Latest news with #JapaneseAmerican
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
A Japanese village that helped develop California's fishing industry could become container storage
From the turn of the 20th century to the early 1940s, a human-made island in San Pedro Bay held a flourishing Japanese American fishing village that helped develop Southern California's mighty seafood industry. On Terminal Island, more than 3,000 first- and second-generation immigrant fishermen from Japan, the issei and nisei, pioneered innovative techniques, like 6-foot bamboo poles and live bait, to catch albacore tuna and sardines. Their wives cleaned and packaged their bounties in the canneries. Then, during World War II, the entire community was uprooted and the village razed. The only remnants of the enclave are a pair of vacant buildings on Tuna Street, now dwarfed by colorful stacks of shipping containers and large green cranes that cover the island. The buildings are now under threat of demolition to make room for more containers, leading surviving Terminal Islanders and their descendants — now well past retirement age — to come together to try to save the last tangible connection to a largely forgotten legacy. 'These buildings are an integral part of American history that should never be forgotten,' said Paul Boyea, a board member of the Terminal Islanders Association, a group of about 200 former residents and their kin. In the past few months, advocates have made significant progress in saving the structures. In February, Councilmember Tim McOsker introduced a motion to designate the buildings as historic-cultural monuments, a status that would provide additional safeguards against demolition. In June, L.A.'s Cultural Heritage Commission will review the motion and decide whether to advance it for a vote before the City Council. This month, the National Trust for Historic Preservation put the buildings on its annual list of the 11 most endangered historic sites in America. Former Terminal Islanders recall scenes of families praying at a Shinto shrine and Buddhist temple, shopping at grocery stores, and watching movies and attending dances at Fisherman's Hall. Children practiced judo and played baseball. Boyea, 69, was born after the war and never lived on Terminal Island. But he said he's always felt a strong connection to the place where his mother was born, in 1919. His grandfather was a fishing fleet captain and president of the Japanese fishermen's association. The two buildings on Tuna Street, the commercial corridor of the Japanese village, housed the grocery A. Nakamura Co. and the dry goods store Nanka Shoten, both established more than a century ago. Efforts to preserve the buildings began two decades ago but gained momentum last May, when the Port of L.A., which owns a majority of the island, recommended demolishing them to create more storage space. Phillip Sanfield, the port's communications director, said that the department is working with Terminal Island advocates to hash out plans for the buildings and that no decision has yet been made. Terry Hara, president of the Terminal Islanders Association, described Tuna Street as the 'Broadway' of the Japanese fishing community. Hara's grandfather worked as a superintendent at a cannery, while his father and two uncles all became commercial fishermen. Terminal Island residents observed Japanese traditions, he said, holding mochi pounding celebrations on New Year's and dancing in kimonos at Girls' Day festivals. 'It was one big happy family,' said Hara, 67. 'Nobody locked their doors and families provided for one another when the need arose.' Geraldine Knatz, a maritime expert and co-author of 'Terminal Island: Lost Communities on America's Edge,' said Japanese residents made up roughly two-thirds of Terminal Island's population in the 1930s. The island, known in the early 20th century as 'L.A.'s Playground,' was also home to sizable numbers of artists, writers and lumber workers. 'It was a big, diverse community,' Knatz said. That all changed on Dec. 7, 1941, when Japanese planes bombed Pearl Harbor. The government quickly arrested hundreds of Japanese fishermen on suspicion that they were using fishing boats to spy for the Japanese military. They were sent to a federal prison; many didn't see their families for months. The following February, the remaining residents, mostly women and children, were given 48 hours to vacate the island. Around 800 Terminal Islanders were incarcerated in Manzanar concentration camp, and when they returned, almost the entire village had been bulldozed. With nowhere to live, many former residents resettled in Long Beach and the South Bay. 