In praise of San Jose’s Japantown — the JA Mayberry

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NIKKEI VIEW: The Asian American Blog
Gil Asakawa’s Japanese American perspective on pop culture, media and politics

In praise of San Jose’s Japantown — the JA Mayberry
November 8th, 2009 · 3 Comments


Unlike the many Chinatowns that serve as ethnic cultural enclaves in many American cities from coast to coast, and the increasing numbers of districts variously called “Koreatowns” and “Little Saigons,” you won’t find many Nihonmachi, or Japantowns. There are lots of reasons for this, but the main one is probably the Japanese American community’s need to assimilate into mainstream America after the shame and humiliation of being imprisoned in internment camps during World War II. In the 1950s and ’60s, most JAs moved into suburban America and avoided clustering in ethnic Japanese areas.

Denver has Sakura Square, a one-block development built in the 1970s I like to call “Tiny Tokyo” because it’s ridiculously small compared to Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo. And New York City has a couple-blocks of Japanese businesses that have sprouted in recent years in the East Village that might be called a “mini-Japantown” in Manhattan. Seattle’s Japantown evolved after the war into the International District, though I think it’s still anchored by the awesome, generations-old Uwajimaya supermarket.

But not surprisingly, the three Japantowns that are officially recognized as national historic districts are all in California, where the vast majority of Japanese immigrants settled in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Along with the well-known and tourist-filled Little Tokyo in LA and San Francisco’s Japantown is the Japantown area of San Jose that’s more a neighborhood than a business district.

Erin and I have traveled to and stayed at both Little Tokyo and San Francisco’s Japantown, but only visited San Jose’s J-town a couple of times. We spent a few hours there last week and we love it. Here’s why:
First, it’s not a tourist trap, with shops selling cheap trinkets and souvenirs for travelers from the US and Japan. Not that that’s so bad, but the lack of such shops is striking when you wander in San Jose compared to San Francisco or Los Angeles.

Second, unlike the other two J-towns, it’s an area where Japanese still live — and have for generations. The more citified J-towns have suffered from the outflow of the Japanese families to the suburbs, and the districts themselves have been remade by recent urban renewal projects and development. The sense of history is more palpable everywhere in San Jose, while you have to rely on preservation efforts and monuments to carry on the values of the past in LA and SF.

Third, San Jose as a city is simply more laid-back and smaller-scale. Few buildings in San Jose’s J-town rise up more than two or three stories. Many of the storefronts and restaurants probably haven’t changed much since they were originally built. Or if they have, they still feel quaintly small-town.

In fact, Erin captured the feel of San Jose’s J-town perfectly while walking down the sidewalk past older guys sitting on a bench, people waiting for their favorite restaurants to open for lunch, and shoppers ambling into the local tofu shop for the morning’s fresh, homemade tofu. “It’s like Mayberry, only for Japanese Americans,” she chuckled. “You expect to hear people say ‘Hey Shig!’ and ‘Hi Tak!’ instead of ‘Hey Andy!’ and ‘Hi Opie!’”

It’s true. This J-town feels like a time capsule of small-town America — with a Japanese cast.

The area isn’t that much bigger than Denver’s Tiny Tokyo, stretching only a few blocks in all directions. It sits north of downtown San Jose, and goes from First Street to the west to 8th street to the east, and Jackson Street to the south and Taylor Street to the north. The streets are wide and quiet, and there’s a slower pace to life than its counterparts in LA and San Francisco. Its outskirts are lined with the typical older bungalows that make up San Jose’s traditional residential architecture. You can tell some of the ones where JAs live by the manicured bonsai bushes out front.

People acknowledge and talk to each other on the street. When we were trying to decide on a lunch spot, we began talking to an older couple waiting for Gombei, an excellent restaurant Erin and I had dined at on a previous visit, to open. But a woman walking by overheard us and suggested we try a new shabu-shabu restaurant down the block that she’d eaten at and liked, called Shaburi. So we did, and had a fabulous meal with thin slices of beef and lots of vegetables cooked in personal hot pots, for under $9.

