beyond generations

Jay Rubin: Serendipity, American hypocrisy, and wonder of life

Welcome to the second season of “beyond generations,” an interview series. It’s my journey of discovering what happened to Japanese American people during WWII, and how people have been trying to acknowledge, understand, and learn from it, and figure out how to connect it to the future. I am your host, Monica. Today’s guest is Jay Rubin. He is the author of a novel the Sun Gods, a story about a Caucasian boy and his adopted Japanese mother whose lives were separated at the mercy of World War II. The story takes you to Seattle, to Camp Minidoka, and to Japan - before, during, and after the war. Jay Rubin is also one of the most distinguished English-language translators of Japanese literature. In this episode, Jay will talk about how he got interested in studying Japanese, how his moving to Seattle made him start working on this novel, and how crucial it was for him to have a deep experience with the Japanese language and people to write this story. ------------- Special thanks to Jay Rubin and Rakuko Rubin Music by ZakharValaha  [https://pixabay.com/music/modern-classical-simple-piano-melody-9834/]from Pixabay [https://pixabay.com/music/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=9834] ----------------------------- Join our community on Instagram @beyondgenerations.seattle ----------------------------- References: About Jay Rubin https://rijs.fas.harvard.edu/jay-rubin [https://rijs.fas.harvard.edu/jay-rubin]   About the novel “The Sun Gods” https://www.chinmusicpress.com/product-page/the-sun-gods [https://www.chinmusicpress.com/product-page/the-sun-gods]   The Japanese translation version of the novel “The Sun Gods” 「日々の光」 https://www.shinchosha.co.jp/book/505372/ [https://www.shinchosha.co.jp/book/505372/]   About Reverend Emery Andrews https://encyclopedia.densho.org/Emery_Andrews/ [https://encyclopedia.densho.org/Emery_Andrews/]   About Ada Mahon https://encyclopedia.densho.org/Ada_Mahon/ [https://encyclopedia.densho.org/Ada_Mahon/]   Minidoka Interlude, reprint of original “yearbook” https://www.minidoka.org/shop/minidoka-interlude [https://www.minidoka.org/shop/minidoka-interlude]   Minidoka Irrigator https://www.minidoka.org/blog/minidoka-irrigator [https://www.minidoka.org/blog/minidoka-irrigator]   About Haruki Murakami https://www.harukimurakami.com/author [https://www.harukimurakami.com/author]   ----------------------------- Happy to hear your feedback at beyondgenerations.seattle@gmail.com

David Yamaguchi: Rice crackers, family letters, and his way of giving back to the community

Welcome to the second season of “beyond generations,” an interview series. It’s my journey of discovering what happened to Japanese American people during WWII, and how people have been trying to acknowledge, understand, and learn from it, and figure out how to connect it to the future. I am your host, Monica. Today’s guest is David Yamaguchi. He is the editor of the North American Post, the community newspaper that has been serving Seattle's Japanese American Community since 1902. In this episode, David will talk about how a stack of family letters he found in his parents’ basement helped him learn about his family history and how it guided father-son conversations that revealed some amazing facts about his father’s younger days including why he took a typewriter to Minidoka. You will be surprised how little you know about the person who is behind the North American Post that is such a familiar face in Seattle’s Japanese American community. ----------------------------- Glossary: * Some abbreviations David used INS=Immigration and Naturalization Service WRA=War Relocation Authority JCCCW= The Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Washington * Some Japanese words David mentioned Nisei-han: 2.5 generation Japanese American（2世半） Senbei: Japanese rice crackers （煎餅） Shiryo: Documents. Historical documents in this episode’s context （資料） ------------- Special thanks to David Yamaguchi and Gwen Shigihara Music by ZakharValaha  [https://pixabay.com/music/modern-classical-simple-piano-melody-9834/]from Pixabay [https://pixabay.com/music/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=9834] ----------------------------- Join our community on Instagram @beyondgenerations.seattle [https://www.instagram.com/beyondgenerations.seattle/] ----------------------------- References: About David Yamaguchi https://napost.com/author/david-yamaguchi/ [https://napost.com/author/david-yamaguchi/] About David's Dad https://napost.com/2020/dad-vigilante/ [https://napost.com/2020/dad-vigilante/] About David's aunt https://napost.com/2022/natsuko-chin-rn-elected-to-wsna-hall-of-fame/ [https://napost.com/2022/natsuko-chin-rn-elected-to-wsna-hall-of-fame/]   About the North American Post https://napost.com/about/ [https://napost.com/about/]   Follow the NAP on social media https://www.facebook.com/TheNorthAmericanPost/ [https://www.facebook.com/TheNorthAmericanPost/] https://www.instagram.com/napost1902/ [https://www.facebook.com/TheNorthAmericanPost/]   Subscribe to the NAP https://napost.com/subscribe/ [https://napost.com/subscribe/]   The NAP contact https://napost.com/contact/ [https://napost.com/contact/]   Send David Yamaguchi articles and photos! david@napost.com [david@napost.com]   ----------------------------- Happy to hear your feedback at beyondgenerations.seattle@gmail.com

