ポップカルチャーや政治についてアジア系・日系アメリカ人の視点でブログ（www.nikkeiview.com）を書いている。また、パートナーと共に www.visualizAsian.com を立ち上げ、著名なアジア系・太平洋諸島系アメリカ人へのライブインタビューを行っている。著書には『Being Japanese American』（2004年ストーンブリッジプレス）があり、JACL理事としてパシフィック・シチズン紙の編集委員長を７年間務めた。
（2009年11月 更新）
この執筆者によるストーリー
高校の歴史カリキュラムに抗議する学生たちは日系アメリカ人のためにも闘っている
2014年12月22日 • ギル・アサカワ
私は、アフリカ系アメリカ人の公民権、ベトナム戦争反対、女性やLGBTの権利、アジア系アメリカ人研究の擁護のために、抗議の声を集団で上げてきた世代の一員として育ちました。大学生は、こうした社会運動の多くで先頭に立ってきた。学生非暴力調整委員会は公民権運動の礎だった。大学生はカリフォルニア大学バークレー校で言論の自由運動を主導し、ミシガン大学では左派の民主社会学生運動が結成された。1968年のプラハの春から1989年の天安門広場の抗議まで、世界中で学生が抗議運動を主導してきた。…
これらを持っているならあなたはJAであるに違いない
2014年12月10日 • ギル・アサカワ
私が知っている日系アメリカ人は皆、自分たちの文化的ルーツを示すためにさまざまな方法を持っています。彼らに会ったときにはそれが明らかではないかもしれませんが、彼らの家庭にはその兆候が見られます。 私が日本で暮らしていた子供の頃、家にあるものが日本のものだとは思いもしませんでした。そしてアメリカに引っ越したとき、私たちはたくさんのものを持っていきました。屏風、小さな美術品、人形、食器、陶器、箸、調理器具などなど。 1960年代半ばに北バージニアの郊外の家に引っ越してから、私たち…
Growing Up with Stinky, Slimy, Altogether Wonderful Japanese Food
2014年7月9日 • ギル・アサカワ
I’m a foodie. Everyone knows this. I write about food, I take photos of food everywhere I dine, I love to cook, and I love food from everywhere. One of my personal rules has always been if someone, somewhere in the world eats it, I’m willing to try it…at least once. So I’ve had chocolate covered ants. Fried grubs. The meat of some strange animals that you wouldn’t think humans ought to eat, like rattlesnake brats. In a way, I …
Godzilla, the world’s most famous Japanese American
2014年6月13日 • ギル・アサカワ
Although Hollywood has been making monster movies since the original 1933 King Kong, the monster with the most staying power and screen incarnations didn’t come out of California, but from Tokyo. Godzilla is back with another cinematic reboot produced by Hollywood featuring the usual array of mega-special effects, including a digitized monster instead of a man in a monster suit. Whether costumed or computer-generated, Godzilla is the most famous Japanese American in the world. He’s starred in 28 movies, stomping …
Why Asian Americans hate hearing “Where are you from?”
2014年4月11日 • ギル・アサカワ
This has been a good week for sometimes contentious but bracing conversations on Facebook. The latest one started when I posted a link to an excellent Forbes article by Ruchika Tulshyan titled “‘Where Are You From?’ And Other Big Networking Racial Faux Pas” The article raises the oft-aired complaint by Asian Americans that asking “Where are you from?” (sometimes linked to the even more irritating “You speak English so well…”) is a social, racial no-no. I certainly can’t argue with …
When JAs say “camp” they’re not talking about summer camp
2014年3月17日 • ギル・アサカワ
It’s a rite of greeting among older Japanese Americans. I’ve seen it happen over and over—one JA is introduced to another, and if they’re old enough, the first question they ask of each other is, “what camp were you at?” We all know that “camp” in the context of Japanese Americans has nothing to do with summer camp. These people are not being nostalgic about singing “Kumbaya” around the campfire, hopping along in potato sack races (maybe it would be …
Seeing “Snow Falling on Cedars” on Pearl Harbor Day underscored its message
2014年2月19日 • ギル・アサカワ
Many Japanese Americans who’ve grown up since World War II—myself included—dreaded December 7 every year. As kids (and sometimes as adults) we’ve been taunted with hateful calls to “Go home, Jap!,” “Go back where you came from!,” and the classic, “Remember Pearl Harbor!” As if we could forget. The war happened decades ago, and as Japanese Americans we had nothing to do with the attack on the U.S. military on Hawaii that sparked America’s entry into WWII. Hell, today, most …
Nagomi Visit introduces Japanese culture to visitors through home-cooked meals
2014年1月29日 • ギル・アサカワ
There’s no getting around it: one of the most reliable ways to generate international friendship and cultural understanding is through the stomach. Diversity in dining is a reflection of an evolving society. Just think of a typical American culinary palette of the 1950s: Pot roast, mashed potatoes, gravy, spinach boiled to drab green mush, creamed corn. Your plate was all white and tan, with maybe a green highlight or two (it helped if you had an iceberg lettuce salad on …
The Ai Kuwabara Trio Project brought a delicious taste of Japanese jazz to Denver
2014年1月6日 • ギル・アサカワ
We recently were privileged to enjoy a concert of contemporary jazz by a vibrant young group from Japan, the Ai Kuwabara Trio Project. Simply put, the combo rocked the joint at the King Center for the Performing Arts at the Auraria campus. The auditorium was full for the free performance, and I bet everyone there were blown away. Pianist Kuwabara is impossibly young for such an astonishingly assured and accomplished musician and composer. She’s a mere 23 years old, but …
“Hawaii Five-0” airs powerful episode about Pearl Harbor & imprisonment of Japanese Americans during WWII
2013年12月13日 • ギル・アサカワ
We’re fans of the CBS series “Hawaii Five-0” for lots of reasons, including the fact that it’s a showcase for Asian and Pacific Islander actors such as Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park, and the entertaining “bromance” relationship between Steve McGarrett (Alex O’Loughlin) and Danny “Danno” Williams (Scott Caan). I always loved the original series that ran from 1968-1980, and think it’s great that this reboot uses pretty much the same arrangement for the theme song, and even uses quick-cut …
