#nihonmachi

[ourpacificadventures]

In the afternoon, we headed over to Japantown and were just in time to catch some amazing Taiko drumming in honor of customer appreciation month! The Japantown in SF is one of only 3 in the USA today and has a rich program of cultural events throughout the year.

Lunch was at a traditional-style place on "restaurant row", a line of restaurants built to mirror a street in Japan.

We spent the afternoon exploring the myriad of shops and displays in the town, and enjoying (just a bit! 😆) of retail therapy...

[bloomwithbravery]

while we were in San Jose, we stopped by japantown aka nihonmachi. it was a cool area, but we happened to go on a day when everything was closed 😫 so pro tip : don't go on a Wednesday. or at least Wednesday afternoon.

we walked up and down the main street, checked out restaurant menus, looked at the window displays and checked out the grocery store. we picked up some snacks and drinks that we normally wouldn't be able to try at home [and everything was delicious!!].

highly recommend checking this area out - I want to go back and explore some of the stores.

[kubotafinearts]

[odiggity]

Peace Pagoda

Japantown - San Francisco, CA

[rabbitcruiser]

The production of the Ford Mustang began in Dearborn on March 9, 1964.  

[jollmaster]

What were the V's mortal life like?

finally I gathered all main thoughts about them 🖤 they're all jerks and their lives weren't easy

Vox

born in 1900 to a family of dockworkers, was the first in his family to be born in California, so-called nisei; his parents were pure-blooded japanese who moved to the USA in search of a better life; their lineage had been christian since the Edo period, despite persecution

his mother used to be an ama, free diver who gathered pearl

spent youth in Nihonmachi (San Francisco's japantown), almost from the day it was founded

worked with machinery and electricity and was very successful, but at the same time liked to walk in the harbor watching fish being caught (he loved the pungent smell of fish)

spoke fluent Japanese and English, used the name Cole in english-speaking society, but anyway experienced racist prejudice against himself; future-Vox real name was Koi (carp in japanese)

after 1924, he often helped compatriots with american citizenship and practically saw the birth of television broadcasting

by the time of WWII he already had a wife and two children; their third son was born two months before Executive Order 9066

in 1942 family was interned and he spent two and a half years in "relocation center", while the eldest of sons was shot on suspicion of espionage

it was then that future-Vox lost trust in any government and decided that he would gather people around by himself (he would later advocate with all his might to minimize the contact of sinners with demons and establish himself in a separate region, spreading technology and broadcasting, and would choose the name Vox, or voice)

all these anxieties, as well as workaholism, took a heavy toll on health, and he died of a heart attack in early 1950s

Valentino

son of a prostitute (had no idea who his father was) and inherited her beauty

had the same name in life as when he died

born in a Montevideo brothel in the mid XIXth century; grew up in an unhealthy situation and even saw mother working

later his mother became a brothel owner herself, and a rather harsh one at that; her upbringing laid the foundation for Valentino's crooked understanding of the world and hierarchy

when he was about twelve years old and was already helping in management (counting money, carrying wine from the pantry, sweeping, all that), one of the customers wanted to take him to the room, but mother heard this and made a scandal, and son wasn't touched

unfortunately or fortunately for himself, Valentino had learned that weakness means death, and the law of force is the main thing in the world

was quite smart in business, ran a brothel when his mother was gone (she died, ironic as it may sound, of a cold fever), and prostitutes both respected him and were very afraid of

Valentino treated women in a purely consumer way, he was generally the kind of master who yells and then can both caress and physically use

however, he once paid for the funeral of one of workers when she bleeded and died after abortion, and even was near her in last hour; there were rumors that this child was his too

his response to all questions was "how damn should I know who knocked her up"

died in a fire; one of the workers, young Theresa, locked him in, he didn't get out in time and burned alive

Velvette

Velvette is her stage name; real name was Violet, because of unusual eye color at birth

was born in 1960s, inherited violet eyes from father: her mother was a somali who fled the country in search of a better life, and father was a white walloon (she spoke Somaligaa with mom and French with dad)

parents divorced when Vel was a teenager but kept a good relationship

went to France when she grew up and planned a career as a fashion designer

to some extent it was her eyes that got her noticed by photographers and she later had a career as a model, although she didn't fit standards for height (too short) and skin color (too dark-skinned)

she had a hard enough time, but she had a tough character and didn't hesitate to make way by any means necessary

however, Vel never agreed to sleep with anyone in exchange for preferential treatment: no, she's an independent woman and she'll only sleep with someone who deserves it

planned to earn enough money, leave modeling, go back to what she had wanted, marry a nice wealthy gentleman and have a son; not that she really wanted to have a baby, this just seemed normal to her

