Family Gatherings

One thing is for sure, if you go to a Japanese American family gathering there will be tons of food.  Recently, my family got together for Thanksgiving and we had about 30 people.  We had two huge turkeys (I made one of them, my first turkey, a 15 pounder, and it turned out! ), gravy, a honey-baked ham, candied yams, mashed potatoes, rice, 3 jello salads, pumpkin pie, apple pie, spinach dip, brie dip, egg rolls, crudites, rolls, creamed corn, cookies and I am probably forgetting some of the other food.

Everyone helped out with the cooking or brought food to the gathering.  It is really nice being with the extended family.  One of my cousins once told me she loves having a huge extended family because she never feels alone.  I grew up always having cousins or relatives come and visit and stay at our house and we did the same on vacations.  I remember once in elementary school, a classmate told me she did not know her first cousins and I was just stunned as I couldn't imagine that.

Grandparents only speak Japanese

When I was a child, every grandma and grandpa or older person my sisters and I  knew, only spoke Japanese.  We all thought that when you became a grandparent you would automatically only be able to speak Japanese.  We worried that we would not be able to communicate with our grandchildren.  I remember one day we were sitting at the kitchen table and we expressed our concern to our mom.  My mom was stunned that we all thought this.  She calmly explained to us that since we spoke English now, we would when we were older and she assured us we would be able to speak English to our grandchildren.  We were all relieved to hear that from our mom.

Japanese Inventions

Here are some interesting Japanese inventions. Very creative!

Reading Japanese

When I was in elementary school, every Saturday, I had to go to Japanese School.  I thought it was such an injustice to have to go to school on a Saturday!  We learned to read and write hiragana.   Hiragana is a set of Japanese characters that were usually taught first when I was growing up since it is simpler to read and write.   My mom was taught katakana first, which is set of characters used for non-Japanese words.  I also was taught katakana but I think because I was taught hiragana first, I know those characters better and my mom said she knows katakana better.  Kanji is the more complicated characters, which I know a few, but not enough to read and write.

I have relatives that live in Japan and when they write my family letters, they write in hiragana since it is simpler for us to read.  Since I can read hiragana better than my mom,  I read the letter out loud in hiragana but I don't really understand what I am reading, but my mom understands the Japanese so between the two of us we can understand the letter.  I was talking to my cousin the other day and she said she does the same thing with her mom.

Just find it interesting to be able to read a letter, but not necessarily understand its meaning.

Koden - A Practical Tradition

I have always thought the custom of giving Koden, a monetary gift, at funerals is a very practical way to show a family support in a time of greiving.  The money is often used to pay for the funeral.  People provide envelopes with their address on them with the monetary gift so that the family can send them a thank you card.  People are assigned to collect the envelopes at the funeral, usually in a box, on a table. It is customary to give the same amount or more, than the person gave you,  if you attend a funeral for one of their family members.  Japanese-American funerals are typically big events and everyone attends.

I learned what to do with Koden from one of my uncles, who presided over the Koden process at many of our family funerals.  I remember the first time I was allowed to sit at the table and participate in the process.   After the service and the meal that we always have,  my uncle brought the Koden envelopes, filed in the boxes by family name, to the table.  We were assigned jobs.  We separated checks into a pile to be deposited later and the cash in another pile.  We had some people addressing envelopes and putting on stamps on the envelopes.  At the end of the evening, the gifts were recorded, the checks were ready to be deposited, all the thank you cards had been written and envelopes stamped and ready to be mailed.  The efficiency in which my uncle ran this process was impressive and I'll always remember how he led us.  He has since passed away but that is a memory I will always have of him.

Chiune Sugihara, The “Japanese Schindler”

My Aunt told me today about Chiune Sugihara (January 1, 1900 – July 31, 1986).  I had never heard of him.  He was a Japanese diplomat in Lithuania during World War II.  He issued thousands of transit visas to Jewish refugees in Lithuania so that they could travel to Japan.  He saved thousands of lives. He later became known as the "Japanese Schindler".

There is a book entitled "Visas for Life", an autobiography written by Sugihara's wife Yukiko, and a documentary called "Conspiracy of Kindness."  Here is a touching video about Sugihara.  Amazing - what bravery and compassion.

