Week of Arts and Culture

This week we got to work under Roy Hirabayashi. He took us to the Taiko studio off of Park St. One of the interesting things we got to learn about was the struggle to continue that many of these smaller groups face. Among them are issues like location, and retaining and gaining members. This is an issue we've been seeing throughout the Japan American communities while we've been apart of this internship. This is one of the issues I would like to help the Japantown community as a whole figure out. I don't know if and how it relates, but the dynamic reminds me of the similar age demographics we see in Japan where the population looks like an upside-down pyramid with the larger part of the community being the elderly and the youth being so sparse. I'd be interested to find out if the the reasons for both predicaments, here in America's Japantowns and in Japan,  are rooted in similar cultural facets. Regardless, I've grown up watching Taiko at various Obon festivals and it's been real talking to people who've really made this establishment happen.

We spoke with Franco Imperial and Wisa Uemura, the current leaders of Taiko, about where they want to go. They've talked about how they are trying to keep taiko the same in some regards, but also elevate the group to new levels. They've preformed with a local electronic group called Bangerz, and they brought together a unique sound that I think really needs to be experimented with more.

We also got an opportunity to meet with Chidori Band, a local band that has been around for over sixty years now. We spoke to them about how they were formed and got to hear about their journey's to bring the band to where it is today. The two that we met with, Duane Takahashi and Michael Yoshihara, were not the founding members of the band, but the current leaders. They talked about how they joined the group and their experiences being in charge of the well being of the group. Neither of them are full musicians either; they both, and from what I know the rest of the band, rehearse and preform on their own time.

On Wednesday, we spoke with Reverend Gerald Sakamoto. It was pretty impressive to hear about how far the Betsuin's reach is. Not only that but the variety of ways that they give back to the community. Yet despite the range of influence, the temple still holds strong values working with the community, bringing in the youth from across the street. One interesting issue he brought up was the troubles of being both a cultural center and a place of dharma. While he does want to focus primarily on dharma teachings, it comes at the cost of to some degree ostracizing members who aren't Japanese in culture or race. I don't have a solution to the issue of exclusionary experiences, but it is an issue that will definitely come up again and again throughout America as different cultures attempt to mix and mingle.

We also spoke with Juan Carlos of Empire Seven. He was telling us about how he, a non-Japanese American, decided to choose Japantown as a base of operations. He, like many of the others who work out of and/or live in Japantown, chose this community because it is a place that has this desire for coalition. It's remarkable that he's carving his name in the community and doing his part to keep Japantown a place that the youth can enjoy.

On the same note of non-Japanese culture, we also got a chance to visit the Mexican Heritage Plaza down on Alum Rock. I didn't realize that Taiko would hold such strong relations with them. We aren't from the same culture or background necessarily, but we all hold value in the arts and thats what helps bring us together. These guys reach out to the youth of the community and provide arts that they very well might not have received had this establishment not been around. Also their theatre is really nice. I feel like it might be nicer that the University Theatre at San Jose State.