One of our favorite shops in J-town is Nikkei Traditions, which sells arts, crafts, clothing, gifts, books, CDs and DVDs made by and about Japanese Americans and Hawai’i. Half a block down the street, the grandkids of Roy Murotsune, who ran a Mobil gas station on a J-town corner for decades, recently fixed up the property and re-opened Roy’s Station as a hip coffee shop. It’s that kind of family-oriented, historically anchored place.

History is important in all of the Japantowns, but in LA and SF it’s because the community is always struggling to preserve bits and pieces of history against the march of time and money and development. They also are undergoing business and cultural evolutions as businesses are increasingly owned not by Japanese or JAs but by Koreans and others. In San Jose’s J-town, though, the respect for history is part of preservation efforts but you get the feeling that the spirit of the place is always going to be preserved and people aren’t sweating or struggling against the forces of modern economics. There are volunteer service organizations that care for elders and that promote the J-town businesses. The past, present and future seem well-cared-for here.

I’m sure that’s just a naive outsider’s view, but one reflection of that spirit is that the community is slowly but doggedly building a new Japanese American Museum that is beautifully designed to look modern and traditionally Japanese at the same time, and also fit into the residential block on which it sits. The building is right next door to the home where former Transportation Secretary (and namesake of the San Jose International Airport) Norm Mineta was born and grew up in. It’s not a jarring transition at all from the house to the new museum building.

A few buildings down and across the street is a somewhat cluttered enclave of a home converted to an art gallery, with a series of open sheds covered with partial roofing, that looks like a machine shop or mechanic’s garage of some sort. Jeanne Katsuro, who’s operated The Classic Rock jewelry store for two decades plus in J-town had just met us a half-hour before and was happily walking us around and introducing us to everyone she knew — which is apparently everyone, period.

When we walked by the ArtObject Gallery, she insisted that we visit the artist who owns the space, Ken Matsumoto.

As we approached the fenced-off backyard, Jeanne yelled for Ken, and we saw a face peek out from behind the fance. He came around to the side door of the gallery, which he has someone else run. The gallery doesn’t display his art in the current show. But he walked us into a back area behind the gallery where he has his sculptures on display. They’re brilliant, mostly using stone and carving them into gorgeous curvaceous cones or bowl shapes with flat tops, into which he bores out perfect smooth holes.

The pieces are intriguing for their use of found material (stone is about as elemental as you get) transformed by technology and industry into glossy, irresistible objects that look as if they hold messages from ancient gods.

He showed us a lot of his work, including a mockup for a residential commission for which he’s creating a sculpture, an accompanying wall that changes with the movement of the sun, and another piece at the end of a lap pool.

The piece that really moved me was one of his signature cones, created from bricks from the doctor’s house across the street that used to be where the museum is now being built. Matsumoto took many of the original bricks to recycle them in his art, and to keep the spirit of the JA community that founded San Jose’s lovely Japantown alive in new and marvelous incarnations.

For me, that’s a perfect statement on why San Jose’s Japantown is a great place: The spirit of its community lives on, effortlessly.

We’d like to visit more often… and who knows? Maybe some day we’ll be lucky enough to live there and become part of the fabric of this magical little area, this Mayberry for Japanese Americans.

Tags: Food & Dining · asian american · japan · places

3 responses so far ↓
1 Kathy Sakamoto // Nov 10, 2009 at 11:15 am

Thank you for visiting our Japantown. It sounds like you’ve hit on some of the high points of our small district. Akiyama Wellness Center will be opening soon (an extension of Yu-Ai Kai Senior Services). You’ll find a list of updated annual events on our website (usually!) – Nikkei Matsuri (501c4 npo) in the spring, SJ Buddhist Church Betsuin Obon in July, Aki Matsuri (Wesley United Methodist Church) and the Spirit of Japantown Festival (501c3-npo Japantown Community Congress of San Jose – through SB307) in the Fall. Mochitsuki fundraisers (Yu-ai Kai and Wesley United Methodist Church) both have these) in December.