Being Happa Here: a NEW blogger has Joined

Being a minority is one thing, but being two parts is another.  I'm a new voice, a racial enigma understood by few and accepted by many.  I am also somewhat of an exception: I'm a black girl who can't dance, and a Japanese girl who doesn't like sushi.  Among my friends, I stick out.  And that is saying something because of the wide racial diversity of the people I choose to be around.  Today, being mixed is normal. It's not all different. I didn't like it at first. In elementary school, I would pretend to not be mixed. People didn't understand.  In high school, I began to see more of me. More biracials.  They understood. They just got it. Now, I love telling people I'm of mixed race.  From two different worlds colliding to form one fusion of diverse beauty that  is me.  I love teriyaki chicken and hip hop music.

Gambatte - Inspiring Word

Gambatte is a Japanese word, that I find really inspiring. When faced with adversity, in my family, we will say "Gambatte", which means to persevere, do your best, go for it. I think of it as buckle-down and face adversity head-on.  It's up to you. Don't feel sorry for yourself.  I really like the phrase, since it motivates you to move forward in a positive way.  We also use Gambatte to describe an attitude i.e. that person has a great Gambatte attitude!

Arnold Schwarzenegger in Japanese Commercial

This is somewhat bizarre and amusing.  Not exactly sure what I think about this ad.  Looks like it has Korean subtitles.  If you like to see Arnold in Japanese Commercials just check out YouTube. There are a slew of them.  A lot of American movie stars will do ads in Japan but not in the United States.  They are paid a ton to do the ads.

Asian American Blog Conference

I just started blogging about my Japanese American experience and was curious to see what other Asian American blogs were out there.  I found out there is an Asian American blogging conference "Banana" that is going to be held in Southern California at the USC campus on November 21, 2009, 4-6pm.  This is the first conference of its kind.  I am not going to be able to go, but I am really interested to find out how this conference goes.  Here is more information about the conference:

Nihonmachi: The Place to Be

This is a great Japanese American play.  Check it out!  It's based on the family that owns Fugetsu-do in Los Angeles, California. I saw the play in Los Angeles and there is now another benefit performance for the Little Tokyo Koban and Visitor Center.


Nihonmachi: The Place to Be 
Written by: Soji Kashiwagi 
Date/Time: Sunday, November 15, 2009, 2pm

Play Synopsis: A third-generation (Sansei) omanju maker decides to close his family business after 99 years but as his doors are about to close, the spirit of his issei grandfather returns to teach him about how Japantowns began and to remind him about the importance of Nihonmachi (Japantown) to the Japanese American community.

Location: Aratani/Japan America Theatre
244 South San Pedro Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Phone: (213) 680-3700

$35 Orchestra
$30 Balcony
$50 Sponsor ticket through LTSC Koban
Tickets may be purchased online or through the Aratani/Japan America Theatre Box Office
(213) 680-3700.

Anko vs. Unko

Omanju

My mom once handed me an English newspaper clipping and said you have got to read this obituary. It was about a person that had made omanju ( a Japanese sweet bean-filled rice cake).  The obituary also described how omanju is made and that a sweet reddish/brown bean paste is put in the omanju.  Unfortunately, there was a typo in the newspaper and instead of using the word "Anko"  to refer to the sweet bean paste, the newspaper said "Unko", which is a human bowel movement.  We all had a good laugh about that one.   The newspaper later said they had a correction, the word should have been "Anko" but they did not say what "Unko" meant.

Bathroom Etiquette

I found out about this Japanese product that eliminates toilet odors from my relatives.  You drop 2 to 3 drops in the toilet right BEFORE you use the toilet and the drops magically help to make the odor less.  Not sure what it does.  Have one of these little bottles in all my bathrooms.  I gave one of these to one of my friends, who has a place that has only one bathroom, and she said it worked wonders.  I went to Mitsuwa the other day and I was surprised to see they now have the packaging in English.  I never saw the packaging in English before!

