Gil Asakawa's Nikkei View | asian american
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December 13, 2010

The Chinese American Council of Colorado usually hosts an annual year-end banquet in December, at which the umbrella organization notes the accomplishments of its many subsidiary community groups and projects, from the Chinese Language School to the annual Double 10 Celebration (to mark the founding of the Republic of China, currently in Taiwan), and recruiting volunteers for the annual Colorado Dragon Boat Festival to hosting free health screenings for the community. They even sponsor the Rocky Mountain Chinese Society of Science and Engineering. The CACC's year-end banquet usually is held at Palace Seafood restaurant, the place where 90% of Asian community banquets are held, and they're usually the typical, staid events where everyone gets dressed up and claps politely at the awards and speeches. Last year's CACC banquet raised the issue of inspiring the next generation of leaders, and the organizations has taken that advice to heart. This weekend, the CACC eschewed the usual banquet format for a more informal afternoon event at a ballroom at the Colorado Free University in the old Lowry Air Force Base complex, with food donated by several local Chinese restaurants. And instead of a stuffy affair run by the grownups, the event was organized and hosted by the Chinese Youth Foundation, highlighted by a pretty interesting panel of young Chinese Americans speaking out about their often conflicted identities.
December 4, 2010

Consul General Kazuaki Kubo and Mazuko Kubo w/ Kosuke Kimura, defender of the MLS champion Colorado Rapids soccer team. Early every December, the Consulate General of Japan in Denver hosts a reception to honor the Dec. 23 birthday of Emperor Akihito, which over the years has become one of the few times that Colorado's Japanese and Japanese American communities gather together. It's a festive catered affair, with Consul General Kazuaki Kubo and his wife Kazuko in traditional Japanese garb of kimono and hakama greeting guests as they arrive. This year's birthday reception was held at the Westin Tabor Center on Dec. 2. Kubo, who's been the longest-serving Consul General since the consulate was established almost 10 years ago, gave his usual excellent speech. It was full of historical perspective and a grasp of current, shifting geo-politics and business climate that may be a hallmark of a career diplomat but seems more passionate and learned, as if he's truly a fan of world history and politics. He also delivers his annual speeches in his excellent, vernacular English, not all stiff and formal. He's a very authentic and likable personality; the Denver Japanese community will miss him when he's rotated out of Colorado to parts unknown, which surely will happen any month now. During his speech, the Consul General introduced a special guest of some historic note: Kosuke Kimura (shown above with the Kubos), a defender for the Colorado Rapids Major League Soccer (football in the rest of the world) team. The Rapids won the MLS Cup league championship on Nov. 21 in an overtime Finals game in Toronto against FC Dallas, 2-1, the franchise's first championship season. His team's big win -- and his award as the Rapids' 2010 Humanitarian of the Year for his community service -- aren't the only reasons Kimura stole the spotlight after the Consul General stepped down from the podium, and spent the next hour of the reception shaking hands and signing autographs on scarps of paper, hotel napkins, invitations, whatever people pulled out of their pockets. He was in much demand, even with people who wouldn't know soccer from, well, football, because he's the only Japanese-born player in the MLS.
December 3, 2010

The 11 recipients of the 2010 Min Yasui Community Volunteer Awards. Most people living in Denver today probably don't know the name Minoru Yasui. But the Japanese American community leader has left a legacy that still impacts the city. I attended the annual Minoru Yasui Community Volunteer Awards luncheon on Dec. 1 and was pleasantly surprised to learn that the event had sold out all its 440 tickets. It's a celebration held every December to honor the monthly recipients of the MYCVA awards, which are given to 11 people who work tirelessly to help the community as volunteers in non-profits or community organizations. Each recipient gets to choose their favorite charity to donate their $2000 award to, so there's a powerful, positive ripple effect of the Min Yasui recognition. Young Minoru Yasui Over the years, my wife Erin and I have known a handful of the recipients from Denver's Asian community, and this year, two Japanese Americans were recipients: Mike Shibata, who's volunteered with the Japanese American Community Graduation Program, which hands out a whole bunch of scholarships to deserving JA high schoolers (I was the recipient of one scholarship in the mid'70s when I graduated from Alameda High School); and Kimiko Side, who helped establish the Denver Sister Cities relationship with Takayama in Japan (it's the oldest sister city partnership in Japan). The other MYCVA recipients for 2010 are:
November 29, 2010

Here's a cool Asian/Asian American spin on the ubiquitous city guides concept, if you live in LA or some select other cities around the globe. Privy 5 is a startup that's launching a series of city-focused websites that invites celebrities and local playas to submit their Top 5 lists in categories such as restaurants, hotels, bars, karaoke/noraebang, shops and spas,...

November 29, 2010

Anything that San Diego-based Wong Fu Productions creates is big news in Asian American circles. But their 35-minute indie film, "Agents of Secret Stuff," a spy comedy has garnered the attention of the mainstream tech press because it's already been viewed over 2 million times since was posted on YouTube on Nov. 24. Mashable.com, the online bible of the social...