Stuff contributed by gilasakawa

Nikkei View
I’m so disappointed to see stereotyped snack packaging in my supermarket
Gil Asakawa
Racial stereotypes used to be part of the American consumer landscape – everywhere you turned there was a depiction, playful caricature or a ghastly exaggerated image of a person of color on commercials and ads on television or publications, or on packaging on store shelves. But if nothing else, the …

This Year’s Pilgrimage to Amache Will Be Very, Very Special
Gil Asakawa
Every year on the Saturday before Labor Day Weekend, people converge in southeast Colorado to visit Amache, the camp where 9,000 people of Japanese descent were incarcerated during World War II. This annual pilgrimage started in 1975, organized by Denver activists Marge Taniwaki and Russell Endo. It’s always an inspiring …

Asian representation: It’s getting better, but still has ages-old challenges
Gil Asakawa
Japanese Americans and the wider Asian Americans and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities are seeing more of ourselves reflected in pop culture these days, but the high arts has a ways to go. It’s important to recognize the ongoing challenges of representation, because they affect our view of ourselves and our …

Finally, a salute to WWII Nisei soldiers
Gil Asakawa
It took 15 years, but the US Postal Service (USPS) this past June released a Forever stamp that memorializes the “Go For Broke” 100th Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the Nisei soldiers of World War II who served in Europe and became the most highly decorated unit in the history of …

Nikkei View
Tokyo’s Second Olympics Will Be Forever Remembered for Its Unique Circumstances
Gil Asakawa
As I write this, the “2020” Tokyo Olympic Games are just two weeks away. It’s the second time the summer games have been held in Japan. I was a kid living in Japan when Tokyo hosted its first Olympics, from October 10-24, 1964.

Kizuna 2020: Nikkei Kindness and Solidarity During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Dreaming of travel to Japan
Gil Asakawa
During the last week of October, there was a lot on my mind, including Covid-19 and the ongoing pandemic, and of course the November U.S. elections. But I also found myself at a moment in time, looking back one year that week to a 2019 family trip to Japan, and …

Nikkei View
We Are Not Free tells the JA incarceration story through a different perspective
Gil Asakawa
During the Coronavirus pandemic, we’ve all gotten used to staying home every evening – no parties, dinners at restaurants, movie nights, concerts. Just a lot of plopping down on the couch to see what’s available on demand via cable, Netflix, Amazon Prime, or other streaming source that brings entertainment to …

Kizuna 2020: Nikkei Kindness and Solidarity During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Food for thought — and sheltering at home
Gil Asakawa

Nikkei View
I've heard "Go back where you came from" too often
Gil Asakawa
I was driving on the highway one night some years back between Denver and Boulder, when I got harassed by a couple of young white guys who were tailgating me, probably in their teens or early 20s at the most. When I pulled off at an exit they followed me …

Nikkei View
Traveling to Japan With a Loved One Who Has Dementia
Gil Asakawa
My mom has suffered from worsening dementia for years, and when my brothers and I saw increasing signs that she would no longer be able to live by herself, we moved her into a Memory Care Center nearby.