Vel wouldn't have been very caring soft mother, but she would have tried to provide for child, hired a good nanny and been present in his life

at the age of twenty-five she hit a girl with a car, but bought off the court

the girl's father couldn't relive loss and bribed one of Vel's detractors to shoot her dead

the killer was her ex-boyfriend

[promisecitymoments]

What is Promise City? An Examination of the Modern Lie

It was the middle years of the 21st century. As the world fell deeper into disorder and chaos, a resolution was passed by the UN - build impenetrable fortress-cities, one for each region of the world. Sworn to perpetual neutrality and serving as a grand, living repository for all cultures and peoples, Promise City is the jewel of the United Nations Megacity initiative, and home to upwards of eighty nine million people.

It is called home by people from every corner of the world, who speak every language, making it a wildly diverse place. The City was planned from the ground up, fanning out from its centre in the First District, now called the High Rise. 

The City is divided into 13 Districts, each of which serves a different purpose. From the desolate and collapsing streets of the Basilissa Exclusion Zone to the highly pedestrianised and narrow backroads of Nihonmachi District, the purpose and peoples of the City can change on an almost street-to-street basis.

Most of the Districts are partially built on or straddle the river Vitae, a huge estuary which has been artificially widened as the years have passed to accommodate the continuous traffic going to and from the City's major industrial centres and the ports of the world. It didn't start with the name, but was rechristened when its expansion began, for from the beginning it was intended to be the City's primary artery, the vein that pumped its lifeblood to its heart.

The dream of Promise broke under the weight of the modern world as the global scene made slow steps towards order and peace and a new agent of governance emerged. It took cues from the chaebol conglomerates of the Korean republic, the zaibatsus of the new Japan, the oligarchic kleptocracies of Russia and the runaway monopolies of America.

It became something new, with power transcending that of national governments. It became the modern multinational corporation, an organisational and logistical superstructure with fingers and operations all across the globe, their origins swaddled in mystery and their servants in the hundreds of thousands.

The concept of the nation-state is now a joke, a foreign idea taken seriously only in corners of the world that the average metropolitan never needs to think of. And the worst part? The people of the ever-shrinking middle class were more than keen to look the other way, as long as the wages were good and the abuses were just out of sight.

In Promise City there emerged three corporations of supreme importance.

The first was Byzantion Security Systems, an electronics, military technology and communications magnate. It was the first among equals, the largest company in all the world.

Second to it were two, ÆSIR Arms and Machinery and Tlalocan Ltd., companies which both survive on the military-industrial complex that has ripped the third world asunder. Each was like a kingdom, an empire unto itself, their CEOs like Gods among men. Their employees numbered in the indirect millions, in every corner of the earth, in every business imaginable. In the modern age, it is almost impossible to do business without crossing one of the Three, or, failing that, without crossing another of the major corporations in the world.

Their positions as the leaders of the world seemed unshakeable. They could not be touched, no matter what resistance was mounted against them. Public or private, it seemed like nothing could be done to halt the corporations.

Then came October 21st, 20XX. Judgement Day.

The City ground to a halt that cold autumn afternoon, forced to watch as a monstrous machine brought entire blocks down in its rampage. Thousands were killed in the District of Paxtonville and the High Rise almost immediately, and further thousands were displaced all across the rest of the City.

With the sudden and violent dissolution of the Byzantion Group by its former CEO/CSO Alexios Konstantinatos, a power vacuum unlike anything as seen in living memory was suddenly created in every corner of the globe.

Infrastructure totally broke down wherever Byzantion’s influence could be felt, the company’s assets were suddenly fair game to anyone who could scrape up the funds and hundreds of thousands of people, involved with the corporation at every level of production and distribution, were suddenly without work.

The world economy quickly crashed with this essential link in the global chain removed. It’s been a year and though the company’s rivals have moved fast, they are only now starting to put the pieces of the world back together.

Trade is still limited to short distances through motor convoys and trains, with international shipping having all but ceased except in cases of extreme duress, such as the humanitarian crisis and complete breakdown of civil order faced here.

In the rubble, the UN has stepped in to revive the now-paralyzed City authorities and rebuild the City’s domestic law enforcement unit, the Promise City Police Department (PCPD). However, their influence is far from absolute - running the streets are gangs of every shape, size and stripe, from typical criminal groups preying on vice and need to organised groups of political agitators and to fringe sects of complete extremists.

