SOMEWHERE INSIDE: One Sister’s Captivity in North Korea and the Other’s Fight to Bring Her Home By Laura Ling and Lisa Ling (New York: William Morrow, 2010, 322 pp., $26.99, hardcover) At its heart, “Somewhere Inside: One Sister’s Captivity in North Korea and the Other’s Fight to Bring Her Home,†centers on relationships, namely that […]
Mean streets
January 1, 2011 by Leave a Comment
TOKYO VICE: AN AMERICAN REPORTER ON THE POLICE BEAT IN JAPAN By Jake Adelstein (New York: Pantheon, 2009, 335 pp., $26.00, hardcover) Chasing stories for the world’s biggest newspaper was tough on Jake Adelstein. As a crime reporter for the Yomiuri Shinbun, he had his share of run-ins with yakuza thugs. Getting occasionally slapped around […]
SF State to establish Japan and Japanese cultural center
December 23, 2010 by Leave a Comment
San Francisco State University (SFSU) has received the second-largest private individual gift in its history, a $5 million dollar gift from alumna and Professor Emerita Kay Takeyama Dilena, to establish the Dilena Takeyama Center for the Study of Japan and Japanese Culture. The Center will give a new prominence to the study of Japan at […]
Kanrin Maru committee looks to next 150 years of celebrating U.S.-Japan relationship
December 23, 2010 by Leave a Comment
A small group of people gathered around the rotunda of San Francisco’s City Hall on the evening of Dec. 13 for the closing ceremonies of the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the Kanrin Maru, the first Japanese ship in the United States. Along with a message from Consul General of Japan in San Francisco […]
Congress passes rare bill to allow Marine widow’s immigration
December 23, 2010 by Leave a Comment
WASHINGTON (Kyodo) — The House of Representatives, on Dec. 15, passed a private immigration bill that will pave the way for a Japanese widow of a U.S. Marine to live permanently in the United States. The bill grants permanent resident status to the woman, who now lives in the Japanese southernmost prefecture of Okinawa. As […]
Symposium reveals the history of U.S.-Japan cultural exchange in SF
November 11, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Imagine the world without San Francisco. We could not wear jeans by Levi Strauss, or celebrate the long-awaited championship of the San Francisco Giants. Most importantly, Nikkei history and the relationship between the U.S. and Japan, which originated in the Kanrin Maru’s voyage to San Francisco 150 years ago, would have been much different. The […]
Three to receive medals of honor from the Japanese government
November 11, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Two Japanese and one American residing in Northern and Central California will receive kunsho, or medals of honor from Japan, the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco announced Nov. 5. This fall’s Japanese recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays are Shigeru Kimura of San Francisco and Keizo Norimoto […]
Supporters of Japanese culture across the nation recognized with Kunsho medals
June 3, 2010 by Leave a Comment
In the May 27 issue, the Nichi Bei Weekly published information about Kunsho medal recipients named by the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco. Kunsho medals have been simultaneously handed out all across the country; this week’s issue includes information about recipients from other areas. Southern California and Arizona • Paul Kunio Shiba of […]
Government of Japan Honors Columbia Professor Takamura
December 24, 2009 by Leave a Comment
NEW YORK — Professor Jeanette C. Takamura, dean of the Columbia University School of Social Work, has been honored with The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, for her contributions to the promotion of social welfare policies and programs and the status of Japanese Americans. First awarded in 1875, the Order […]
More than words: Teaching English in Ecuador
In the 24 years that I have been “Ali, short for Alicia,†I have secretly longed for a nickname of distinctive familiarity and endearment. Now, in this small provincial city tucked in the Sierra region of central Ecuador, I have been branded with the inescapable moniker of “China,†or sometimes the affectionate diminutive, “Chinita.†Disregard […]