Week 6: Arts & Spiritual

On the set of NBC Bay Area

Monday was a great way to start off Arts and Spiritual Week!  Our first stop was at KNTV NBC Channel 11 to meet with Mike Inouye.  It was really great to walk around the studio and stand on the set of the newscast (we even got to wave and say hi!).  We liked how they keep the halls dark to conserve energy and Kelly especially liked the control room since she has a similar job on campus. What we really found interesting was the fact that Mr.Inouye uses his influences as a newscaster to promote Japanese American and Asian American awareness.  For example, he told us that he encouraged the TV station to run their piece on the 442nd because it is an important part of history for both Japanese Americans and the nation as a whole.

Aztec Dance Class

In the afternoon, we met with Tamara Alvarado, Director of Community Access & Engagement at the Mexican Heritage Plaza. Having both taken Spanish language in the past, it was really interesting for us to see the different classes and children's programs they have going on at the center.  Part of NCI is not only getting a feel for Japantown, but also the other areas of the city that have an impact on Nihonmachi.  For example, San Jose Taiko has performed at the Heritage Plaza, and since both Jtown and the Plaza  represent minority groups, they have something in common. We expecially enjoyed talking with the Aztec dance instructor. She expressed the importance of teaching kids their own culture and like her idea that once they are secure with their own cultural identity, it is easier for them to see commonalities rather than just differences between other cultures.

Tuesday we met with Wisa Uemura, the Executive Director of San Jose Taiko (SJT).  She told us about her interest in non-profit work in taiko.  Wisa, a recent graduate of Stanford, she auditioned for SJT along with her future husband Franco Imperial.  She played taiko in college and she entered SJT knowing that it would provide her with the knowledge and education to perform taiko at a profesional level and run a non-profit organization. She also explained the transition period of Roy and PJ stepping down from their positions as Executive and Artistic Directors of San Jose Taiko and passing the power to Wisa and Franco.  The process took a couple of years, but Wisa kept stressing that the transition went smoothly because of Roy and PJ’s encouragement.

In the afternoon, the two of us prepared for the Japantown Disaster Preparedness Town Hall Meeting.  We were thrilled with the turnout and we were happy that so many people came out to our event! Check our previous blog post for more details on that!

With Ken Matsumoto at his gallery

At the Buddhist Butsuin
with Reverend Sakamoto

On Wednesday we talked with Rev. Sakamoto at the San Jose Buddhist Temple. He discussed the history of the temple, how it has changed over time, and how he came to San Jose.  It was funny how he said he was partially drawn to this location because he really liked computers and the temple happened to have some! In the afternoon, we stopped by the Art Gallery on 5th street and met Ken Matsumoto.  We had a great time looking around at all of the pieces!  They’re all so creative; we really liked the one that looks like moving water behind translucent glass.  

Thursday morning started at JAMSJ with Mrs. Iwanaga and Komo Gauvreau.  Ms. Gauvreau plans the public programs that JAMSJ provides.  She told us about the different films that JAMSJ is showing throughout the year and that JAMSJ tries to show one film each month.  

Adrian Avila of De-Bug

The next stop was Silicon Valley De-Bug where we met with Adrian Avila.  Adrian has been with De-Bug for 12 years and has even created his own printing business.  He gave us a tour of the building and told us about the work that De-Bug provides for the community.  Not only do they provide printing, but they also provide case work and help people shave off time from their sentences.  Adrian even took us to the basement and showed us his printers.  He rents out his equipment and he gives lessons to those who want to learn the trade.  It was great meeting Adrian; he really had a passion for De-Bug and the resources it gives to the community.

In the afternoon, we met with Dr. Hiura and Tasi Alabastro.  Tasi told us that he is, “an actor/director who just so happens to be Filipino.”  He gave us some good advice about the arts and how important it is to expose the youth.  Dr. Hiura and Mrs. Iwanaga gave us the history behind CATS and how it promotes the arts for Asians and Pacific Islanders.  Dr. Hiura, being a founder of CATS, told us stories about his involvement in Asian American arts.  

David Oda

Emily Murase

Friday was intern day.  We drove up to San Francisco and first met Emily Murase, the executive director for the Department on the Status of Women. Then we had a workshop with David Oda on how to make our LinkedIn profiles more and how to look for a job on the site. This was especially helpful since the both of us are going to be/are already job hunting!  In the afternoon we met with Mr. Hiroshima who gave us advice for when we enter the workforce, and finally we met with Erin Kimura, who talked a little bit about her experiences in the NCI program and the history of Japantown.  