'The nisei didn't talk about incarceration because of the trauma,' Boyea said. In the 1970s, a group of survivors and descendants formed the Terminal Islanders Association to stay in touch through social events like annual picnics and New Year's celebrations. Later, members became involved in preservation and education efforts, partnering with the L..A Conservancy to set up a memorial in 2002 and now advocating for the restoration of the Tuna Street buildings. Preservationists and descendants of Terminal Island residents have suggested converting the buildings into a museum or an education center, or a general goods store for port workers on the island. 'These buildings could serve some kind of community function while still communicating their history in some way,' said Adam Scott Fine, chief executive of L.A. Conservancy. The number of surviving Terminal Island residents is dwindling. Less than two dozen are still alive, Hara said, including his mother, who is 100. As a descendent, he feels it's his obligation to honor the legacy they created. 'This is an American story, good or bad,' Hara said. 'We need to pass on the experience that took place to our children and grandchildren.' This article was originally published on
NBC News
3 days ago
- General
- NBC News
A Japanese village that helped develop California's fishing industry could become container storage
From the turn of the 20th century to the early 1940s, a human-made island in San Pedro Bay held a flourishing Japanese American fishing village that helped develop Southern California's mighty seafood industry. On Terminal Island, more than 3,000 first- and second-generation immigrant fishermen from Japan, the issei and nisei, pioneered innovative techniques, like 6-foot bamboo poles and live bait, to catch albacore tuna and sardines. Their wives cleaned and packaged their bounties in the canneries. Then, during World War II, the entire community was uprooted and the village razed. The only remnants of the enclave are a pair of vacant buildings on Tuna Street, now dwarfed by colorful stacks of shipping containers and large green cranes that cover the island. The buildings are now under threat of demolition to make room for more containers, leading surviving Terminal Islanders and their descendants — now well past retirement age — to come together to try to save the last tangible connection to a largely forgotten legacy. 'These buildings are an integral part of American history that should never be forgotten,' said Paul Boyea, a board member of the Terminal Islanders Association, a group of about 200 former residents and their kin. In the past few months, advocates have made significant progress in saving the structures. In February, Councilmember Tim McOsker introduced a motion to designate the buildings as historic-cultural monuments, a status that would provide additional safeguards against demolition. In June, L.A.'s Cultural Heritage Commission will review the motion and decide whether to advance it for a vote before the City Council. This month, the National Trust for Historic Preservation put the buildings on its annual list of the 11 most endangered historic sites in America. Former Terminal Islanders recall scenes of families praying at a Shinto shrine and Buddhist temple, shopping at grocery stores, and watching movies and attending dances at Fisherman's Hall. Children practiced judo and played baseball. Boyea, 69, was born after the war and never lived on Terminal Island. But he said he's always felt a strong connection to the place where his mother was born, in 1919. His grandfather was a fishing fleet captain and president of the Japanese fishermen's association. The two buildings on Tuna Street, the commercial corridor of the Japanese village, housed the grocery A. Nakamura Co. and the dry goods store Nanka Shoten, both established more than a century ago. Efforts to preserve the buildings began two decades ago but gained momentum last May, when the Port of L.A., which owns a majority of the island, recommended demolishing them to create more storage space. Phillip Sanfield, the port's communications director, said that the department is working with Terminal Island advocates to hash out plans for the buildings and that no decision has yet been made. Terry Hara, president of the Terminal Islanders Association, described Tuna Street as the 'Broadway' of the Japanese fishing community. Hara's grandfather worked as a superintendent at a cannery, while his father and two uncles all became commercial fishermen. Terminal Island residents observed Japanese traditions, he said, holding mochi pounding celebrations on New Year's and dancing in kimonos at Girls' Day festivals. 'It was one big happy family,' said Hara, 67. 'Nobody locked their doors and families provided for one another when the need arose.' Geraldine Knatz, a maritime expert and co-author of 'Terminal Island: Lost Communities on America's Edge,' said Japanese residents made up roughly two-thirds of Terminal Island's population in the 1930s. The island, known in the early 20th century as 'L.A.'s Playground,' was also home to sizable numbers of artists, writers and lumber workers. 