There is no more global order. Stability is a myth, a thing of the past. Rubble and seemingly endless corpses have done nothing to stymie the ambitions of pushers and hustlers, those obsessed with status and wealth. At the end of the day, there are still plenty of jobs out there that need doing, and plenty of people willing to risk it all to do them. The world is rudderless, the City insane…

… and in this madness there exist chances one can only dream of.

[geomonjes]

Upcoming Event: Destination Nihonmachi by Koho SF

Saturday 10/26/24 5-10pm

SF Japan Town

I’ll be selling the usual stickers, prints and a couple shirt designs!

[the-infinite-corridor]

== THE PAINTED SKIES ARE THE WORST ==

For many, it’s surely nothing more than (an attempt at) a shortcut from the narrow lanes of the impoverished, cracked-sidewalked ‘deep soi’ to the bustling, modern main vain of Sukumwit Road (which may be glimpsed at a distance and even heard, but not reached; not from here); an accidental diversion through what once was perhaps meant to be a mall, some intended pedestrian thoroughfare. Some parody of social space and human Commerce.

The ranks of dimly-glowing, functionless modules that only barely suggest the familiar forms of ATMs...with no one to use them; no establishments to accept payment in any case, of any kind; the most minimally-inclined of concrete walkways that angle up to featureless landings, sporting steel guard-railings that protect no one. And it just sprawls on like that. It's ugly, in more than just the ways that can be put into words.

The painted skies are the worst: Broad, sweeping, meandering, mindless murals of no discernible subject in lurid colors, endlessly defacing the blank, massive walls and wrapping around sudden, brutal corners to wander into blind and purposeless courtyards for no eye to see, their mere suggestion of free, open aerial vistas a simpleminded obscenity in this hard and grey transitional nothing of a place.

#art #LiminalSpaces #travel #writing #WritingLife #travelphotography #GameTheoryMedia #weird #explore #Asia #Bangkok #BTS #LastKnownPhoto #Skytrain #Japanese #Nihonmachi #KnownSomeCallIsAirAM 

[smallerplaces]

Who fits Daiso outfits?

Olivia and Whitney admire the haul from Daiso, as they're the dolls in my community most likely to be able to fit into them.

On Saturday, we went thrifting in Fremont and Hayward, which was disappointing. The only fashion dolls I saw were (a) an EAH type with extremely frazzled hair and no price; and (b) a cheap blonde princess. This is a far cry from the glory days of scoring bags of articulated bodies at Eco Thrift!

However, Union City has a Daiso, a.k.a. the most kawaii place on earth. It's not as thrilling as the one at Nihonmachi, but it also doesn't require cramming oneself on the 38-Geary bus.

This Daiso had a nice selection of outfits but not the ddung-style or kuhrn-style doll (I don't recall which, but it's somewhere in that range) Licca-chan-type doll that goes with them. So without any reference for size, I took a risk on the garments that were most different from what I'm likely to see elsewhere: the hanbok and the furisode.

Olivia has a Kira head mold, so aside from being Petite, she's a good candidate to have an Asian grandmother or great-grandmother. (While Asian cultures are distinct, Olivia is a fashion doll, and deciding on her ethnic background based on what clothes fit is legit.) Whitney is the easier of the two 1990s Stacies to undress, and if everything is a perfect fit on her, I'll then worry about cultural appropriation.

Here we go!

That's a NOPE for Olivia. The Daiso garments are too small for Petite Barbie. (She later couldn't get her hands through the sleeves of the hanbok.)

Whitney fits the furisode on the "around" dimension, but it's too long on her. Somewhere on the interwebs, I'd seen a tutorial on how to fold and blouse a kimono under the obi, so I awkwardly tried that technique. With more practice, it might work better.

On impulse, I pulled out of the donate pile the doll I'd been mistakenly calling a Skipper even though I had another doll with the same face-up and knew she was a modern Stacie.

Wow. It's a perfect fit. I still don't love this doll and don't intend to keep her, but it's certain that a 9" childlike slender body type is what's wanted here.

This finding creates some challenges, so I need to think about plausibly Asian face-ups at 9" size. Mattel has done at least one Asian modern Stacie, but the face-up and lack of articulation doesn't have me rushing to the store. I'm okay with this quest taking a while -- two garments don't take up much room in clothing storage.

