Week 5

(At the studio)

(The main mural facing the rode at the plaza)

This week was a little different because we were still with Roy for a continuation of Arts and Culture week. On Monday July 11th we drove over to the East side of San Jose to visit the Mexican Heritage Plaza. It was a fairly new beautiful plaza with a theatre, classrooms and offices. We met with Nelly Torres, Program Developer and Event Coordinator. She gave us a tour of the plaza and an overview of what happens at the plaza on a daily basis. They offer summer programs for youth and classes for all ages to enjoy. It was interesting to visit the plaza because it may be what the corporation yard can become. After we came back and debriefed on our thoughts and feelings about the plaza. After about an hour of discussing we called it a day.

(On the screen)

(Live broadcast)

On Tuesday morning, we met Mike Inouye, the weekday morning traffic anchor for NBC Bay Area. Mike first took us to the studio floor, where we learned about all of the various screens, cameras, and teleprompters in the room. We even got to see a live broadcast! We also toured the Production Control room and learned about how it operates during recordings and live broadcasts. During our tour of the news room, we met Robert Handa and Lance Lew; they were responsible for launching Asian Pacific America, the only Asian cultural affairs television show in the Bay Area. They offered us a chance to come back to the studio to learn more about their program. At the end of the tour, Mike talked to us about how he became a news reporter for the Bay Area, and the importance of Asian American representation, especially in the media. He advised us that in the end, treating people right and expressing confidence is what will get us far in life. All in all, the trip to NBC will definitely be one of the highlights of this internship. I grew up watching the local news, and it was really amazing to have the chance to meet some of the people I see on TV in real life.

(From left to right: Reiko, Lance, Robert, Alex, Lina, Mike, Ellen)

After the tour, we ate lunch with Jerry Hiura and Reiko Iwanaga, the current Board of Directors for the Contemporary Asian Theater Scene, or CATS. We learned more about CATS, and the importance of keeping Asian American art. We also discussed what the future of the Asian Arts Scene for younger generations. The rise of technology, especially in the Capital of the Silicon Valley, will definitely affect the various local arts organizations and how youth interpret art. At the end of the day, we met with Roy to do more planning for the final project and the NCI closing retreat. Indeed, I am constantly in awe of how many amazing people I have gotten the chance to meet during this internship, and how so many have offered other opportunities to talk and learn more about what they do.

On Wednesday July 13th Roy decided to give us an option of when to come in because we had nothing planned until 11am. At 11 we met with Duane Kubo one of the main figures of the Contemporary Asian Theatre Scene (CATS). He explained to us his background and how he became so interested and involved in asian arts. After he showed us clips of different films he has produced and different videos from his youtube channel (Japantown Community TV). After he took us out to lunch at Kumako and we all ordered Hiyashi Chuka. After lunch we immediately went on a walking tour with Kim Powell a professor at Penn State. It was a different tour because we led the tour by talking about different things that drew us toward Japantown. We walked to Jimbos, Empire 7, Cukui and Yurika's art box on 7th and Taylor. We thought it was a neat tour and enjoyed it a lot and cannot wait until the finished project. After we called it a day.

(Duane Kubo and us)

(Kim Powell and us)

(Interns with JCCCNC staff)

On Thursday, we went up to San Francisco and met with Paul Osaki, the Executive Director of the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California, or the JCCCNC. He talked about the history of the JCCCNC and his involvement in Japantown; he was integral in the effort to pass Senate Bill 307, which was the first legislation passed for the historical and cultural preservation of the last three Japantowns. We also watched a documentary about the history of San Francisco Japantown, which was very interesting. The redevelopment of San Francisco to be like “another New York City” led to the displacement of many individuals, and these once residential areas are now filled with the shopping districts. The people of San Francisco are constantly working hard to keep Japantown a community oriented place. After lunch, we met other members of the JCCCNC, and had Staff versus Intern Olympics. Games included cup stacking and a relay race for collecting rice with chopsticks. Even though the interns lost, I think it was a great bonding experience for all of us.

(Interns with Alice)

            Later in the day, we visited the Japantown Task Force, where we met Jeremy Chan (a former NCI intern) and Alice Kawahastu, the President of the organization. Alex and I thought that the Task Force was very similar to the JCCsj. Jeremy gave an overview of the task force, and the various things they do for the community. We also discussed the Task Force’s idea of opening a visitor center for people to learn more about the cultural offerings in SF Jtown. All of the interns offered their perspectives and ideas. It was another worthwhile day in SF!

(Jimi in the middle left and Roy on the very right)

On Friday July 15, we met with Ellen and Ryan Kawamoto for our weekly check up. Usually it is just Ellen and us but Ryan dropped in to inform us about next week since we will be working with him at Yu ai Kai. During the check in we told Ellen about our week and our trip down to San Francisco. We also showed our final project brochure draft and JCCsj logo to them and they seemed really excited about both. We discussed activities we planned during our intern day next Thursday. After we went to IMB to meet with Roy to check in with him and inform him about our SF day. After we checked out the summer program held at the Methodist church where San Jose Junior Taiko was teaching campers the basics of playing. We had lunch next and then sat down and had a discussion with Jimi Yamaichi. We heard so much about him through other Jtown people but never had the chance to meet him until today. He is 93 years young and is the first Nissei we have met with during our internship. He has been through a lot during his life going through the Great Depression and internment. He has helped create Japantown to what is today. After our discussion we called it a week. We had a fun and memorable two weeks with Roy and we look forward to our week with Ryan and Yu ai Kai!