'It was a big, diverse community,' Knatz said. That all changed on Dec. 7, 1941, when Japanese planes bombed Pearl Harbor. The government quickly arrested hundreds of Japanese fishermen on suspicion that they were using fishing boats to spy for the Japanese military. They were sent to a federal prison; many didn't see their families for months. The following February, the remaining residents, mostly women and children, were given 48 hours to vacate the island. Around 800 Terminal Islanders were incarcerated in Manzanar concentration camp, and when they returned, almost the entire village had been bulldozed. With nowhere to live, many former residents resettled in Long Beach and the South Bay. 'The nisei didn't talk about incarceration because of the trauma,' Boyea said. In the 1970s, a group of survivors and descendants formed the Terminal Islanders Association to stay in touch through social events like annual picnics and New Year's celebrations. Later, members became involved in preservation and education efforts, partnering with the L..A Conservancy to set up a memorial in 2002 and now advocating for the restoration of the Tuna Street buildings. Preservationists and descendants of Terminal Island residents have suggested converting the buildings into a museum or an education center, or a general goods store for port workers on the island. 'These buildings could serve some kind of community function while still communicating their history in some way,' said Adam Scott Fine, chief executive of L.A. Conservancy. The number of surviving Terminal Island residents is dwindling. Less than two dozen are still alive, Hara said, including his mother, who is 100. As a descendent, he feels it's his obligation to honor the legacy they created. 'This is an American story, good or bad,' Hara said. 'We need to pass on the experience that took place to our children and grandchildren.'
San Francisco Chronicle
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
This San Francisco director is reimagining Sondheim's ‘Pacific Overtures' with a Japanese perspective
Nick Ishimaru is used to speaking up and speaking out. Before a 2023 San Francisco Opera performance of ' Madame Butterfly,' the San Francisco theater producer and director was invited to a pre-opera talk at the War Memorial Opera House where he praised the Puccini masterpiece on aesthetic levels but called out the cultural inaccuracies and controversies inherent to the 1904 work. Audience members expecting a dressy night out at the opera didn't respond well to the contextual breakdown, which included his assessment that Puccini equated geishas — who are trained entertainers and performing artists — as sex workers. 'To say I was not kind about 'Madame Butterfly' would be an understatement,' Ishimaru told the Chronicle on a video call from his home near Dolores Park. 'I've never felt more threatened in a physical space than I did when I finished that talk.' Since then, Ishimaru and his Kunoichi Productions team have had a different Japan-set story in their sights: John Weidman and Stephen Sondheim's 'Pacific Overtures.' The musical, which begins performances Friday, May 30, at Brava Theater, is set during an historic moment in the 19th century when American ships led by Commodore Matthew Perry arrived in Tokyo Bay and forcibly opened Japan to foreign trade and the outside world. 'It's a foundational moment in Japanese history that Americans basically know nothing about,' Ishimaru said. 'Pacific Overtures' is built around an unlikely friendship between a samurai named Kayama and an Americanized fisherman named Manjiro. Despite Sondheim's Broadway chops ('Sweeney Todd,' among others), this work is rarely revived. Its script is challenging and has a nonlinear story that involves a subject that, at best, appears as a footnote in American history textbooks. But Ishimaru, a fourth-generation Japanese American, is uniquely qualified to give the original a 2025 remix. He's trained in multiple disciplines of American and Japanese theater. He served as artistic director of San Francisco's Theatre of Yugen, which continues the Japanese tradition of Noh drama and Kyogen comedy, from 2016 to 2019. He's also well-versed in that historic 1853 moment of gunboat diplomacy between the U.S. and Japan, studying it extensively when working on his master's in drama at San Francisco State University. 'That's what I cling to as a Japanese American and why I want to tell this particular story,' he said. 