The last time Nobuko Miyamoto performed in San Francisco, she had black hair. But the octogenarian musician and activist still had the groove and the movements as she commanded the stage for “120,000 Stories” at the Presidio Theatre in San Francisco’s Presidio Aug. 5. Miyamoto, whose career spans decades, reflected on her life, which began […]
New Ohlone College President Charles Sasaki rolls up his sleeves
August 17, 2023 by 1 Comment
While most of his family is in Hawai‘i, Charles Sasaki’s arrival in California to take over Ohlone College in Fremont, Calif. is somewhat of a homecoming for the Gosei — or fifth-generation Japanese American — administrator. “My parents met in college in Los Angeles, so that’s why I was born in California. So I think, […]
THE HEART OF KANJI: Universal arrangement
August 17, 2023 by Leave a Comment
天地 (Tenchi) means “Heaven and Earth.” The first character’s top line represents the sky and the line below represents a large person. The second character’s left side represents land and the right side represents a snake. 繰り合 (Kuriawase) means “arrangement.” The first character’s left side represents a string. The top lines of the right side […]
Martha Nakagawa, community journalist and activist, dies
August 17, 2023 by Leave a Comment
Martha Miiko Nakagawa, a long-time community journalist, researcher and advocate, passed away on the morning of July 28 at Los Angeles General Medical Center. She was 56. She was suffering from late-stage metastatic breast cancer, according to Marie Morohoshi, one of the friends who comforted Nakagawa in her final days. Nakagawa, whose father was incarcerated […]
Haunted by Half Moon Bay mass shootings, Chinese farmworkers search for a way back
August 17, 2023 by 1 Comment
Mr. Huang lives in a modest, one-bedroom apartment just off Highway 1 a few miles outside the city of Half Moon Bay. Originally from Hong Kong, he stands at the front door to welcome the coterie of support providers arriving for one of their regular visits. Before January, Huang and a handful of other Chinese […]
THE GREAT UNKNOWN AND THE UNKNOWN GREAT: Internationally-trained pianist and ‘no-no’ Newton Tani
August 17, 2023 by Leave a Comment
Over the past decades, there have been numerous studies of paintings and other artworks from the Japanese American concentration camps, which have been thoroughly explored in exhibitions, catalogs and artist monographs. Much coverage has been devoted to the art schools at Tanforan, Calif. and Topaz (Central Utah) that were directed by the eminent artist Chiura […]
Santa Clara Co.: Sheriff’s office denies forcibly removing arrested woman’s hijab
August 17, 2023 by Leave a Comment
The Santa Clara Sheriff’s Office denied Aug. 5 that one of its deputies forcibly removed a hijab of a Muslim woman that was arrested and booked in a Milpitas correctional facility. The statement came days after the Council on American-Islamic Relations in the Bay Area (CAIR-SFBA) said the Muslim woman, Asia Aden, had her hijab […]
Actor Park adapts a favorite Tomine graphic novel for his feature debut ‘Shortcomings’
August 17, 2023 by Leave a Comment
PARK CITY, Utah — Randall Park was a struggling actor when he first encountered Adrian Tomine’s graphic novel “Shortcomings” in 2007. The story focused on a twentysomething Japanese American man named Ben, who is trying to find himself in the Bay Area along with his girlfriend Miko and best friend Alice, who is a lesbian. […]
Tsukune (Japanese chicken meatball skewers) つくね
August 17, 2023 by Leave a Comment
Ready for a summer cookout? I highly recommend giving this tsukune recipe a try. Drizzled with sweet soy sauce, these Japanese chicken meatball skewers are absolutely delicious. They are best on the grill, but you can bake them in the oven too. Tsukune (つくね) are Japanese chicken meatballs that are skewered and typically grilled over […]
Japanese American Citizens League joins Save Our Seniors Network to support Rep. Judy Chu’s call for an investigation of Kei-Ai Los Angeles
The Japanese American Citizens League joins the call for a complete and thorough investigation and oversight of Kei-Ai Los Angeles due to the disproportionate mortality rate resulting in 115 deaths largely occurring between November 2020 and May 2021. Rep. Judy Chu initiated the calls for an investigation with a letter sent to the Centers for […]