Tamiko Nimura: Intergenerational trauma, cultural identity, and purpose in life

Welcome to the second season of “beyond generations,” an interview series. It’s my journey of discovering what happened to Japanese American people during WWII, and how people have been trying to acknowledge, understand, and learn from it, and figure out how to connect it to the future. I am your host, Monica. Today’s guest is Tamiko Nimura. She is a third generation Japanese American. She is a co-author of a graphic novel “We Hereby Refuse: Japanese American Resistance to Wartime Incarceration.” She is also an organizer of the annual Day of Remembrance in Tacoma and Affiliate Professor of Urban Studies at the University of Washington Tacoma. In this episode, Tamiko will talk about how her Japanese American father made her proud of her heritage as a child and how she found her purpose and mission as a public historian. Let me take you along on my journey of discovery, with Tamiko Nimura. ------------- Special thanks to Tamiko Nimumra Music by ZakharValaha  [https://pixabay.com/music/modern-classical-simple-piano-melody-9834/]from Pixabay [https://pixabay.com/music/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=9834] ----------------------------- Join our community on Instagram @beyondgenerations.seattle ----------------------------- References: About Tamiko Nimura https://www.tamikonimura.net/about/ [https://www.tamikonimura.net/about/]   Follow Tamiko Nimura on Instagram (@tamikonimura) https://www.instagram.com/tamikonimura/ [https://www.instagram.com/tamikonimura/]   We Hereby Refuse: Japanese American Resistance to Wartime Incarceration https://www.chinmusicpress.com/product-page/we-hereby-refuse [https://www.chinmusicpress.com/product-page/we-hereby-refuse]   Tacoma Japantown Walking Tour app (Apple) https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tacoma-japantown-walking-tour/id1234039256 [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tacoma-japantown-walking-tour/id1234039256]   Tacoma Japantown Walking Tour (Google Play) https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.realizedsound.tacomajapantownwalkingtour&hl=ur&gl=US&pli=1 [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.realizedsound.tacomajapantownwalkingtour&hl=ur&gl=US&pli=1]   South Sound Day of Remembrance 2023 in Tacoma https://napost.com/2023/dayofremembrance_0512/ [https://napost.com/2023/dayofremembrance_0512/]   ----------------------------- Happy to hear your feedback at beyondgenerations.seattle@gmail.com

Bonus Episode: with Jamie Ford - a love letter to Seattle's International District