The hanbok is also the biggest win on a modern Stacie body. So right now, we're going to pretend that the girls have been invited to a cultural festival and asked by their hosts to wear gifts of traditional attire. Long-term, I'll be working on tracking down a more plausibly Asian "younger sister" or two in this size.

[swan-orpheus]

Leisurely perused Kinokuniya for over an hour. Then went to the beach. 🌊🌊🌊

[asianamsmakingmusic]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Wing Luke Museum (@winglukemuseum)

The Nippon Kan Theater opened in Seattle Nihonmachi, or Japantown, in 1909 on 6th Avenue and Washington Street. Both a community center and performance theatre, the Nippon Kan stage hosted visiting master musicians, singers and dancers from Japan, providing continuing connections to the homeland, and emerging performers from within the Japanese American community, ranging from traditional biwa (Japanese bucked lute) performances to swing band orchestras. One of the businesses advertised on this screen is still open to this day in Nihonmachi and may have been featured in an earlier Jewels and Gems #tbt post! Can you guess which one? (Hint: Their ad is on the top row and features an animal.) Read more about the Nippon Kan Theatre and the beautiful screen housed in the Wing Luke Museum on our website in the Jewels and Gems section.

[source]

[kubotafinearts]

Nihonmachi Bowl

#japanese #japan #nihonmachi #kubotafinearts

[menswearmonday]

#nihonmachi #menswear https://www.instagram.com/p/By58laHJW89/?igshid=12pu3ptvtnb53

[rabbitcruiser]

Ice Cream For Breakfast Day 

Eating ice cream for breakfast is basically every little kid’s dream! Well, that and being able to have pizza for dinner every single night. But even for those who are no longer 8 years old, it is worth admitting that there’s certainly something fun and enticing about the idea of having a big ol’ bowl of ice cream first thing in the morning.

Since it takes three gallons of milk to make one gallon of ice cream, perhaps it’s simply like getting the kids to eat a bunch of milk in the morning (with a bit of sugar and other flavors as well)! So why not celebrate Ice Cream for Breakfast Day this year?

History of Ice Cream for Breakfast Day

Ice Cream for Breakfast Day was created in the 1960s by housewife Florence Rappaport from New York. The exact year of the day’s creation is unknown, but it is suspected that it could have been 1966, as an enormous blizzard had hit that year in the New York area–and this delightful little story hinges around cold and snowy weather.

The idea behind the day was simply that Florence’s 6 children were exceptionally bored one cold and snowy February morning. As a mom and social worker, she felt she needed to come up with something to entertain them so they wouldn’t get restless and cranky. As she herself explained years later, “It was cold and snowy and the kids were complaining that it was too cold to do anything. So I just said, ‘Let’s have ice cream for breakfast.’”

The following year, Florence’s six children, who had obviously enjoyed the new little holiday their mother had created, reminded her of it. So they celebrated again, and the day became a tradition in their family from then onward.

The day really caught on, too, as time went on. Thanks to Florence’s grandchildren, who have traveled extensively, the idea has been shared with others and the news has spread around the globe. Over the past 60 years, Ice Cream for Breakfast Day has grown to be celebrated in countries all over the world, from Germany to Nepal to as far as Namibia.

These worldwide celebrations range from small, family-style gatherings to large parties. Some of the celebrations have even been featured in the Chinese edition of Cosmopolitan magazine and local magazines or newspapers as well. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz has done at least two pieces on Ice Cream for Breakfast Day, once in Hebrew, and once in English. And the day continues to be a popular one among English speakers in Jerusalem.

Ice Cream For Breakfast Day Timeline

500BC First ice cream-like food is eaten

Some sources trace the origins of ice cream back to Ancient Persia in the area that is known in modern times as Iran. This is probably more like a flavored ice where juice is poured over snow.

1649 Man is beheaded over ice cream recipe

The chef of Charles I of England makes an oath to never reveal the secret recipe for ice cream. Later, when King Charles finds out that his chef shared the recipe for ice cream with the public, he swiftly has the chef beheaded.

1843 Hand crank ice cream maker is patented

Nancy Johnson, an American from New York, invents and patents a much less labor intensive way to make ice cream using a hand crank and portable freezer that would keep the concoction cold for about 30 minutes.

1960s First Ice Cream for Breakfast Day is celebrated

Florence Rappaport from New York is stuck at home with her 6 children on a cold and snowy day. With a group of cranky children, it seems like something exciting should be in order to keep the kids happy. So Florence simply declares that it should be a day to have ice cream for breakfast!