The Japantown Business Association (JBA) runs the Certified Farmers Market every Sunday year round which will celebrate its 20th Anniversary in 2010. Contemporary Asian Theater Scene (CATS) and San Jose Taiko (35th Anniversary year in 2009) both call SJ Japantown their home. A new halau occupies what used to be Soko Hardware on Sixth, Ikebana Arts (Sogetsu School) is on Sixth also next to Jeanne’s store. Ukulele Jams (ukulele instruction on Sixth), Ukulele Source (ukulele sales – high end ukuleles on 5th).

These are separate but they talk-as does everyone in Japantown. For a little place we have a lot of interest because the City of San Jose and the SJ Redevelopment Agency have been involved here with Jtown community leaders highly engaged in bringing attention to the area.

There’s more in the works, but of course, everyone has to work with the economy right now and we’re slowly making good on the work that needs to be done to further solidify the place that Japantown San Jose has in the world.

BTW-the beautiful poster that you’ve placed at the beginning of your article was designed by Tamiko Rast, who is one of Roy and Ester Murotsune’s grandchildren. She and her brother are Rasteroids Design (web design and graphic design) while sister Jasmine owns the Coffee Shop and mom, Carole owns the property. Their whole extended family is involved here in Japantown SJ.

The posters are available through Nikkei Traditions and Nichi Bei Bussan for $5 (unframed, 18″ x 24″ standard). Questions or follow up, please call! – JBA office (408) 298-4303 although email is best!

Thanks again for your interest in Japantown San Jose. (I did watch Mayberry – I liked Aunt Bee) Hope you’ll write more and come visit again soon!
2 Gil Asakawa // Nov 10, 2009 at 11:24 am

Thanks for all the helpful information about San Jose’s Japantown, Kathy! You can be sure we’ll be visiting again….
3 Arlene Tatsuno Damron // Nov 16, 2009 at 2:12 am

“Hands-on”,”handmade’, and unique are descriptives for much of what is and happens in San Jose’s Jtown, whether it be the “artisan” handmade, no-preservatives-added tofu at San Jose Tofu, Ken Matsumoto’s unique stonework, the venerated manju at Shuei-do, the handcrafts at Nikkei Traditions, the aikido, karate, kendo, and judo dojo workouts, the lattes and teas at Roy’s Station, the newspaper rolling and handcraft classes at Yu-Ai Kai, the Sak ‘n Sak banner totes and bags, the intricate tattoo art of State of Grace, the drumming of San Jose Taiko, and at Nichi Bei Bussan, our one- of-a-kind aloha shirts, “bi-bu’s”, “hang-ups”, kapogi aprons, kimono tops, tsuzumi pillows, zabuton, noren, and futons. Japantown…”the Heart of the Valley”
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Where do you come from?”

Martha Stewart needs etiquette lessons for asking an Asian American, “Where do you come from?”
This is from the NIKKEI VIEW: The Asian American Blog

November 18th, 2009 · 13 Comments
A reader named Robin, who is Japanese American and born in Iowa and bakes apple pies, sent me this email:

“I was wincing yesterday when Martha Stewart asked an asian american woman in the audience (Sumi somethingorother, who baked an apple pie for Martha’s contest) “Where are you from?” and the woman said with no accent “Oh I’m from here…New York City.”. Martha continued with the (stereo)typical line of questioning something like ‘where are you really from because if you are from Asia it’s unusual to make an apple pie’. I don’t have it verbatim but it was painful. Just another “What ARE you?” type of conversation. I really don’t think Martha is a bigot but as she is the standard bearer of suburban white women I think it was totally disappointing for her to go down that path as if it were totally fine to question someone with Asian features about where they really come from.”

She sent a link to Martha Stewart’s page for the pie show, but there isn’t a video of the entire program, at least not yet. It looks like they only upload excerpts instead of entire shows, but I’ll keep an eye out for YouTube postings of this segment.

UPDATED: Today, Robin commented below on this blog post with a clarification:

“The video is up, check at the 2:00 minute mark:

http://www.marthastewart.com/article/meet-the-pie-bakers

“Verbatim it’s :
‘Where do you come from?’ (answer Here NYC)
‘Oh you do, oh, okay, because if you came from Asia this would not a typical pie, right?’ (answer ‘right…right…’ you can kind of hear the ‘what the heck!?’ in her tone)

“So it’s not as blatant as it struck me the first time but still the question and that type of follow up would be seen as really bizarre if she asked it of someone with a German name.”

