Nisei Week

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Nisei Week is an annual festival celebrating Japanese American (JA) culture and history in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. Nisei means 2nd generation in Japanese, describing the first American born Japanese, a group which the seven day festival was originally meant to attract. Though named for the Nisei generation, Nisei Week is no longer targeted at Niseis, nor is the festival still contained within a week. Nisei Week Foundation president for 2006, Michelle Suzuki, described the festival as "the opportunity for people of all backgrounds to celebrate Japanese heritage and culture" [1].

Festivities are held over one month, though the main attractions are held during the primary two weekends of the festival in mid-August. Nisei Week draws tens of thousands of participants each year from both the Japanese community and Southern California area, mostly to its Grand Parade and specialized festivals, most notably the Tofu Festival. Nisei Week 2006 will hold its main celebrations on August 12th-13th along with Tofu Festival, with more festivities held on the 19th-20th and throughout July and August [2].

Contents

[edit] History

Nisei Week's history began during the financially difficult era of the Great Depression — Issei, first generation Japanese immigrants, were growing too old and the Gentlemen's Agreement prohibited new Japanese immigration. The English speaking Nisei became a sought after potential revenue source to support Little Tokyo businesses dominated by Issei. With Little Tokyo falling into stagnation, Nisei week was a celebration to attract Niseis and help return the district into a more exuberant and youthful area [3].

Mihiko Shimizu, original inventor of the festival, and other Issei business owners vied for an alliance with the Nisei run Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) to promote the festival. However, the possibility of being labelled as anti-American by anti-Japanese groups remained a concern, due to the collaboration of the two generations (American citizens and Japanese nationals) and cultural overtones of the festival. The Issei business owners decided to hand over all aspects of the celebration to the independent JACL to settle the problem. The first festival was held August 13, 1934, founded by the JACL [4].

Japanese internment, forced relocation of Japanese-Americans to camps, presented another tumultuous and racially charged period for Nisei Week and the greater Japanese community. The festival has been running continuously, except the years during and immediately after internment. Nisei Week celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1990, shifted from 6 years of inactivity during the WWII era [5]. Despite obstacles, Nisei Week is the longest running Japanese festival in California [4], celebrating its 66th birthday in 2006.

"Aki the Akita", Nisei Week's official mascot, was created by renowned mascot artist Dick Sakahara in 1997 for Nisei Week's now defunct Dog Show . Aki appears as a costumed character to greet and entertain children, or in cartoon form as a symbol for the festival [6].

[edit] Festivities

Nisei Week has many attractions and exihibitions, which change annually, though many traditions remain each year.

[edit] Nisei Week Grand Parade

The Nisei Week Parade takes place on the primary Sunday of Nisei Week. The parade features many varied participants, mostly from Southern California and Japan, including the following: local highschool marching bands, ondo dancing groups, martial art dojos, elected parade marshals (usually celebrities or community heroes), Japanese and local politicians (such as the Mayor of Los Angeles), a mikoshi shrine, floats, pageant queens, taiko players, etc. Spanning several hours, the Nisei Week Parade lasts long due to its many participants and slow walk pace of traditional Japanese dancers [7].

Nisei Week's 2006 Parade with take place at 4pm on August 13th, looping around several blocks in Little Tokyo. [2]

[edit] Go For Broke and U.S. 100th Infantry Battalion Exhibits

After World War II, exhibits were introduced about internment camps and JA veterans, including those of the U.S. 100th Infantry Battalion. Currently, the Japanese American National Museum (JANM) and Go For Broke Monument have replaced separate exhibits and the old JANM building. JA veterans still march annually in the Nisei Week Parade [7].

[edit] Nisei Week Car Show

The Car Show was introduced in 2000 [8] and features import cars, exhibits, import models, along with car competitions for cash and sponsor prizes. The Car Show is one of the few admission based events at Nisei Week, covering the cash prize and logistics of a full fledge festival, including live entertainment and exhibits [9] The Car Show helps celebrate Japanese and Asian American influence and foundations in the import scene [10].

Nisei Week's 2006 Luxury Car Show will be on the 12th of August, and the Import Car Show will be presented on the 20th on the corner of 1st Street and Alameda Avenue [2].

