Relaxed, coiffed and dressed stylishly in a skinny tie and patent shoes, Hideki Saijo does not look the least bit jetlagged from a 10-hour plane ride. Speaking fondly of his career, band members and memories of San Francisco, he is completely at ease, which would make sense, given that he has entertained and performed in […]
Arts & Entertainment
The Art of Sumo
January 21, 2010 by Leave a Comment
In a current exhibition in San Francisco, local artists re-imagine the traditional Japanese sport of sumo in entirely untraditional ways, often pairing the iconic rotund athletes with quirky pop-culture images. A sumo wrestler battles a giant sharp-toothed monster as onlookers gasp below. Orange-haired clown wrestlers trade blows, with balloons bursting from their open mouths. […]
Seniors Connect to Community Through Art
January 14, 2010 by Leave a Comment
On the lower level of the San Francisco Main Public Library, 90 pieces of the art — ranging in subject from portraits of the President and playful renditions of animals to colorful abstracts and peaceful landscapes — line the white walls. There are paintings in watercolor and acrylic; sketches done in pen, pencil and even […]
Tasty Sweets, Minus the Guilt
January 1, 2010 by Leave a Comment
THE WORRY FREE BAKERY: Treats Without Oil and Butter By Kuniko Ibaraki, translated by Jessica Bezer (New York: Vertical, Inc., 2009, 80 pp., $14.95, paperback) At first glance, the title may create skepticism in many die-hard dessert connoisseurs, but every recipe in this book is grounded in Kuniko Ibaraki’s idea that delicious desserts can be […]
Pan-Asian Comfort Food With a Twist
January 1, 2010 by Leave a Comment
The Asian Grandmothers Cookbook: Home Cooking from Asian American Kitchens By Patricia Tanumihardja (Seattle: Sasquatch Books, 2009, 368 pp., $35.00, hardcover) A multitude of cookbooks reference mothers. A fair amount offer nods to grandmas of all ethnic backgrounds. And there is no shortage of pan-Asian cookbooks to choose from at the local bookstore. But Patricia […]
An Unharmonious History Revisited
January 1, 2010 by Leave a Comment
CAMP HARMONY: SEATTLE’S JAPANESE AMERICANS AND THE PUYALLUP ASSEMBLY CENTER By Louis Fiset (Champaign: University of Illinois Press, 2009, 232 pp., $25, paperback) Many readers are probably familiar with Louis Fiset’s previous works, especially “Imprisoned Apart.†He has produced another important work on a subject long ignored perhaps because of the temporary nature of the […]
Documented: From Exile to Release from Concentration Camps
January 1, 2010 by Leave a Comment
With the advent of digital, cell, and even laptop cameras, we snap endless images knowing that we can just transport them to a worldwide audience or merely delete them into cyberspace without a second thought. There was a time, however, when cameras were considered contraband and Japanese Americans had to turn them, along with guns, […]
Tasty Sweets, Minus the Guilt
January 1, 2010 by Leave a Comment
THE WORRY FREE BAKERY: Treats Without Oil and Butter By Kuniko Ibaraki, translated by Jessica Bezer (New York: Vertical, Inc., 2009, 80 pp., $14.95, paperback) At first glance, the title may create skepticism in many die-hard dessert connoisseurs, but every recipe in this book is grounded in Kuniko Ibaraki’s idea that delicious desserts can be […]
Pan-Asian Comfort Food With a Twist
January 1, 2010 by Leave a Comment
The Asian Grandmothers Cookbook: Home Cooking from Asian American Kitchens By Patricia Tanumihardja (Seattle: Sasquatch Books, 2009, 368 pp., $35.00, hardcover) A multitude of cookbooks reference mothers. A fair amount offer nods to grandmas of all ethnic backgrounds. And there is no shortage of pan-Asian cookbooks to choose from at the local bookstore. But Patricia […]
Global Warming, and a Plea for Change
January 1, 2010 by Leave a Comment
THE BIG PICTURE: Reflections On Science, Humanity, And A Quickly Changing Planet By David Suzuki and Dave Robert Taylor (Toronto and Vancouver: Greystone Books; London and New York: David Suzuki Foundation: 2009, 272 pp., $19.95, 2009, paperback) In his latest book, David Suzuki tackles most of planet earth’s biggest issues, from the warming of the […]
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