Monthly Archives: October 2009

Denver gets a backstage look at kabuki, traditional Japanese theater

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Kabuki is one of the most dynamic and interesting theatrical forms in Japan.Like any school kid, I loved going on field trips when I was young, But, since we lived in Japan until 3rd grade, my earliest memories of field trips weren’t the typical ones that American kids remember. I remember looking out of a school bus and seeing steaming lumps of sticky rice being pounded into mochi for New Year’s celebrations, for example (I think we were on the way to a shrine where we learned about Oshogatsu, or Japanese New Year, traditions).

And, I have a distinct memory of going from Green Park Elementary School, on a U.S. Army base in Tokyo (it’s no longer there), to a grand old theater in the heart of Tokyo to see a form of traditional Japanese theater, kabuki.

A lot of Americans probably know the word “kabuki” because it’s been used for restaurants and hotels and other products. Like “Sukiyaki,” “Mikado” and other words, they’ve become shorthand for “something Japanese.” But many Americans who’ve heard the word probably don’t know that kabuki is a cultural treasure in Japan, an artform dating back to the early 1600s that’s a bit like a mix of stylized Chinese opera and melodramatic Western-style opera.

The Japanese government is hoping to change that, and make more Americans aware of the traditions of kabuki. They’re sponsoring a U.S. tour of a lecture/performance called “Backstage to Hanamichi,” starring two of Japan’s kabuki masters, Kyozo Nakamura and Matanosuke Nakamura (no relation) from the world-renowned Shochiku Company. Denver gets its introduction to kabuki this Saturday, Oct. 24, at the June Swaner Gates Concert Hall at Denver University, 2344 East Iliff Ave. (303-871-7720 for the box office). The performance costs $25.

I have vivid memories from my childhood field trip: Continue reading →

Rice St.: “Digg” for Asian American Pacific Islander news

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http://ricest.com

Here’s a great idea: Rice St. is a new website launched by an Asian American webhead in Brooklyn New Yawk, to help us all keep track of the increasing number of Asian American news and blog sites, as well as news about Asian and Asian Americans in mainstream media sites and blogs. Check it out: You’ll see a list of headlines from all over the Web, some from familiar sites and some from ones you may not recognize. Rice St. aggregates news and information and displays links to other sites in order of popularity.

You can join and post your own links, and vote stories up or down. It’s our very own Digg/Fark/Reddit/you name it. How cool is that? What’s next, an AAPI Drudge Report?

Let’s all support this site and help consolidate our many voices in one place — though of course I still have my list of AAPI RSS feeds that I pore over each day! (That’s another blog post altogether….)

Asian Americans are used to being invisible — it’s shocking when we get recognition

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Asian American Pacific Islanders have been so invisible in mainstream American society, working hard in the background but rarely achieving high profile attention (unless it’s for something lousy, like Jon Gosselin or Falcon Heene!), that we’re shocked when the spotlight suddenly shines on some aspect of our culture and identity.

A lot of the reason is that culturally, Asians have a tendency to eschew attention. It’s the old “the nail that sticks out will be pounded in” rule. Don’t bring attention to yourself, don’t make waves, don’t complain, don’t don’t don’t. It’s partly our own fault that we’re invisible. But another reason is that the mainstream media, from Hollywood movies to the news industry, tends to ignore us, marginalize us or exoticize us. We’re the “model minority,” we’re doing fine, we don’t have complaints, we don’t need the attention. Things are changing… I’ve written about the increase in Asian faces on TV, for instance. But there’s still a ways to go. Continue reading →

Can we exorcise Jon Gosselin as an Asian American?

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Jon and Kate Gosselin in happier -- we think -- times.When I first found out Jon Gosselin is Asian American, I thought, “Cool!” His kids were an adorable hapa brood, and Kate was a somewhat… shall we say … difficult partner. A mixed-race family is nothing unfamiliar to many AAPIs (and especially Japanese Americans, who have had the highest out-marriage rate of all AAPI ethnicities for decades).

Erin called it almost the first time she happened to tune in to the show. She pointed out all the ways that Kate showed little emotional intelligence (barking, “What planet are you from, Jon?” in one show), and the ways Jon seemed to be distancing himself from Kate in his body language and expressions.

That’s what the first look at “Jon and Kate Plus 8” was like for us.

Now, Jon Gosselin just looks like a fool, not cool. He’s being sued by TLC for breach of contract. And his antics may have also cost Kate, soon to be his ex, a chance at her own show with the kids, “Kate Plus 8.” He tried preventing crews from filming their kids, so TLC has apparently postponed the new show’s Nov. 2 launch, according to TV Guide. Other reports have said the show has been canceled altogether.

What’s ironic is that Kate’s been coached and appears to be a different person from the hard and harsh wife from the start of the series in 2007. She’s been reinventing her brand to a sympathetic character and a warm-hearted mom. Meanwhile Jon’s devolved his brand from long-suffering husband and kinda bumbling dad to dumbass playboy twerphead. She might deserve another 15 minutes of fame, but his clock’s run out. Continue reading →

A night at the museum: Genghis Khan, Mongolian wrestling, and being “Mongoloid”

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Members of Denver

I learned a whole lot about Genghis Khan, the Mongolian ruler who in the 13th century conquered most of the known world of the time, from Asian to the Middle East and into Europe. We also learned about Mongolian culture, and this morning, I learned why, as a child, I was classified as “Mongoloid” — and why that term had its origins in Genghis Khan’s time but now has an offensive connotation.

What sparked so much learning? The opening of an exhibit, “Genghis Khan,” at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, and a gala event we were fortunate enough to attend last night. Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper was there to welcome dignitaries from the Mongolian government including Ambassador Khasbazaryn Bekhbat; speeches were made, diploamtic gifts exchanged, and then attendees had a buffet catered by the museum that featured mostly Mongolian or Asian themed food (except for the salmon in pastry shells and the table of veggies and dip), such as Mongolian noodle bowls, a stiry-fried variant of Mongolian barbecue without the piles of meat, and generic Chinese chicken dumplings (the brand sold by Costco, I bet) that were boiled then pan-fried and not so bad).

While dining, we chatted, networked and schmoozed while a stream of performers entertained the crowds — most unfamiliar with any of the riches of Mongolian culture — with traditional music and dancing, as well as the esoteric art of Tsam masks (giant scary-looking masks worn by “dancers” who move slowly to ominous music) and the more modern flashiness of a contortionist. Continue reading →