Kyra Karatsu

The name “Karen” has grown to symbolize many things in the recent year. Specifically, it’s become a sort of slang to describe an entitled, conceited woman who cries out for a store’s manager when things don’t go her way. From making a scene at the gas station to harassing teenagers on the street, the name “Karen” has undoubtedly carried a hefty weight.

Ironically, I have two Karens in my life, neither of whom, thankfully, fits such a description. And while this phenomenon has greatly soured their name, my two aunts, nevertheless, represent such a personal aspect of my identity.

My …

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 …

Quanto mais o meu pai e eu damos voltas pelo Cemitério de Inglewood, mais engraçada a situação fica.

“Vira aqui. Não, vira ali. Ah, está ali!” Não importa quantas vezes a gente faça a visita, ele sempre repete as mesmas estressadas exclamações. Mas quando finalmente chegamos no topo do morro, a vista faz valer a pena as nossas peripécias.

É quase irônico ver o mundo daquela altura, vibrando com uma vida deslumbrante enquanto aqueles que já partiram descansam pacificamente acima. Nesta altitude, apenas o horizonte mescla a vida urbana com a vida após a morte.

E é neste mesmo cemitério …

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 …