Japanese Culture Guide
All things pertaining to Japanese culture, from cultural arts practitioners to Cultural Arts Directory, mainly from our annual Japanese Culture and Cherry Blossom Festivals Guide.
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More than Meets the Eye: Understanding the depth behind the ‘Way of the Sword’
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Koji Lau-Ozawa bows as he enters the dojo for Monday night kendo practice. Rei, a sign of respect, is how kendo begins, he explains. To the untrained eye, a kendo […] READ MORE
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Ohara grandmaster’s lifetime of teaching
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After first being encouraged to take lessons from her aunt in Japan, Hisako “Shofu” Shohara embarked on a lifelong appreciation of nature through the art of ikebana. Jane Matsumoto, her […] READ MORE
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Pioneering NYC taiko group Soh Daiko continues to transform itself
ANGELA KIMI HICKMAN, Nichi Bei Weekly
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It’s another snowy Saturday afternoon in New York, but this has not kept members of taiko group Soh Daiko from holding their normal practice. As the days relentlessly beat toward […] READ MORE
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FOR THE COMMUNITY: Melody Takata’s three decades of teaching Japanese arts
TOMO HIRAI, Nichi Bei Weekly
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Melody Takata has been drumming taiko for around four decades, starting in Los Angeles as a high school student with L.A. Matsuri Taiko before moving to Tokyo for a year […] READ MORE
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Arts & Entertainment, Community News, Japanese Culture Guide, News, Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival, Special Issues
Ikebana to go: Kiyo’s Floral Design delivers ikebana-inspired creations
HEATHER ITO, Nichi Bei Weekly Contributor
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — For designer Lisa Taira, every flower arrangement she creates is one that comes from the heart — even if it’s just one flower. “It’s not just a […] READ MORE
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Arts & Entertainment, Community News, Japanese Culture Guide, News, Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival, Special Issues
Matt Ogawa perpetuates the cultural arts and gives back with a purpose
MICHAEL TAKEUCHI, Nichi Bei Weekly Contributor
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Whether motivating a group into action or expressing his love for his own Japanese American heritage through his involvement in a myriad of cultural activities, Matt Ogawa doesn’t have to […] READ MORE
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Arts & Entertainment, Community News, Japanese Culture Guide, News, Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival, Special Issues
Ikebana teacher follows family’s legacy of service, sees “revival” in the art
HEATHER ITO, Nichi Bei Weekly Contributor
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Her grandfather, the Rev. Shozen Naito, was a minister at the Buddhist Temple of Alameda before World War II; her grandmother taught Sogetsu ikebana in the 1970s and Japanese language […] READ MORE
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Arts & Entertainment, Community News, Japanese Culture Guide, Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival, Special Issues
Tiffany Tamaribuchi’s multifaceted Sacramento Taiko Dan family
HEATHER ITO, Nichi Bei Weekly Contributor
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — “My mom would say from the time I could walk, I would stand in front of the taiko,” said 51-year-old Tiffany Tamaribuchi, recalling her earliest encounter with […] READ MORE
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YOUNG LEARNER: Sogetsu instructor Kika Shibata’s ikebana interest started early
HEATHER ITO, Nichi Bei Weekly Contributor
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After a few busy weeks of work, 13-year Sogetsu ikebana practitioner Yasmin Spiegel arrived at the Shepard Garden and Arts Center in Sacramento, Calif. with a creativity block and little […] READ MORE
