National Geographic recently named San Jose’s Japantown, located in Silicon Valley, one of the top 26 friendliest neighborhoods in the country. But within and surrounding this welcoming community many older adults are still socially isolated. In fact, according to the AARP Foundation, one in five Americans 65 and older are socially isolated, which means “this […]
Youth’s ‘smart’ invention helps elderly and their caregivers
October 16, 2014 by 1 Comment
Two years ago, Kenneth Shinozuka’s grandfather began wandering at night, resulting in accidents. Shinozuka witnessed his aunt struggling to stay up at night to watch over her father, who has Alzheimer’s disease. The 16-year-old Shin-Nisei realized that his family is far from alone. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, some 5.2 million people suffer from […]
Nikkei bridge the digital, generational divide
March 2, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Youth and seniors are slowly bridging the gap between the community through a series of workshops that are being held at the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC). The Digital Leadership Program’s classes encourage senior citizens to embrace technology, and allow San Francisco Japantown’s youth to develop their communication skills. The classroom […]
iTOUR THROUGH HISTORY: New app allows digital media to teach about the Japanese American incarceration experience
January 20, 2012 by 2 Comments
Have the days when students learned about Japanese American history through textbooks gone by the wayside? As consumers latch on to the latest tech gadgets, some companies are using digital media to teach about the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. From iPhone applications to video games, the emerging trend signals the innovative […]
77 mil. PlayStation user info may have leaked
April 28, 2011 by Leave a Comment
TOKYO (Kyodo) — Sony Corp. said April 27 personal information of up to 77 million users of its PlayStation Network services around the world may have been leaked, calling on users to monitor credit reports on a regular basis. Sony said it “cannot rule out the possibility” that credit card data were compromised as a […]
RABBIT RAMBLINGS: Closely watched owls
March 31, 2011 by Leave a Comment
I have been spending a little time each day looking in on a family of owls. An owlhouse was built in Southern California by an owl lover, and a pair of barn owls named Syd and Mel moved in. Some cameras have been attached so that the owls could be observed 24/7. Seven eggs were […]
Hot Gimmicky Schemes: Calculators
February 23, 2011 by 4 Comments
According to a release from Bandai and Sharp, a new calculator will be hitting Japan’s shelves in March. It won’t support trigonometric equations; it won’t computate cubic roots; but it does have President Shima Kosaku (and a cellphone strap). Stop right there. Sharp is making a calculator, where the only saving grace is that it […]
Schwarzenegger impressed by Japan’s bullet train technology
September 16, 2010 by Leave a Comment
TOKYO (Kyodo) — California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Sept. 14 took a test ride of a chartered shinkansen bullet train between Tokyo and Omiya in Saitama Prefecture, north of the capital, as his state is seeking to introduce a high-speed railway system. The governor, who is on a two-day trade mission to Japan from Sept. […]
Taking Heart: Japanese American Medical Student Develops iPhone Application to Study Heart Murmurs
November 12, 2009 by Leave a Comment
When Michael “Fuj” Fujinaka started medical school two years ago he received a stethoscope. But he was not taught how to use it until his third year of school. “Basically every medical student uses a stethoscope. But you don’t learn how to use it until your third year,” said the Stockton, Calif. native, who is […]
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