Stuff contributed by gilasakawa
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.
Nikkei View
When Family Caregiving Isn’t Enough for Your Parent
Gil Asakawa
My brother Glenn and I moved my mom from her house in Lafayette, Colorado, last month to live in a memory care facility nearby. She’s had dementia for a long time, and it’s gotten noticeably worse for the past couple of years. I’m still sorting through how it felt to …
Nikkei View
Rock and Roll and Ramen: Lessons in Appropriation vs Appreciation
Gil Asakawa
My friends (and anyone who follows my social media “food porn” photos) know that I’m a snob about Japanese food. I have strong opinions on the best tonkatsu fried pork cutlets, real vs. fake sushi and Japanese restaurants staffed by non-Japanese who can’t pronounce menu items correctly. And, because I …
Nikkei View
A Salute to Our JA Veterans
Gil Asakawa
When the word “veterans” comes up in conversations within the Japanese American community, I suspect most of the time the image the word conjures is a picture of Nisei soldiers of the 100th Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team fighting during World War II.
Nikkei View
On writing about the JA community
Gil Asakawa
I started my writing career as a music critic and became a journalist with jobs at various mainstream media newspapers and later, websites, and wasn’t much concerned with covering the Japanese, Japanese American, or Asian American Pacific Islander communities or issues.