We can’t believe there are only two more weeks left of the program and have been busy starting to plan the end of program retreat!  

Japantown Disaster Preparedness Town Hall Meeting

Japantown Preparedness Town Hall Meeting at Yu-Ai Kai

Yesterday we had our Japantown Disaster Preparedness town hall meeting, and it was such a success!  We had almost forty people in attendance, and the speakers were both interesting and informative.  Thank you to Rich Saito and Jim McClure for speaking about what and what not to do during a disaster.  We’d also like to thank Dr. Martin Griss from Carnegie Mellon University for coming to talk about their Disaster Management Initiative which focuses on how we can use smartphones to connect with people in the event of a catastrophe where communication is limited.  

L to R: Kelly, Mr. Saito, Dr. Griss, Mr. McClure, & Michelle 

Also, thank you to those who attended as well as all of the JCCsj board members.  We really appreciate your support and guidance with this project. Finally, thank you to Yu-Ai Kai for graciously providing a venue for our meeting, PG&E for support with the JCCsj preparedness efforts, and to Roy’s Station for donating coffee.

NCI Interns with Japantown Community Congress of San Jose Board Members

We have been working on organizing this meeting since the beginning of our internship, and it was great to see our efforts paying off.  We hope that everyone in attendance was able to take away useful information and can prepare themselves and the community for a disaster.

JBA/Education Week

Last Friday, we finished up our flyers and put them up in the windows of several Japantown businesses and restaurants.  We also created an eventbrite page (http://japantowndisasterpreparedness.eventbrite.com/) where attendees can RSVP and find more information about our Japantwon Disaster Preparedness Town Hall Meeting.  Check the link out!  We also advertised our town hall meeting on Japantown and JBA’s Facebook pages to help spread the word. We are hoping for a good turn-out and we  feel that the meeting will provide a lot of helpful information to keep Japantown a united community!

Dr. Bob Nishime

In the afternoon, we met with Dr. Bob Nishime at his practice.  He is the sports medicine doctor for the United States Olympic Judo Team!  He talked about what it’s like having a practice here in Japantown and also about how he decided to get into medicine.  Thank you for taking the time to speak with us!

In the afternoon, we helped Mrs. Sakamoto prepare for obon by posting on the Japantown social media sites!   

Since this week focuses on Education, we will be spending time with both the San Jose chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League and with the Japanese American Museum of San Jose (JAMSj).  Monday, we got a brief overview of the San Jose JACL chapter and started working on outreach to schools in the area.  In addition, we worked on drafting briefs for volunteers which included information on the history and activities of the organization.  It is really important that student volunteers realize the legacy of this organization and all it has done for the community in promoting and advocating for rights, against discrimination, and so much more.  

In the afternoon and evening, we volunteered at the farewell party for the Consul General of Japan, Mr. Hiroshi Inomata. It was great to meet him and catch up with the other people we knew who were attending. At the party, Mr. Inomata was presented with a bell only presented to highly respected people in the San Jose Japantown community.  We were lucky enough to be introduced to Mr. Inomata and his wife and we even got a couple pictures with him!  

Tuesday, we finished our drafts for the volunteer briefs.  We completed the list of colleges in the Silicon Valley that might be interested in joining the San Jose chapter of the JACL.  In the afternoon, we read the history of the JACL and we worked on narrowing down the most important/interesting facts.  

Mrs. Konda of Okasan & Me

Wednesday we started the second half of education week at the Japanese American Museum of San Jose (JAMSJ).  In the morning, we met with Mrs. Konda of Okasan & Me.  Mrs. Konda’s background is in law and she explained how she started her program.  She created Okasan & Me when she wanted a Japanese educational program for her son.  When she discovered that there were none, she created an assortment of educational childrens’ songs.  We want to thank Mrs. Konda for the CD’s!

Fraces Kakugawa

Wordsworth the Mouse

The next stop was Suzume no Gakko at the Wesley Methodist Church.  They had guest author Frances Kakugawa, author and poet of the Wordsworth series.  She presented the books to the children and even Wordsworth himself made a guest appearance.  We met co-directors Tippets and Antonio Sensei.  We also met Mrs. Barton and Mrs. Tsuchitani who gave us a tour of the school. Suzume encourages an awareness of Japanese American culture for grades Kindergarten through sixth grade and even a child care class for toddlers of the schools' teachers.  Mrs. Tsuchitani gave us the background to Suzume                              no Gakko and how the program has been around for 37 years!