It may not be as obnoxious as it could have been (I agree with Robin that Martha’s probably not a racist), but it still betrayed Stewart’s expectation that the audience member with an Asian face was a foreigner. She even sounded disappointed when the woman said she’s from New York, because Stewart wanted so badly to make her point about Asians not baking pies.
I can understand why Robin was dismayed when she first saw the exchange, and I agree that Stewart wouldn’t ask the other pie contestants where they came from — just being Asian was enough to prompt the question from Stewart.

This happens more often than you might think.

Most non-Asians I know laugh and can’t believe that this happens at all, or worse, think that it’s just a sign of Martha — or anyone — being sensitive to one’s culture to ask where they’re from. But remember, they never ask a white person with no accent where they’re from.

And yet, almost every Asian I know — old, young, all ethnicities — have had this conversation or some variation of it, with someone. It’s a sad reality of life in these United States that no matter how many generations we’ve been here, or how “American” we think we are, we’re simply not accepted as American by some … well, Americans.

Here’s how the first chapter of my book, “Being Japanese American,” which was published in 2004, starts:

“You speak such good English!”

Most Japanese Americans have probably heard this backhanded compliment, and then suffered through a variation of this conversation.

“Really, your English is so good, what nationality are you?”

“American.”

“No, really where are you from?”

“California.”

“Oh, you know what I mean. Where’s your family from?”

“California.”

Then the other person walks away thinking you’re a jerk who’s being difficult. But what’s difficult is the inescapable feeling that you were not being taken seriously as an American, not just as an American citizen but as a person who is American.

Believe me, this conversation happens all the time, even today.

And as Robin points out, when someone as prominent as Martha Stewart makes such a blind, white-privileged blunder, it sends a message to every suburban housewife of all colors (though let’s face it, I suspect the demographics of her audience skew extremely Euro-centric, and yes, I’m making a stereotypical generalization here) that people with Asian faces are all foreigners, and are not American.

And that’s NOT a good thing….

Hiroshima Back in the Holiday Spirit Saturday, Dec. 5 at the Japan America Theatre

Posted By mculross On November 17, 2009 @ 5:26 pm In English, Arts & Entertainment | No Comments

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Hiroshima will present their annual holiday concert, Spirit of the Season 8, Saturday, Dec. 5, at the Japan America Theatre in Little Tokyo. (Photo by Jaimee Itagaki)
Hiroshima returns for their 8th Annual “Spirit of the Season” holiday concert on Saturday, Dec. 5, at 7:30 pm at the Aratani Japan America Theatre, in the heart of Little Tokyo.

“We are pleased to welcome world renowned percussionist, Richie Gajate-Garcia as special guest artist this year,” said Hiroshima co-founder Dan Kuramoto. “Richie is recognized as one of the top Latin percussionists by his peers in the Modern Drummer Reader’s poll and one of the top Rock percussionists in DRUM! Magazine.

“This year our friend Roy Firestone will debut his first vocal CD (produced by us) and special guest star Terry Steele (former Hiroshima vocalist), who has just completed his 3-year “Remembering Luther (Vandross)” will join us for our 8th Spirit of the Season,” added Kuramoto.

Firestone will open the concert and Hiroshima will perform cuts from their latest CD, “Legacy.” Hiroshima’s 17th album was recently released in celebration of the band’s 30th anniversary in the industry and features remakes of Hiroshima favorite works from their first 10 years. The CD has met with rave reviews.

When Hiroshima cut their self-titled debut album in 1979, record executives at their own label placed bets that the band’s unprecedented amalgam of traditional Japanese melodies, American jazz structure and Latin percussion – an intriguing but ultimately refreshing anomaly in the waning days of the disco era – wouldn’t make much of an impact in terms of sales or critical acclaim.