'It's really the first time America and Japan interact, and it's something all generations of Japanese Americans have in common.' The original 1976 Broadway cast featured Japanese American actors Mako, Sab Shimono and even a pre-'Sixteen Candles' Gedde Watanabe. The 2025 Brava Theater revival features a diverse cast that takes a fresh approach, with input from classically trained kabuki artist Bandō Hirohichirō. But while it's informed by and written with traditional kabuki aesthetics, Ishimaru stresses the production is not a traditional performance. The singers aren't all male or male-identifying, a kabuki prerequisite. His 'Pacific Overtures' also shifts Weidman and Sondheim's lens to one that prioritizes the Japanese perspective. The U.S. delegation wears masks, which gives them an alien-like feel, while the Japanese do not, allowing them to express more natural emotions like ambivalence rather than certainty. These changes reflect a sensitivity in ways that 'Madame Butterfly' does not, giving Japanese characters more humanity and depth. 'To me, the show is about how we navigate our relationship to our ancestry and understanding of our own selves,' said Ishimaru. Music Director Diana Lee, who lives in Berkeley and whose recent credits include 'Rent' at Hillbarn Theatre in Foster City and 'The Scottsboro Boys' at 42nd Street Moon in San Francisco, pulled from her Rolodex to assemble a tight seven-piece orchestra with keyboards, violin, cello, French horn, reeds, percussion and a Japanese koto. 'A lot of musicians really wanted to play this show,' said Lee, who noted many reached out to her as word spread about the revised production. 'It's a new experience to see another work from the Sondheim canon that's rarely done.' For the show-stopping number 'Someone in a Tree,' which is widely known as Sondheim's favorite from all of his musicals, Ishimaru merges the original three-member dialogue — a conversation between a man, his younger self and another witness describing the negotiations between the Japanese and Americans — into one perspective. Ishimaru explains that it allows the piece to come to life. 'We let the music, which is the most glorious song in the show, carry the imagery,' Ishimaru explained, noting that that approach allows the piece to come to life. With its themes of imperialism and the fall of an empire, Ishimaru believes 'Pacific Overtures' feels even more relevant now than when it came out in 1976. 'Next,' a number that describes environmental catastrophe, is a prime example. 'Never mind a small disaster/ Who's the stronger, who's the faster?' goes the chorus. 'It's scary how relevant the lyrics of that particular number are to today and how much that trajectory just lands now,' said Ishimaru. 'I know many people here in San Francisco are concerned about the collapse of our own nation and the end of the American experiment. Did we drive ourselves here by unchecked capitalism? Is oligarchy what we're facing? Is the threat that America presented to Japan in 1853 ultimately coming home to roost, not just in Japan, but here in the States?
CBS News
6 days ago
- Lifestyle
- CBS News
Denver artist unveils mural honoring Japanese American roots at Sakura Square
A downtown Denver landmark is getting a new look as part of a tribute to Colorado's Japanese American community. Sakura Square, home to Pacific Mercantile -- a third-generation family-owned grocery store specializing in Japanese and Asian foods -- is the site of several new murals by Denver artist Casey Kawaguchi. Kawaguchi's latest piece, titled Rooted in Tradition, pays tribute to George Inai, the founder of Pacific Mercantile. Inai launched the business after World War II, following his release from a Japanese American internment camp. "This mural is a finishing of a mural that wraps the entire Pacific Mercantile building. I'm painting a Japanese character with a butterfly and a bonsai tree," Kawaguchi said. Casey Kawaguchi's latest mural, still in progress, can be seen on the wall of Pacific Mercantile in Denver on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. CBS "The bonsai tree represents his legacy and really what they're continuing on here at the store," Kawaguchi said. "The tree also represents the deep roots that run throughout Sakura Square." The mural itself is an ode to Pacific Mercantile and its legacy of helping feed the community, with crops in the background of one of the murals and a fruitful harvest in another on the other side of the building. An official unveiling of the mural is set for Tuesday, June 3, with additional events planned at Sakura Square throughout the summer. The project is supported by a $10,000 public art sponsorship from the city of Denver. Denver muralist Casey Kawaguchi talks about his latest piece in Sakura Square in Denver on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. CBS "It's really a hub for the community. It's what's kept Sakura Square alive," Kawaguchi said. "I hope they get a feeling just right off the bat from this piece of artwork that this is a special place," he continued. "I hope they discover the deep roots that are here connected with this store and this block."