Shoe Etiquette

In Japan,  you normally have different types of shoes to go to the restroom, to drive in your car, to go outside of your house, to go inside your house, for Japanese dancing.  The trick is to know which shoes go with which activity and when not to wear shoes.  For example, you should not wear shoes in a dressing room in Japan.  I learned that when a Japanese sales person began yelling at me when she saw me wearing shoes in a dressing room.

In the United States, in many Japanese American homes,  people take off their shoes before walking inside the house. Many families have slippers by the front door to wear inside the house.  It does keep the carpet cleaner.

San Jose Taiko

The San Jose Taiko Drummers are really cool!  I have seen them perform at Japanese festivals.  This is a really great video that shows the history of the group, which started in 1973 in San Jose, California, and also discusses the Japantown in San Jose.  I think it is really interesting how they blend rhythms and include instruments from other countries in their music.

Generations

If you ask a Japanese American, what generation are you?  That person will probably know.  When I was a child,  my parents explained to me the meaning of the generations.

• Issei - This generation is people that were born in Japan but later immigrated to the United States.
• Nisei - This generation is people that were born in the U.S. and their parents are Issei.
• Sansei - This generation is people that were born in the U.S. and their parents are Nisei.
• Yonsei - This generation is people that were born in the U.S. and their parents are Sansei.
• Gosei - This generation is people that were born in the U.S. and their parents are Yonsei.

Many of the Issei have passed away as this was the generation that came over to the United States before World War II.  Many of the Nisei were born a few years before the war or during the war.  Many Sansei were born during the baby boom.

Richard Aoki - Field Marshall of the Black Panther Party

Richard Aoki, a third generation (Sansei) Japanese American, was one of the founding members of the Black Panther Party and became a Field Marshall of the Black Panther Party.   There is a documentary about Aoki (1938-2009) that will premiere in Oakland, California, on November 12, 2009.  The documentary discusses how Richard was a major force within the party. He was the first to contribute fireams to the party and he provided weapons training.  He was a strong civil rights activist.  I just recently learned about Aoki because of the promotions for this documentary. Not something you learn in school.

Botan Rice Candy

When I was in elementary school,  I remember eating Botan Rice Candy and sharing it with my friends. My friends would always ask me, "Are you sure we can eat the paper?"  and I would assure them we could. We were all fascinated that you could eat the paper surrounding the chewy candy.

Japantowns In the United States - Nihonmachi

There are 3 main Japantowns (Nihonmachi) in the United States located in California.  In my family, we sometimes call it J Town.  I grew up going to these towns where I got sweets, tofu and attended many Japanese festivals.  I look back now and realize these towns were very important to my understanding the Japanese American culture and preserving traditions.  They also have excellent Japanese food!

Japantown, San Francisco, California
Japantown, San Jose, California
Little Tokyo,  Los Angeles, California

There is a really cool video about the Japantown in San Jose.

Japanese Markets in the United States

When you crave Japanese food that is hard to find in regular markets, here are some great places to go.

Marukai
The Marukai in Gardena, California, is the original store and is the store to go to if you can. That store has a great variety of food, furniture and Asian decor at great prices. Its fun to go shopping at Marukai. You do have to have a membership card or you can buy one for $1 as a day pass.  I have been to the stores in West Covina and Cupertino in California, but one day need to get to the Gardena store!

Mitsuwa
At Mitsuwa, I really like their fresh fish and the store products are what you find in the markets in Japan.  You can forget you are in the United States when you shop there.

Jan Ken Po

Jan Ken Po stands for Rock, Paper, Scissor which is a game that was invented in Japan.  If you are Japanese American, you have probably played this game since you were a child.  It's a great game to play that only requires your hands and 2 or more players. 
photo source: wikipedia

• Rock is represented by a fist.
• Paper is represented by an open hand. 
• Scissors is represented by the index and middle fingers extended and separated.

The objective of the game is to defeat your opponent by these rules:

• Rock breaks scissors: rock wins.
• Scissors cut paper: scissors win.
• Paper covers rock: paper wins.

The way you play: Each person makes one fist and raises it up and says "Jan Ken Po". When you say "Po", everyone drops their fists down into one of the hand gestures of Rock, Scissors, Paper and then you determine the winner.