After lunch, we had the pleasure of speaking with a panel about Asian American Studies and higher education in serving the Japanese American community.  We met with Dr. Steve Fugita, Tom Izu, and Dr. Masao Suzuki at JAMSJ.  They spoke about their backgrounds in education and how they were either interested or part of the Asian American movement.  They expressed how rapidly the community is changing and how it is diversifying.  It was interesting to hear so many different perspectives about Japanese American Studies.

From Left to Right: Steve Fugita, Tom Izu, Masao Suzuki

Thursday was another intern day in San Francisco.  We started off the day with a guest visit by Heather Horiuchi, the managing editor of the Nichi Bei Weekly.  She was originally from Hawaii and came to school on the mainland.  She eventually settled in California, because of the weather, and to write for the Nichi Bei Weekly.  They are a non-profit organization and write Japanese/Japanese American articles.  She brought with her some articles from Nichi Bei and we even saw an article written by one of our fellow NCI interns.

For lunch, we met with Peter Weber, the education coordinator for UCSF.  He spoke to the interns about the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program.  Peter grew up in the Midwest as the only Asian amongst his friends.  JET allowed him to discover and “find” himself while also traveling and discovering his love for Japan and its culture.  He convinced quite a few people to apply for the program.

After lunch we visited the San Francisco and they National Headquarters of the JACL.  We met with Haruka Roudebush.  Haruka informed the interns about the JACL and how it has impacted not only the Japanese American community, but also the rest of the nation.  Haruka is also the founder of the young professionals branch of JACL, Nakayoshi.  Nakayoshi is a free group that moves forward with new ideas with a variety of young adults.  It is a great transition from Nikkei Student Unions to organizations such as JACL.

The last workshop and person we met with was Cindy Lee.  Cindy is a relationship banker at Chase and she was very helpful with matters of credit and debt.  She told us how to handle credit and how to get credit (since most of us as college students are not developing our own credit).  From the Midwest, she came to California to get into banking, specifically with Chase.  She was kind enough to help each and every one of us with our own banking situations and took the time to speak one-on-one with us about what we could do to qualify for a credit card and to start earning credit.

Friday, we started off the day with Mrs. Idemoto.  She spoke about how to manage complex change in our lives, especially when working with big groups.  With her great education background, she told us stories about her experiences with change (and lack of it).  We transitioned to the next room to watch the presentation on the Stanford Mobile Inquiry-based Learning Environment (SMILE).  It was developed in Stanford and JAMSJ has recently adopted the program as an enhancement to the museum.  After the presentation, they gave us the opportunity to try out the program first hand.  They let us use Android tablets to solve questions about the museum.  It was fun to use the interface and give feedback about the program.

After lunch we met with a docent, Dean Adachi, who told us about his educational background and how he is a Ph.D. student in history.  He spoke about how he got involved in the museum and how much it means to him.

In the afternoon, we met with Lynne Yamaichi, founder of Lotus Preschool.  She sat down with us, told us more about her background, and showed us her curriculum.  Lotus Preschool is 27 years old!  We had a chance to interact with the toddlers after their afternoon nap.  They had a healthy snack (edamame) and an educational snack (alphabet cereal).  Ms. Lynne instructed the kids to identify the letters before the ate it, but some were just shoveling as much cereal in their mouths as they could.  The kids were super cute and we were lucky enough to get a picture with Ms. Lynne and a couple of the kids!

Japantown Business Association Week

Japantown Business Association Newsletter

    

The theme for week 4 is Japantown Business Association (JBA) and we will be working with Kathy Sakamoto, the Executive Director of JBA. On Monday we helped Mrs. Sakamoto expand Japantown’s social media presence by showing her Instagram and helping her with the Japantown San Jose Facebook. Feel free to follow “Japantownsj” on Instagram! We’re hoping that JBA can continue to expand their presence on other social media platforms by posting pictures and gaining followers and ‘likes’!  Tuesday, we helped Mrs. Sakamoto print out the JBA Newsletters and assemble them.

   

Thursday was our second intern day in San Francisco.  We first met Ryan Kimura, the Director of Programs and Community Affairs at the JCCCNC.  He gave us a workshop that made us think about ourselves and why we are the way we are.  We were given paper and markers and we had to draw ourselves.  We also had to write down our leadership style, our fears, and our challenges.  He then gave us 3 seconds to write something about each intern on the back of their drawing.  The interns presented the drawings to each other and spoke about our leadership styles and what has shaped us throughout our lives that have made us lead the way we do.

Paul Osaki and the NorCal NCI
Interns

Next we met with Paul Osaki, the Executive Director of the JCCCNC.  He told us the history of the Nikkei Community Internship and how the California Japanese American Community Leadership Council (CJACLC) were formed.  He also told us the history of San Francisco’s Japantown and how the Japanese American built it back up after being sent away to relocation camps.  