Indian Express
27-05-2025
- Climate
- Indian Express
What is a bow echo, how did it signal Delhi's fierce storm?
Storms may be triggered by moisture influx, winds changing with height, and rapid cooling aloft. But when the winds that drive these storms can become increasingly dangerous, it can be detected by a special radar observed feature known as the 'bow echo'. In the early hours of Sunday (May 25), Delhi-NCR was hit by squalls or sudden storms accompanied by strong winds, with speeds around 100 kmph. Behind the scenes, the IMD Radar imagery clearly showed a chain of thunderstorms with a bulge in the centre — the shape of an archer's bow. A bow echo is a radar signature of a high wind-driven storm front. It forms due to strong winds pushing the centre of the storm line forward and indicates intense straight-line winds. This is often a precursor to more destructive windstorms. The term 'bow echo' comes from the way bands of rain showers or thunderstorms curve outward, or 'bow out,' as strong winds within the storm reach the surface and spread horizontally, as per the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Ted Fujita, a Japanese American meteorologist known for developing the scale to classify tornadoes, coined this term in the 1970s. Like bow echo, the Met Office also monitors other special-radar observed features such as the 'hook echo' — which is generally associated with tornadoes. While not heavily discussed in the Indian meteorological landscape, the bow echo is an important radar feature commonly associated with derechos, fast-moving swaths of widespread windstorms most frequently observed in the Midwestern United States during late spring and summer. How does the wind mechanics work? Behind a bow echo are powerful winds that continuously spread out after downdrafts. Umasankar Das, senior scientist, National Weather Forecasting Centre at the IMD, said, 'A 'bow echo' is a radar signature of a convective system (CS), typically a squall line, that appears bowed or arched when viewed on radar. This bowing shape results from strong winds spreading out from the storm's downdrafts, creating a gust front at the surface. Bow echoes are often associated with severe weather, including damaging straight-line winds.' A bow echo forms when a group of thunderstorms pushes strong, cool winds from the storm down to the ground. This cool air spreads along the surface, pushing the warm, moist air ahead of it upward, creating new thunderstorm cells. As more storms form and rain falls, more cool air builds up behind the storm, strengthening this push forward, called the gust front. This makes the storm line bend or 'bow' outward, like an archer's bow. The cycle keeps going as long as new storms keep forming at the front, helping the system grow and move forward with strong winds. What was its role during the May 25 storm over Delhi-NCR? Sunday's storm was driven by favourable conditions, including the presence of low-pressure zones due to a western disturbance that lies as an upper-air cyclonic circulation over north Punjab and adjoining Jammu and Kashmir, and two more cyclonic circulations over West Rajasthan and North Haryana, as per the IMD. At Delhi's primary weather station, winds reached up to 82 kmph. 'A slightly slow-moving severe storm compared to earlier estimates now attained proper 'Bow Echo' visible on radar imagery…' wrote weatherman Navdeep Dahiya on X on Saturday night, after sharing a Doppler radar image. As the storm progressed from Punjab and Haryana towards Delhi and Noida, the bow formation as part of the radar signature became increasingly evident, indicating that the storm continued with higher intensity. The higher the convexity, the more intense the system is. 'This is nothing but the movement of thunderclouds observed by Doppler radar. The winds at 15,000 to 20,000 feet usually carry or push the thunder clouds in their direction. In this case, the winds were blowing from the Northwest. Thunderclouds moved from Punjab to Haryana and then reached up to Delhi,' said Mahesh Palawat, vice president of Skymet Weather Services. '..Such a squall line was observed during thunderstorm activity in Odisha too, this month', said Rahul Saxena, senior IMD scientist. He added that these have appeared often in India during intense thunderstorms. While not unknown to India, the IMD observed a similar feature during a 100 km/h squall on May 31, 2022, across Delhi and Noida, which was, however, 'short-lived', lasting for an hour and recorded at 100 kmph over Safdarjung, whereas 70 kmph at Palam. Typically, a bow echo of far-destructive nature lasts 1 to 3 hours, depending on factors like moisture availability.
