Rafu ShimpoNov 14, 20193 minRAMBLINGS FROM THE SON OF A PAPER SON: Uncle HiroRecently the last of the Nisei generation in the Morimizu clan passed away at 95. Kei Morimizu was the younger brother of Hiro. His...
Rafu ShimpoNov 14, 20195 minTHROUGH THE FIRE: Japanese American Museum of San Jose — ‘Resistance to Internment’(Published Oct. 23, 2019) My husband and I just returned from a two-week trek to the Bay Area to visit family and friends. One of the...
Rafu ShimpoNov 14, 20193 minJ-TOWN BEAT: Tears, Ukulele and Family Reunions(Published Nov. 2, 2019) Last Friday, I was fortunate to be a very small part of the continuation of an emotional journey. Terry Weber...
Rafu ShimpoNov 14, 20193 minTHROUGH THE FIRE: Easy Lies from the Head that Wears the CrownI was taught in school that we should be truthful and honest. We were taught about young George Washington confessing he chopped down the...
Rafu ShimpoNov 12, 20194 minBOOK REVIEW: How Lack of Intense Anti-Japanese Sentiment Created Less Ethnic Cohesion Among New YorkBy MARTHA NAKAGAWA, Rafu Contributor “Distant Islands: The Japanese American Community in New York City, 1876-1930s” by Daniel H. Inouye...
Rafu ShimpoNov 9, 20194 minVOX POPULI: Remembering a Committed ArtistHiroshi Kashiwagi plays a Nisei veteran in “Kikan: The Homecoming.” By KERWIN BERK Deeply saddened by the news that Hiroshi Kashiwagi...
Rafu ShimpoOct 11, 20193 minJ-TOWN BEAT: The Importance of SupermarketsIn Gardena, besides having some of the best down-home Japanese food in Los Angeles, we are blessed with quite a few supermarkets, each...
Rafu ShimpoOct 11, 20193 minTHE WARREN REPORT: All I Really Need to Know…After picking up Harlee, my granddaughter, she recounted what she had learned that day in kindergarten. She told Lisa and me about...
Rafu ShimpoOct 11, 20193 minRAMBLINGS FROM THE SON OF A PAPER SON: The Live Oak Park Tennis CrewIn his later years, my father-in-law Lew Abe would routinely say to us, “Don’t get old!” as he confronted his many physical ailments....
Rafu ShimpoOct 10, 20192 minTHROUGH THE FIRE: Zatoichi – The Blind SwordsmanI’ve always liked Zatoichi movies. When I retired from the Little Tokyo Service Center about 7 years ago, I found I had more time to...
Rafu ShimpoAug 28, 20195 minJ-TOWN BEAT: The View from Little TokyoAfter Juli Yoshinaga was announced as the 2019 Nisei Week Queen, many of us at the Aratani Theatre turned to thoughts of her grandfather,...
Rafu ShimpoAug 15, 20196 minTo All the Meals I’ve Loved BeforeBotanica serves seared Japanese sweet potatoes, carmelized on the outside and soft and sweet on the inside, served with a verdant salsa...
Rafu ShimpoJul 29, 20194 minStatement of Hirabayashi, Yasui and Korematsu Families and Coram Nobis Legal Teams in Support of ResThe children of Minoru Yasui, Gordon Hirabayashi, and Fred Korematsu, and their coram nobis legal teams, support proposed Resolution R-3:...
Rafu ShimpoJul 29, 20194 minAn Open Letter to the JACL National Council and JACL MembershipNikkei for Civil Rights & Redress (NCRR) voices its support for the resolution of reconciliation and apology that will be presented at...
Rafu ShimpoJul 29, 20196 minResolution of Apology to Tule Lake Resisters Is a No-No Win for JACLBy GERALD H. YAMADA At the Japanese American Citizens League National Convention that will soon convene in Salt Lake City, one of the...
Rafu ShimpoJul 25, 20192 minObon in the Northern AlpsBy VELINA HASU HOUSTON The bus ride to Togamura was endless. Up and up into the Japanese Northern alps it traveled, its passengers all...
Rafu ShimpoJul 25, 20193 minObon Dancing GoodbyeIt was hot, the sunlight as bright and sharp as a knife. The first time I danced Bon-odori, I shouldered my way into the crowd circling...
Rafu ShimpoJul 25, 20191 minWhat Obon Season Means to MeI am a Japanese American Sansei who grew up in Seattle, Washington. My family was active in the Seattle Buddhist Church, and the one...
Rafu ShimpoJul 25, 20193 minSights, Scents and Spirit(MIKEY HIRANO CULROSS/Rafu Shimpo) By CATHY UCHIDA For many Americans, Memorial Day signifies the beginning of summer, ushered in by the...
Rafu ShimpoJul 25, 20193 minHelping the Lives of OthersBy EMI EASTMAN When I was five, I wanted to be an artist and spent my days using children’s art kits to paint pictures of dogs. Then I...