle Enrique León García). I called to make reservations, but they only have 12 tables and are always full. I went there anyway, […]
THE GOCHISO GOURMET: So you wanna be a chef, huh?
Since I live for food and wine and spend a substantial amount of my free time tinkering about the kitchen either creating new recipes or tweaking old recipes, I occasionally will ponder my career choices, thinking about what would have been if I had selected the culinary arts instead of the health sciences. Mind you, […]
California same-sex couples anxiously await Supreme Court decision
When Tran Le and Terrenz Vong marched in the Los Angeles Gay Pride Parade, their photo appeared on the second page of the Sing Tao Daily. The couple said their appearance in Los Angeles’ largest Chinese-language newspaper sent a clear message to their families and their communities. “One of the biggest misconceptions (in Asian Pacific […]
Rebuilding in Ishinomaki, Japan
On March 11, 2011, one year and 10 months ago, a 9.0-magnitude earthquake, followed by a tsunami of historic proportions, struck Japan. The damage and destruction was beyond belief. The exact number of lives lost is still unknown, but is estimated at 20,000. While the cost of recovery may not be known for decades, some […]