[edit] Nisei Week Queen and Court

The 2nd annual Nisei Week introduced the Nisei Week pageant and Nisei Week Coronation Ball in 1935 [5]. The pageant was created to help reinvigorate local business and promote goodwill in the greater Los Angeles community. Today, the queen is crowned for her community service and presentation skills, with a formal coronation held for judging and celebration. New queens and princesses (part of a court marked by year) are inducted annually and featured prominently on float during the Nisei Week Parade.[11].

[edit] 2006 Queen Candidates

Nisei Week 2006 princesses listed by name and sponsor:

  • Lisa Shimabukuro, Orange County Nikkei Coordinating Council
  • Colleen Suyenaga, West Los Angeles Japanese American Citizen League & Auxiliary & Venice Japanese Community Center
  • Chelsea O ’Neill, San Fernando Valley Japanese Community Center and Coordinating Council
  • Stefanie Fujinami, Japanese Restaurant Association of Southern California
  • Callen Kitaura, East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Community Center
  • Liane Takano, Little Tokyo Lion’s Club

The Queen will be chosen on August 12th [1].

[edit] Pageant Controversy

The pageant has not been without past controversy. Originally the queen was selected through ballots given after purchases in Little Tokyo, allowing those making many purchases to vote many times; the rule was changed to allow a fairer chance for all contestants. Also, the typical beauty portion of pageants, such as swimsuit competition, were largely eliminated. One controversy remains within the JA community: mixed-race contestants. Competitors must be of at least 50% Japanese ancestry. Due to the increased outmarriage ratio of Japanese Americans, multi-racial (also known as hapa in the Japanese community) contestants began to appear more frequently, causing questioning about the Japanese cultural spirit of the competition and competing beauty standards of whites versus Asians [12].

[edit] Nisei Week Street Arts Fair

Originally similar to a matsuri (Japanese style festival) or carnival, a street festival was held over the weekend, featuring games, crafts, and rides for children, along with food and arts vendors. Street Arts was created in addition to the carnival to feature Southern California crafts and food vendors. Since 2000, the carnival has been removed, but Street Arts has remained.

Street Arts and the carnival were always open to the public, with no admission fee. Street Arts continues to be an alternative to Tofu Festival's admission based system. However, avoiding conflict, Street Arts 2006 will take place the following week after Tofu Festival, August 19th and 20th on San Pedro Street [2].

[edit] JSN Matsuri

The upcoming 2006 Nisei Week celebrations will include a Japanese carnival on August 20th, held by the Japanese Student Network [13] further relieving the need for Nisei Week's original carnival.

[edit] Tofu Festival

Main article: Los Angeles Tofu Festival

In coordination with the Little Tokyo Service Center, Tofu Fest was added as a subcommittee to Nisei Week in 1996, focusing on Japanese cuisine and obon like atmosphere. As its name suggests, tofu is the primary ingredient of dishes and the cultural icon of the festival. Tofu Fest also features a large array of sake and beer, supplementing Little Tokyo's own beer gardens and Street Art's vendors [14].

Due to Tofu Fest's wider cultural and material appeal, along larger funds to work with (Tofu Fest charges admission into its area), it has outgrown Nisei Week's Street Arts fair -- Tofu Fest's first fair had over 8,000 visitors [14]. Tofu Fest 2006 will take place on August 12th and 13th, with Blackalicious headlining the entertainment stage on the 12th and the Tofu eating contest taking place on the 13th [15]. Attendance will likely exceed 20,000 visitors based upon past festivals [16].

[edit] Nikkei Games

The Nikkei Games offers competition and activities for Japanese American sports leagues, and open events such as running for children. It also features martial art competitions and exhibitions [17]. Nisei Week supports the JA community through Nikkei Games, as Japanese American sports leagues remain an important part of JA culture and history [18] (see also: Nikkei sports).

The 2006 Nikkei Games will take place throughout August in various locations [2].

[edit] Little Tokyo Anime Festival

The Little Tokyo Anime Festival features video gaming, manga, martial arts, anime, cosplaying, and other Japanese popular culture exports, as part of booths and exhibits. A cosplay contest will be held, where arbitrated best costume winners will be presented [19].

The 2006 anime festival will take place August 12th and 13th in the Little Tokyo Shopping Center [2].

