ニッケイの視点
このシリーズは、ギル・アサカワさんの『ニッケイの視点：アジア系アメリカ人のブログ（Nikkei View: The Asian American Blog）』から抜粋してお送りしています。このブログは、ポップカルチャーやメディア、政治について日系アメリカ人の視点で発信しています。
Nikkei View: The Asian American Blog （ニッケイの視点：アジア系アメリカ人のブログ）を見る＞＞
このシリーズのストーリー
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 …