    

San Francisco Japantown Monument

NJAHS

The interns went to the National Japanese American Historical Society (NJAHS).  We were given a tour by our fellow intern John David and a couple of high school interns as well.  They informed us about the history of San Francisco Japantown and the significance of the community.  They gave us a very nice walking tour around Japantown starting in the Peace

Plaza and ending at the Nihonmachi

Little Friends Preschool.

To end the day, we went to the Japantown Neighborhood Association meeting.  They had a police office speak and answer questions about things that affect the community like the increasing rate of graffiti and gangs. We also were able to inform the attendees about the upcoming town hall meeting on disaster preparedness that we are organizing.  It is nice to know that the neighborhood is really involved in the safety of the community and we hope that they were be able to come to our town hall meeting in two weeks!

Japantown Neighborhood Association

Week 3: Media Week

Meeting with Mr. Robert Handa from KTVU 2

   This week is media week! On Monday, we arrived at KTVU this morning to visit Robert Handa, a reporter for KTVU 2.  He told us about his background and how he got into the media industry; his skill in putting stories together helped him get his first internship and eventually a job!  We were both amazed at how he has so much energy and enthusiasm to travel all over the South Bay (sometimes as far as Yosemite and Fresno) to report on news stories.  We also thought it was great that he has remained active in the Asian American community through putting together a piece on Japanese Americans, starting a club in high school and college, emceeing events like Sake San Jose and the 30th Anniversary for Kimochi, and more!

At Latinas Contra Cancer with former KRON news anchor Ms Ysabel Duron

The comfortable office space makes clients feel more comfortable when they visit. 

    In the afternoon, we drove to Latinas Contra Cancer to talk with Ysabel Duron, a former news anchor and now CEO of her non-profit organization.  We learned about the struggles she faced as both a Latina and a woman in starting her career, and were inspired by her determination to be successful in the industry.  It was interesting for us to hear about how journalism has changed over the past few decades, especially with technology/social media and changing viewership demographics. Finally, we discussed some of the work she does as CEO of Latinas Contra Cancer, including creating bingo cards to spread community awareness and help cancer victims and their families. They are going into their tenth year as an organization and are currently planning a 2014 Latino Cancer Summit!

    Day 2, we met with Richard Konda, the Executive Director of Asian Law Alliance (ALA).  He told us how he started with an internship which eventually led to the formation of the ALA, a non-profit organization that provides referrals, community education, and advocacy work.  They reach out to the community to inform them about the law through workshops as well as one-on-one sessions.  Mr. Konda discussed how the client demographics change as the law and current hot topics change.  For example, currently, immigration reform brings many different immigrants to their services.  ALA continues to help the Asian American/Pacific Islander population as it continues in its 36th year.

Visiting with Mr. Dennis Akizuki at San Jose Mercury News 

     In the afternoon we met with Dennis Akizuki, an editor for the Mercury News.  He told us about his background in journalism and how he has been in the business for 34 years.  He described the changes that the Mercury News has experienced in the past decade and how print is shifting to the internet.  Because of aging and changing reader demographics, the newspaper is no longer as thick or as popular as it used to be, and sadly, they have had to lay off staff members and are looking to downsize their building.  Mr. Akizuki also discussed the emergency preparedness plans that they have for both reporting on the issue and making sure they also stay safe.  Finally, we got a tour of the room where they used to print the newspaper each night.  He explained that just recently, they moved printing to the North Bay to cut costs.  

Huge rolls of newsprint - each one weighs over 1,500 lbs!

Since the paper is no longer printed here, the printing presses are unused and stand still.  

Aggie Idemoto, President of JAMSJ

We had a guest join our weekly lunch with Ellen today: Aggie Idemoto, the President of the Japanese American Museum of San Jose (JAMSJ).  She expressed to the two of us that she wanted our input in the schedule for both the Education and History themed weeks.  We are excited to get to meet people like Steve Fugita and Tom Izu and visit institutions like Lotus Preschool and Suzume no Gakko next week.  She also shared with us the events that JAMSJ has planned this summer.  Tomorrow, Saturday July 6th, JAMSJ is hosting a book club for the book Issei Women: Echoes from Another Frontier at 1:00 PM.  Next week, Saturday July 13th, JAMSJ will be hosting a panel of graduate researchers entitled “Emerging Research in Japanese American Studies” at 11:00 AM.  These are only a few of the great public programs that JAMSJ has to offer and we are hoping to take advantage of as many of these great opportunities as we can.