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.