Thirty years later, that label no longer exists. Hiroshima, however, has remained very much in the game. And they’ve done so by sticking to that original philosophy of blending genres to map out and promote unlikely artistic and cultural connections. After three decades, in a time when the globe grows smaller and more connected by the day, and sounds from all over that globe can be found in almost any piece of contemporary music, it appears that the world may finally be catching up with Hiroshima.

A video about the new album can be seen at http://www.headsup.com/media/HUAV3153/VideoPlayer/Video.html [2]

Holiday favorites from the “Spirit of the Season” CD plus other special holiday surprises will be performed after intermission.

“Please take the time to get your holidays off to a great start at our 8th annual Spirit of the Season Concert at the JACCC, stated Kuramoto. “Each year the event has grown–and we like to think of it as a family, community event with a vibe! And the hang. How can you beat “Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer” on koto?” Kuramoto concluded.
All artists’ CD’s will be on sale, including the brand new ‘Legacy’ –all at big savings for the holidays. The artists will be available to autograph CDs after the concert.

Tickets are $36.50 orchestra and $31 balcony, discounts available for JACCC members, groups of 10 or more, students and senior citizens. For concert information or to buy tickets on line (service fee) visit www.jaccc.org

Check the Hiroshima website at: http://hiroshimamusic.com [3]


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Article printed from Rafu Shimpo: http://rafu.com/news

URL to article: http://rafu.com/news/?p=6808

URLs in this post:

[1] Image: http://www.rafu.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Hiroshima-web.jpg

[2] http://www.headsup.com/media/HUAV3153/VideoPlayer/Video.html: http://www.headsup.com/media/HUAV3153/VideoPlayer/Video.html

[3] http://hiroshimamusic.com: http://hiroshimamusic.com

Stature Is Not A Matter Of Height: Short Visit, Lifelong Impression

VOX POPULI: Stature Is Not A Matter Of Height: Short Visit, Lifelong Impression

Posted By ngunji On November 5, 2009 @ 3:18 pm In Columnists | 2 Comments



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PFC Larry "Shorty" Takeshi Kazumura (possibly the shortest soldier to serve in the U.S. Army) and Lt. Joseph Lawrence Byrne. (Courtesy of U.S. Army Signal Corp)
By Robert Horsting

===

The Sunday before Memorial Day Iwas listening to the comments of NPR commentator (Cowboy Poet) Baxter Black. He recounted an afternoon sitting with his son and dad (asleep in his chair), having just watched a documentary about the USSEnterprise, in which men stayed with wounded comrades rather than swim to safety. The film reminded him of his dad, “Grandpa” Tommy, who served in the navy. Whenever asked about his service “Grandpa” Tommy would jokingly reply, “Isaved the world.” With Memorial Day approaching, Mr. Black said he would say, “Thanks Grandpa Tommy, for saving the world,” as soon as he awoke from his nap.

That account brought to my mind one of those men of World War II. Putting thoughts of personal safety aside as he dove into the heated fuel-filled water of Pearl Harbor to retrieve bodies and remnants of sailor’s floating in the midst of the wreckage of the battleship, Arizona. The attempts had the ring of futility to my ears as he expressed that those he pulled to docks were beyond needing help, but it was a job that needed to be done. This action evoked the image of a statuesque sailor of Hollywood movies (circa 1940s) or the strong swimmer’s physique of Johnny Weissmuller (Olympic swim champion/Tarzan), so you might be surprised to read that Larry “Shorty” Takeshi Kazumura stood a towering 4’-9”.

As the Japanese attack unfurled with the sound of machine fire and the explosions of torpedoes hitting the moored ships, Mr. Kazumura (a member of a civilian work-crew) was busy loading lumber onto a ship, bound for another island. This cargo stayed at Pearl Harbor, quickly fashioned into coffins for the overwhelming body count, which was buried in long trenches by the harbor. Mr. Kazumura was the only man of Japanese heritage left on the base (to his knowledge and for unknown reasons), the others having been escorted off with their arms raised in the air as he watched them march away. Working a 36-hour shift, his prolonged exposure to the fuel and other chemicals in the water resulted in a six month long illness.

