Material contribuído por gilasakawa

Nikkei View
Funerals in the Japanese American community
Gil Asakawa
It’s a hackneyed cliché to say “death is part of life,” but like many clichés, just because it’s become trite doesn’t mean the phrase isn’t true. Especially for Buddhists, death is a natural part of the cycle of living in this world.

Nikkei View
Peachy: Changing Season Captures the Passing of a Family Farm from One Generation to the Next
Gil Asakawa
You’d think after a lifetime of growing and harvesting peaches, you’d get sick of eating them. But the Masumoto family still loves peaches and serves them up every way imaginable. David “Mas” Masumoto, 62, the farmer who has nurtured his parents’ peach groves, says “Actually no. I love peaches, almost …

Nikkei View
Cross-cultured leader keeps Asahi Foods’ promise of perfect sushi fish
Gil Asakawa
It’s cold outside, but it’s colder in Asahi Foods’ refrigerated cutting room, where stacks of cardboard and styrofoam boxes filled with giant fish await. The fish cutter is in early on a Saturday, wearing a white lab coat and heavy rubber gloves, various razor-sharp knives at the ready.

Kizuna: Nikkei Stories from the 2011 Japan Earthquake & Tsunami
Five Years after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami
Gil Asakawa
I can still remember March 11, 2011, the night of the Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent tsunami, which devastated a huge swath of northeast Japan, as if it were last week.

Nikkei View
Building bridges with the Muslim community
Gil Asakawa
Late last year, Erin and I were lucky enough to travel to New York City to see the Broadway musical Allegiance starring George Takei. It’s a story about the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, and it vividly and powerfully brings to life the emotional toll of the …

Nikkei View
George Takei’s Allegiance Is A Timely Historical Musical For Today - Part 2
Gil Asakawa
Read Part 1 >>

Nikkei View
George Takei’s Allegiance Is a Timely Historical Musical For Today - Part 1
Gil Asakawa
After a November performance at the Longacre Theatre in New York’s fabled Broadway district, AARP members were invited for a “talkback” with George Takei and other cast members answering questions about their powerful musical, Allegiance. (NOTE: This post was originally uploaded to the AARP AAPI Community Facebook page.)

Nikkei View
RIP George “Joe” Sakato
Gil Asakawa
I was saddened to hear of the passing of George “Joe” Sakato, a Denver resident who was a World War II hero, a veteran of the famed 442nd Regimental Combat Team/100th Battalion that fought in Europe during World War II. He was 94 years old. Adele Arakawa of 9News broadcast …

Nikkei View
Immigration, Refugees, and the Gift of Citizenship
Gil Asakawa
I was born in Japan, but because my father was born in Hawaii when it was a U.S. territory, I am an American citizen. I didn’t have to take a test, and recite an oath of allegiance. After my family moved to the States in 1966, I remember helping my …