Sometimes this game is used to settle disputes, but I just play it with my friends and family to see who wins. You often hear after the first game, "ok, let's do 3 out of 5".

Rice Field Art

This is amazing!  This is a rice field. Every year Japanese farmers in the town of Inakadate, in the Aomori prefecture, create rice field art by carefully planting different varieties of rice.

Shall We Dance?

"Shall We Dance?" is an enchanting Japanese 1996 movie about an accountant who feels he is in a rut and that his life is boring.  He secretly takes up ballroom dancing and it changes his whole outlook on life.  I saw this in a movie theater and really enjoyed it.  It is now on dvd.

Here's the movie trailer:

There was a remake with Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez and Susan Sarandon, but that pales in comparison in my opinion.

This is so cool! I just learned how to embed and size a YouTube video in my blog!

The Makioka Sisters

The Makioka Sisters, by Junichiro Tanizaki, was translated into English and was highly recommended to me when I was living in Japan.  The story is about four daughters of a once wealthy family struggling during the war in Osaka.  An interesting read.

Chopstick (Ohashi) Etiquette

There are 2 Rules my mom told me about chopsticks when I was growing up.

1) Never put chopsticks sticking straight up in a bowl of rice or any food you are serving guests.  Food served like that is only for the dead.  I always wondered why they were serving food to the dead.

2) With forks, knives and spoons, you wash them and then reuse them.  This is the same with chopsticks except you are never supposed to give used chopsticks to guests.  This is why Japanese American homes always have an abundance of wooden or bamboo chopsticks.

UC Berkeley Students Make World-Record California Sushi

On November 8, 2009, UC Berkeley students and campus employees created a World-Record 330 foot California Roll (sushi rice, onori, avocado, cucumber and faux-crab meat).  Go Bears!

Free Rice for the Hungry

Help to fight world hunger.  Check out FreeRice.  Play the game and for every word you pick the right definition, 10 grains of rice are donated.   Increase your vocabulary and help the hungry. Win Win for all.

100% Hapa

Hapa is a Hawaiian term used to describe a person of mixed Asian or Pacific Islander racial/ethnic heritage. 100% Hapa is the first book of its kind.  Filled with over 100 Hapa portraits and their individual handwritten response to the question, “What are you?”    Check out the YouTube video: Kip Fulbeck and The Hapa Project at Space180 Gallery.

Pinkberry with Mochi Balls

Pinkberry frozen yogurt, the original flavor, with mochi balls and blueberries is delicious.  Be sure to ask for mochi balls when you go there as they don't always have them on display.  Yummy!

San Jose Tofu Company

If you want to have the best TOFU ever! The place to go is the San Jose Tofu Company. The Tofu is so fresh and delicious.

175 Jackson St
San Jose, CA 95112-5108
(408) 292-7026

Japanese American National Museum

There is a great Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, California that has a wealth of information about the history of Japanese Americans. Right down the street is Fugetso-Do, a Japanese confectionary store, that has been there for over 100 years. It has been run by the same family for 3 generations!

I Love Umeboshi

One of my favorite foods is Umeboshi. It is a Japanese pickled plum that is sour but is delicious with white rice. I just learned a little while ago that it now comes in a squeezable bottle, which is just great, so you don't have to eat the whole plum!

Metromint

A really cool and refreshing drink is Metromint. It has zero calories and I buy it once in awhile as a treat. My favorites are chocolatemint water and cherrymint water. You can check out the other flavors at http://www.metromint.com/.

Center of the World

I grew up in the United States, but had the opportunity to live in Japan for 1 year. One thing that really resonated with me, was one day I was looking at a world map in Japan. The center of the map was Japan and then the various countries surrounding it. It really made me realize its all in your perspective of what you consider the center of the world.

First Post to this Blog!

This is the first post to the MyHaView blog. This blog will cover current events, trends and musings from a Japanese-American perspective. Its really tough coming up with a good blog name these days since everything you can think of has already been taken. I chose MyHaView - My Hip Asian View because Hip Asians are called HAs. They are the coolest, chic, rich Asians, not necessarily me, but the blog name was available.