I had the honor of meeting Mr. Kazumura in 2007, when he agreed to participate in an interview with the Go For Broke National Education Center’s, Hanashi Oral History Program. Originally born and raised in Hawaii, he later settled in Seattle, Wash. where he joined the Nisei Veterans Committee (NVC). The NVC arranged our introduction and participated in the interview.

Shocked by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, and angered by the death of his two friends, Mr. Kazumura felt compelled to volunteer his service at the first opportunity. The 100th Battalion (a segregated Japanese American unit) was formed mainly from members of the Hawaiian Territorial Guard and Hawaii based Nisei (second generation) soldiers already in the service when war was declared. The US Military decided to expand the recruitment of these hard training soldiers to include servicemen and volunteers from the mainland, and then returned to Hawaii to fill the additional 1,500 men needed to form the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Mr. Kazumura seized the opportunity to join the ranks. He was initially turned away with the phrase, “Son, you’re too short.” Overwhelmed by the crush of 10,000 volunteers to fill the 1,500 spots, the initial onsite physicals were dispensed with. He made it past the first station when standing erect, he declared to an officer that his height was 5’ or 5’-2”, he didn’t quite remember. The skeptical officer sent him to the next station and the stature of his determination got him into the unit…that and a later discovered clerical error that lists his height at 5’-8”.

“Shorty” spoke of how the issued uniform—designed with the average non-Asian in mind—hung off his body, the sleeves reaching the floor. It evoked the image of a boy wearing his father’s uniform on-for-size. As many of his fellow soldiers, he would have to have the uniform altered. Boots proved to be another challenge, as he was issued a pair of size 8 boots to fit his 2-1/2 EEEfeet. His account conveyed both the difficulty of training, as the length of the newspaper-filled boots gave him little traction on a field march, and the comical appearance of oversized clown shoes. Our crew found many opportunities for laughter, because he spoke in a light easy manner, with the ability to see a situation as others might and having the gift of being able to laugh at himself.
Despite his height, “Shorty” had a very strong physique, which was strengthened by a year-plus of training at Camp Shelby, Miss., before the 442nd received orders to ship out and deploy to Europe in May 1944. He also possessed a keen sense of direction, which he proudly proclaimed, won him the first Private First Class rank within his unit, during their first week of training. This ability assured the men of his group that they would find their way back to camp during night-maneuvers training.

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Larry "Shorty" Kazumura
“Shorty” was assigned scout and runner (messenger) duties and served as a bodyguard for 1st Lt. (and later, Capt.) Joseph Lawrence Byrne. Shorty’s height provided a stark visual contrast to that of Byrne’s 6’-3” frame. The two soldiers got along very well due to the mutual respect for each other’s abilities, which resulted in their teaming up to survey the landscape whenever ICompany would relocate to a new area. Shorty expressed concern that Lt. Byrne’ height would make him an easy target for the Germans to zero-in-on. He quickly came to the conclusion that your height really doesn’t matter; recounting an incident where he received nicks and bruises from shrapnel, kicked-up rocks and debris, while Byrne standing next to him was unscathed.

We heard a story that illustrates the fact that the enemy is not always in uniform and easy to recognize, when he spoke of being given a drink by a kid at a hospital in Rome. Despite warnings never to accept a drink from an opened bottle, he was so thirsty that he immediately drank it, only to find it contained fuel. This resulted in the life-long sensation of heartburn whenever he drank liquids.

On July 6, 1944, Shorty was sent to deliver a message to Battalion Head Quarters. Coming through the grape vines, he was struck by debris when a nearby farmhouse was hit. While it did not cause in any open wounds, he sustained a concussion, which left him stunned and numb. The concussion caused him to forget the message he was to deliver. The next day they moved out, though Shorty he later heard that according to the forgotten message, they were not supposed to.

On July 7, at Hill 140, Lt. Mike Kreskosky was hit in the forearm by shrapnel, leaving only an inch of skin to prevent it from falling to the ground. Acting quickly, Shorty pulled him to safety and applied a tourniquet, saving the Lt’s life. Moments after applying the tourniquet he too was struck in the head resulting in a fractured jaw and causing him to spend over a month recuperating in the hospital. Lt. Byrne, having witnessed this action, wrote the recommendation that resulted in Shorty’s Bronze Star.

