Japan: The Vegetarian Cookbook By Nancy Singleton Hachisu (New York: Phaidon, 2023, 368 pp, $54.95, hard cover) Nancy Singleton Hachisu is back with a vegetarian companion to her first book, “Japan: the Cookbook,” and it does not disappoint. Once again, Hachisu’s sheer volume of recipes in “Japan: The Vegetarian Cookbook” will give readers an astounding […]
Archives for July 2023
Up your noodle game
July 20, 2023 by Leave a Comment
The Ultimate Japanese Noodles Cookbook By Masahiro Kasahara (North Clarendon, Vt.: Tuttle Publishing, 2022, 96 pp., $15.99, hard cover) When people think about Japanese noodles, they will likely be thinking of ramen, udon or soba, served in a hot broth. Through “The Ultimate Japanese Noodles Cookbook,” Masahiro Kasahara extends far beyond your traditional bowl of […]
Pass the pickles
July 20, 2023 by Leave a Comment
Cooking with Japanese Pickles: 97 Quick, Classic and Seasonal Recipes By Takako Yokoyama (North Clarendon, Vt.: Tuttle Publishing, 2022, 112 pp., $17.99, hard cover) Japanese pickles go far beyond the common yellow takuan, classic umeboshi you know about. Takayo Yokoyama is a pickling master who, through “Cooking with Japanese Pickles,” shares 97 recipes that range […]
Returning to Manzanar
July 20, 2023 by Leave a Comment
Manzanar Mosaic: Essays and Oral Histories on America’s First World War II Japanese American Concentration Camp By Arthur A. Hansen (Denver: University Press of Colorado, 2023, 336 pp., $42; $29.95, hard cover; paperback) In the field of Japanese American studies, there is no denying the impact of Dr. Arthur A. Hansen’s work. His essays and […]
Fast and tasty eats
July 20, 2023 by Leave a Comment
RecipeTin Eats Dinner By Nagi Maehashi (Woodstock, VT: Countryman Press, 2023, 376 pp., $35, hard cover) Nagi Maehashi is the creator of RecipeTin Eats, a Website that took off internationally with its emphasis on fast, tasty recipes that still uses fresh or whole ingredients. With her giant golden retriever Dozer by her side, Maehashi brings […]
Celebrating an ever-changing community with Nobuko Miyamoto
July 20, 2023 by Leave a Comment
Singer to perform Aug. 5 at San Francisco’s Presidio Theatre Nobuko Miyamoto’s career spans more than half a century. A childhood interest in music and dance led her to roles in films such as “The King and I” (1956) and “West Side Story” (1961), but the octogenarian entertainer shares a 50th anniversary with the Japanese […]
Reduced enrollment across the board threatens Rosa Parks Elementary Japanese Bilingual Bicultural Program class
July 20, 2023 by Leave a Comment
Residents in San Francisco have been leaving the city in droves. The high cost of living and pandemic-era challenges have led many to seek better conditions outside the city. Whether they are concerned about the cost of living, how the government handles COVID-19 measures or the availability of childcare options, more than 50,000 people have […]
An in-depth examination of the WRA’s legal system
July 20, 2023 by Leave a Comment
LAWYER, JAILER, ALLY, FOE: Complicity and Conscience in America’s World War II Concentration Camps By Eric L. Muller (Chapel Hill, N.C.: University of North Carolina Press, 2023, 283 pp., $30, hardcover) As someone who has taught both history and literature classes, I recently had my curiosity aroused by an article in The New Yorker magazine […]
THE GREAT UNKNOWN AND THE UNKNOWN GREAT: Gratitude for Art Hansen, ‘a gifted mentor and inspiration’
July 20, 2023 by Leave a Comment
Among specialists in Japanese American history, few have made such an enduring contribution as Arthur Hansen. While his work as a longtime scholar and activist are well known in the Nikkei community, I want to pay tribute to him in his role as a gifted mentor and inspiration, to me and so many others. (Some […]
Murder and emotions unravel in postwar Little Tokyo mystery
July 20, 2023 by Leave a Comment
EVERGREEN By Naomi Hirahara (New York: Soho Press, 2023, 312 pp., $27.95, hardcover) Continuing to fill in the gaps of the postwar resettlement, Naomi Hirahara provides an intriguing and provocative mystery in “Evergreen,” next in the Japantown series. Finding menial jobs, sharing living quarters and trying to make ends meet are just the basic stressors […]
Connect & Share