Kyra Karatsu

There’s a glint of pure excitement in the eyes of Grammy-nominated flutist and composer Ron Korb as he begins to open up about his experiences in Japan. “Every single day, there was some new thing, some exciting little thing,” he reminisces, “It was never boring. I just loved every minute of it.” From the good, to the bad, and to the beautiful, Korb recalls the events that have made the country worth visiting 21 times.

Korb’s journey to Japan began with his mother Mariko “Mary” Ennyu, who was born into a Japanese immigrant family in 1920. While she was raised …

“It’s the story of camp as you’ve never seen it before,” said Frank Abe, one of two authors of the upcoming graphic novel We Hereby Refuse: Japanese American Resistance to Wartime Incarceration.

“I hope readers see that there were several paths to resistance, and none of them were easy,” Tamiko Nimura, the second author of the novel commissioned by the Wing Luke Museum, commented in a recent interview.

Blended into over 150 pages of art by illustrators Ross Ishikawa and Matt Sasaki, We Hereby Refuse captures not only the wave of uncertainty that swept through the …

The longer my father and I navigate the Inglewood Cemetery, the more comical it becomes.

“Turn here, no turn there, oh there it is!” No matter how many times we visit, that same frazzled exchange is always held. But, when we finally get to the top of the hill, the view makes our antics worthwhile.

It’s almost ironic to see the world from this height, buzzing with wondrous life while the departed rest peacefully above. At this altitude, it is only the horizon that blurs city life with the afterlife.

And in this very cemetery is where my family finally …

To put it simply, Oshogatsu looked a little bit different this year.

Maybe our kitchens lacked the same hustle, bustle, and lively commotion of the years prior. Or perhaps our ozoni was missing just that one special ingredient that tied it all together.

Whatever the case may be, welcoming in this New Year was certainly an unusual experience.

Oshogatsu, or the Japanese New Year, is a celebration of food, tradition, and—at its core—family. Found in both Japan and global Nikkei communities, Oshogatsu is considered to be one of the most widely-anticipated holidays for many families.

What defines Oshogatsu is the …

It is strange to be a commodity.

When I was younger, I didn’t like the fact that I was Asian. Even as someone who is half-Japanese, I still found myself envying the thick, blonde curls of my favorite Disney princesses. I wished that I wasn’t so dark-skinned or tan easily so I could look more like my childhood friends. And I wished that my last name didn’t sound so foreign and feel strange on the tongues of teachers and classmates. I was never very Asian-presenting, and I have accepted that I never will be. But it was always the little …