Shorty credits Capt. Byrne for saving his life. After his return to the unit following his recuperation, the Capt. had him transferred to the Supply Depot. He remained at this duty through the end of the war. Soon afterwards the 442nd was redeployed to the Vosges Mountains of eastern France. Remembering the difficulty Shorty had marching in the pine-forested terrain around Camp Shelby, Capt. Byrne sent him to Naples, Italy to buy proper fitting boots. He came away with twelve pairs of size 3EEEs. The famed journalist, Lyn Crost later contacted Shorty in an attempt to get a pair of these boots, but he had worn-out all of them on the lava of Hawaii. He sent her a tracing of his foot, which was used make a duplicate pair, now on display at the Smithsonian Museum.
After the fierce battles to liberate the towns of Bruyeres and Biffontaine the 442nd was pulled off the frontline to regroup after sustaining heavy casualties. This rest would be cut short (about 36 hours) as they were summoned to what would historically become their most famous battle, to rescue members of the 141st Regiment’s 1st Battalion, who had been cut-off by the Germans, in the Battle of the Lost Battalion. Capt. Byrne was killed by a “Bouncing Betty” (an antipersonnel mine), the day before the Lost Battalion battle. Noting the closeness of these two soldiers, Maj. O’Connor called Shorty from HQ to tell him about the loss of his officer and friend. Years later, at his wife’s suggestion, Shorty would honor the memory of Capt. Lawrence Byrne by adopting the name Larry as his own.

Upon his return to the United States in 1946, Larry went to visit his friend, Terumi “Terry” Kato at Walter Reed Hospital. Terry attempted to set him up with a woman from the USO, but since she was already dating someone, she suggested he correspond with her sister June. Though they wrote extensively, they actually never met until he sent her a one-way ticket to Hawaii. After their marriage they lived in Hawaii until June convinced him to move to Seattle, where she had been raised. Initially he voiced the concern that he didn’t want to give up the warmth of Hawaii for the winters in Washington, but she put his fear to rest by assuring him that it does not snow in Seattle. They arrived on April 1, 1949 to find 4” of snow on the ground… April fools!

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Kazumura (Courtesy of GFBNEC/video)
After a 32 year career at Boeing, raising a family of five children, and spending a lifetime with his wife June (until her passing in 1981), Larry retired to a life of enjoying his friendships with fellow veterans at the Nisei Veterans Committee Hall, gardening and fishing, a hobby he was so good at he received complaints from friends that couldn’t eat them fast enough to match his ability to provide a fresh catch.

Larry passed away on March 24 at the age of 88. Though I only met him on this one day, over the course of a 3-hour interview, he made an impression on me that will last my lifetime. His love of life and the joy of sharing were immediately apparent. His is a wonderful example of dealing with adversity and emerging with a positive attitude, a lesson Iwill hold close.

I’m grateful to Mr. Larry “Shorty” Takeshi Kazumura for taking the time to share his story. Iwant to express my condolences to his family and friends, those whose lives he touched and for whom his passing left a void that Ihope will be filled by the memory of a life lived to the fullest.

I would like to extend my gratitude to Betty (Kazumura) Carr and Paul Murakami for their assistance in verifying the timeline of Larry’s life. I also wish to thank the Go For Broke National Education Center (Torrance, Calif.) and Densho (Seattle, Wash.) for access to their archive interviews.

During the course of writing this article, I was informed of the passing of Munetatsu “Moon” Saito, of Company K. I met him during his interview prior to the 60th, 442nd Reunion and over the years we’ve enjoyed sharing some meals, maybe a wine or two and many telephone conversations together. I will miss you my friend. Farewell.
===
Robert Horsting is the producer, director and writer of the documentary, “Citizen Tanouye.” The opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily those of The Rafu Shimpo

Texas vets reunite with Japanese-American rescuers.