Do you know a book called Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet? It is a sweet love story between a Chinese American boy, Henry, and a Japanese American girl, Keiko, during World War II in Seattle. The novel was published in 2009, and spent two and a half years on the New York Times bestseller list and won the 2010 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature. It was named the #1 Book Club pick in 2010 by the American Bookseller Association and is now read widely in schools all across the United States. Also, it has become “the book” to read among people in the Japanese American community in Seattle and for anyone who is interested in the Japanese American incarceration during the war. In this bonus episode, you will hear Jamie Ford, the author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, talk about his love for Seattle’s International District, what motivated him to write this story, and why it is important for him to keep telling this story. He will also talk about why award-winning poet Lawson Inada used to make breakfast for him as a child, and if there is a model for the main character, Keiko. ----------------------------- Special thanks to Jamie Ford Music by ZakharValaha  [https://pixabay.com/music/modern-classical-simple-piano-melody-9834/]from Pixabay [https://pixabay.com/music/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=9834] ----------------------------- Join our community on Instagram @beyondgenerations.seattle References: About Jamie Ford https://jamieford.com/about/ [https://jamieford.com/about/] Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet https://jamieford.com/books/hotel-on-the-corner-of-bitter-and-sweet/ [https://jamieford.com/books/hotel-on-the-corner-of-bitter-and-sweet/] The Panama Hotel https://www.panamahotelseattle.net/ [https://www.panamahotelseattle.net/] Lawson Fusao Inada https://encyclopedia.densho.org/Lawson_Fusao_Inada/ [https://encyclopedia.densho.org/Lawson_Fusao_Inada/] Densho https://densho.org/ [https://densho.org/] Wing Luke Museum https://www.wingluke.org/ [https://www.wingluke.org/]   Listen/Read for more: beyond generations podcast Episode 1 about the Panama Hotel https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/Ey0HpALa0xb [https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/Ey0HpALa0xb] North American Post article about why the host Monica started her podcast https://napost.com/2023/podcasts-on-japanese-american-incarceration-during-wwii-by-a-japanese-student/ [https://napost.com/2023/podcasts-on-japanese-american-incarceration-during-wwii-by-a-japanese-student/] ------------------------------------------ Happy to hear your feedback at beyondgenerations.seattle@gmail.com

Episode 3: Nikkei Student Mural "Respect Beloved Community"

Do you know there is a Japanese American student mural near the University of Washington campus? The center piece of the mural is a black-and-white photo of some 100 Asian American students taken in the autumn of 1941 at the University of Washington campus. Among them were many Japanese American students. A few months after the  photo was taken, the war between the United States and Japan started, and  these Japanese American students were taken to the wartime incarceration camps  just like other Japanese Americans were. But it seems that we do not know about their experiences as much as we should. Why do we not know? Why did they not tell us? And, why did we not ask? In this episode of "beyond generations," you will hear two stories around this Japanese American student mural. One, about a student in the mural photo who went to the incarceration camp and to the European theater to fight for America during WWII, and taught his post-war born son to be as American as he can be. The other, about an artist who uses public art as a means to bring people’s attention to injustice that Japanese American people experienced during WWII, including her own family. Join our community on Instagram @beyondgenerations.seattle ------------- Special thanks to Mike Eguchi and Erin Shigaki for their stories. Music by ZakharValaha [https://pixabay.com/music/modern-classical-simple-piano-melody-9834/]from Pixabay [https://pixabay.com/music/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=9834] ----------------------------- References: The U District Mural Project by The U District Partnership https://udistrictpartnership.org/u-district-mural-project/ [https://udistrictpartnership.org/u-district-mural-project/] *You can find Erin’s mural on University Way NE, on the wall in the parking lot between bb.q Chicken UW and Chipotle Mexican Grill. Minidoka Pilgrimage https://www.minidokapilgrimage.org/ [https://www.minidokapilgrimage.org/] 442nd Regimental Combat Team, Densho Encyclopedia by Densho https://encyclopedia.densho.org/442nd_Regimental_Combat_Team/ [https://encyclopedia.densho.org/442nd_Regimental_Combat_Team/] About Erin Shigaki https://www.purplegatedesign.com/about/ [https://www.purplegatedesign.com/about/] ------------- Happy to hear your feedback at beyondgenerations.seattle@gmail.com