[edit] Trivia

  • KAT-TUN, Japanese pop sensation, nearly caused a riot in the 2005 parade [20]. Notably, Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park, and now Fort Minor, was the honorary parade marshal of the same year without any problems [21].
  • Two defunct festivities used to exist:
    • The dog show, which mainly featured Japanese dog breeds.
    • The carnival, which included rides and games for kids.
  • Frances Hashimoto, community activist and 2005 Nisei Week Grand Marshall, is the co-inventor of mochi ice cream [22].
  • Nisei Week was targeted by Phillip Morris' first promotional event to increase Asian and Pacific Islander American community smokers, as part of their "PULL strategy" [23].
  • The festival may be jokingly referred to as Nisei Month.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b Muranaka, Gwen, Nisei Week Kicks Off Annual Festivities, Rafu Shimpo, June 10, 2006. URL accessed on August 3, 2006.
  2. ^ a b c d e f 2006 Calendar of Events, Niseiweek.org, Nisei Week Foundation, 2006. URL accessed August 2th, 2006.
  3. ^ Tanaka, Togo, The History of Nisei Week, 50th Anniversary Booklet, Nisei Week Foundation, 1990. URL accessed on August 3, 2006.
  4. ^ a b Kurashige, Lon, The Problem of Biculturalism: Japanese American Identity and Festival before World War II,The Journal of American History, March, 2000. URL accessed August 4, 2006.
  5. ^ a b Nisei Week Japanese Festival: A Brief History, sushiandtofu.com, All Japan News, August, 2002. URL accessed on August 3, 2006.
  6. ^ Aki the Akita,Niseiweek.org, Nisei Week Foundation, 2005. URL accessed on August 3, 2006.
  7. ^ a b Nisei WEEK Festival Parade and Participants 1996, Nisei Week Festival Parade flyer, Nisei Week Foundation, 1996. URL accessed on August 3, 2006.
  8. ^ "Mike", Nisei Week Car Show - Little Tokyo 2002, carandmodel.com, 2002. URL accessed August 4, 2006.
  9. ^ Nisei Week Showoff Car Show, showoffcafe.com, 2006. URL accessed on August 3, 2006.
  10. ^ Kwon, Susan, What's the Story Behind All Those Asians in the Import Scene?, Racingmix, January 13, 1999. A look into the culture and history of the import scene by a graduate student. URL accessed on August 3, 2006.
  11. ^ Meet the 2003 Nisei Week Queen Candidates, sushiandtofu.com, August, 2003. URL accessed on August 3, 2006
  12. ^ Tanner, Mika,Pageants: Pride or Puffery?, Asian Week, August 20, 1998. URL accessed Auguest 4, 2006.
  13. ^ Imoto, Yuzo,Japanese Student Network Matsuri, Niseiweek.org, Nisei Week Foundation, 2006. Short press release from the JSN. URL accessed on August 3, 2006.
  14. ^ a b History of the Tofu Festival, tofufest.org, Little Tokyo Service Center, 2006. URL accessed on August 3, 2006.
  15. ^ Entertainment Stage, tofufest.org, Little Tokyo Service Center, 2006. URL accessed August 4, 2006.
  16. ^ Friedrich, KristinTofu Ninja to the Rescue, Los Angeles Downtown News, page 13, July 19, 2004. URL accessed August 4, 2006.
  17. ^ HISTORY (pdf), Nikkei Games, 2006. URL accessed August 3, 2006.
  18. ^ Otake, Gary T.,A Century of Japanese American Baseball, National Japanese American History Society. URL accessed August 3, 2006.
  19. ^ Little Tokyo Anime Festival Presented by Nisei Week, Little Tokyo Anime Festival, June 22, 2006. URL accessed August 3, 2006.
  20. ^ 2005 Nisei Week Festival, Project 760 Productions, 2005. Photo of KAT-TUN's parade car being protected by volunteers, police, and body guards, from a mob of fans and press. URL accessed August 4, 2006.
  21. ^ 2005 HONORARY PARADE MARSHAL Mike Shinoda, Niseiweek.org, Nisei Week Foundation, 2005. URL accessed August 4, 2006.
  22. ^ 2005 GRAND MARSHAL Frances Kazuko Hashimoto, Niseiweek.org, Nisei Week Foundation, 2005. URL accessed August 7, 2006.
  23. ^ Muggli, M.E.; Pollay, R.W.; Lew, R.; Joseph, A.M. , Targeting of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders by the tobacco industry: results from the Minnesota Tobacco Document Depository (pdf), Tobacco Control, 2002.

[edit] External links


[edit] See also

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