Texas vets reunite with Japanese-American rescuers
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Delicious Digg Facebook Fark Newsvine Reddit StumbleUpon Technorati Twitter Yahoo! Bookmarks Print AP – Ret. Pfc Al Tortolano, 88, of Santa Clara, left, and Ret. Pfc George Sakato, 88, of Denver, Colo. chat … By JUAN A. LOZANO, Associated Press Writer Juan A. Lozano, Associated Press Writer – Sun Nov 1, 11:15 pm ET
HOUSTON – Even though it was 65 years ago, Al Tortolano clearly recalls the one thought, the only thought, that ran through his mind as his military unit was surrounded by German soldiers during World War II.

"About the only thing you could think of was family. Will I ever see my family again?" remembered the 88-year-old Tortolano, part of what was dubbed the "Lost Battalion."

It was October 1944 and Tortolano was part of the 1st Battalion, 141st Regiment, 36th Infantry Division — a Texas military unit that was surrounded by German soldiers in northern France's Vosges Mountains.

The prayers of Tortolano and the other members of the 1st Battalion were answered by the Army's 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a unit made up almost entirely of Japanese-Americans. The 442nd broke through the German ranks and was able to free the 1st Battalion.

The epic and bloody rescue, which lasted several days, became one of World War II's most famed battles. The 442nd suffered 814 casualties as it rescued 217 men.

"I still can't thank my fellow veterans enough for what they did," said Tortolano, who stood next to his wife Alice, who also expressed her gratitude to the 442nd.

Tortolano was among 40 members from both units who gathered in Houston on Sunday, marking the 65th anniversary of the rescue at a fundraising gala hosted by the National Japanese American Memorial Foundation. Although the units had reunited once before, this was the largest meeting of surviving members of the two groups.

Jimmie Kanaya, a veteran of the 442nd — whose members after WWII were proclaimed "Honorary Texans" by Gov. John Connolly — said there is permanent a bond of brotherhood between the men of both units.

"We feel like we are part of each other. We became one," said the 89-year-old, who lives in Gig Harbor, Wash.

The bond was apparent as the more able-bodied veterans helped those in wheelchairs or using canes stand up on stage at Sunday's event. During the reunion, the men hugged one another and exchanged stories of the war and of their lives since then.

Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the veterans of the 442nd are "men of the noblest heart and the greatest courage."

The 442nd became the most decorated unit in U.S. military history, he said.

"Their courage, valor, dedication are values we hold dear as a country — and to do this in what clearly was one of our darkest hours," Mullen said, referencing that many of the 442nd's members had families who were held in internment camps by the U.S. government while they served in the military.

Kanaya said he found it ironic that men who wore the same uniform he did were guarding his parents and sister at an internment camp in Idaho.

"We had to prove we were loyal Americans," Kanaya said. "We were caught between a rock and a hard place. We just had to give it our all."

Tortolano, who lives in Santa Clara, Calif., said he is even more grateful for what the 442nd did considering the discrimination they faced.

"They were sent into some battles other (units) wouldn't go to," he said. "In some ways they were treated as second-class citizens. But they proved they were true Americans."

This story I found on the angryasianman blog



11.02.2009

reunion commemorates rescue of "the lost battalion"
This is a really interesting Associated Press story on members of two American military units that fought during World War II who reunited in Houston over the weekend, marking the 65th anniversary of rescue of the "Lost Battalion": Texas vets reunite with Japanese-American rescuers.

In October 1944, the 1st Battalion, 141st Regiment, 36th Infantry Division from Texas found themselves surrounded by German soldiers in northern France's Vosges Mountains.

When it seemed like all hope was lost, they were rescued by the Army's 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a unit made up almost entirely of Japanese Americans. The 442nd broke through the German ranks and was able to free the 1st Battalion.

The epic and bloody rescue, which lasted several days, became one of World War II's most famed battles. The 442nd suffered 814 casualties as it rescued 217 men.

Forty members from both units gathered on Sunday at a fundraising gala hosted by the National Japanese American Memorial Foundation in Texas. Although the units had reunited once before, this was the largest meeting of surviving members of the two groups.

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