2020 Huge Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day celebration in Israel

The people of Jerusalem have a particular fondness for this celebration and it is garnering support and attention over recent years. In 2020, the Jerusalem Post newspaper reports an expected celebration of more than 100,000 participants.

How to Celebrate Ice Cream for Breakfast Day

The celebration of Ice Cream for Breakfast Day has some pretty obvious instructions right in the title–simply enjoy ice cream for the morning meal! However, those who are looking for some other, more creative ideas, try out some of these for inspiration:

Enjoy Ice Cream for Breakfast with the Family

Seeing as how Ice Cream for Breakfast Day is the perfect day to not only enjoy a breakfast of cold sweetness but also to spend time with your family, what could possibly create a better atmosphere than the whole family sitting around the table together, talking, joking around and having a tasty bowl of ice cream?

Make Ice Cream Sundaes for Breakfast

To make the morning even more fun, why not make some special ice cream sundaes? Buy some Neapolitan ice cream, some real whipped cream, maraschino cherries and chocolate sauce, and arrange everything decoratively in some nice bowls. It might even be nice to buy some decorative wafers to make the sundaes even prettier.

Try an Ice Cream Alternative for Breakfast

However, for those who feel ice cream is a bit too high in fat or sugar for their family, don’t worry! There are plenty of alternatives, such as frozen yogurt, that many people enjoy making themselves and garnishing with fresh fruit.

This option will provide a family with the protein little bodies need to grow, as well as the kind of “good bacteria” the human bodies need in order for the digestive system to function properly. These bacteria are so good for the body, in fact, that they are often called “probiotics”, a word that literally means “for life”.

Try Making Ice Cream at Home

Of course, if ice cream is going to be used to eat for breakfast, then this project will need to be accomplished a day or two in advance! It’s a fun project for the family to make ice cream, and the results can be absolutely delicious. Plus, it might be a bit healthier too, since the list of ingredients is simple and includes no preservatives or artificial ingredients.

Ice cream recipes can vary wildly, but some of the best are super simple. Usually the list of ingredients will include heavy cream, whole milk, sugar, salt and a choice of flavoring. This is a fun time to get creative with flavors, whether sweet or savory, fruity or filled with chocolate.

Learn Fun Facts About Ice Cream

While enjoying the delicious flavors of Ice Cream for Breakfast Day, try out these ideas for trivia and facts that can help inspire interesting conversation:

The world record for the largest ice cream cone ever made was achieved in 2015 in Norway with a cone over three meters high. While it usually takes a whole 50 licks to get through one normal scoop of ice cream, this one would obviously require a much greater effort!

Ice cream headaches or “brain freezes” are the result of the nerve endings in the roof of your mouth sending a message to your brain regarding the very quick loss of heat!

In the UK, an individual on an average consumes 7 liters of ice cream in one year. However, Finland is ahead of the UK where a person consumes 14 liters of ice cream every year on average. But the country with the highest per capita consumption of ice cream is New Zealand with a whopping 28 liters per person per year.

According to NASA, ice cream is one of the three foods astronauts miss the most when they go on space missions. This is, of course, no surprise as it’s certainly one of the best foods on earth. The other two foods most missed by astronauts are pizza and soda.

Test Out Unique Flavors of Ice Cream for Breakfast

Perhaps some folks might feel that the idea of ice cream for breakfast seems a bit boring because eating yummy ice cream is something they tend to do each and every day! In this case, there are still opportunities to make the day just a bit more special by trying out some unique and interesting flavors of this delightful and delicious treat.

Skip over the regular chocolate or vanilla and check out some of the more unusual flavors that are out there, including avocado, garlic, azuki bean, jalapeno, and pumpkin. Or, for those who still want to channel that breakfast feeling, why not try out a variety of cereals as toppings for a bowl of ice cream and see how they taste? Try out Froot Loops, Cocoa Pebbles, Cap’n Crunch, Lucky Charms or some other favorite version.

Whatever way is decided upon to celebrate Ice Cream for Breakfast Day, don’t forget to spend this morning just enjoying the little things in life and appreciating the occasional day to do things a little differently.

But isn’t this the wrong date!?

There are actually two holidays that are very similar in name but they were founded for very different reasons. Today is not to be confused with Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day which takes place on the 18th of February in honor of the bright soul that was Malia Grace who passed away fighting cancer. That day was set up to honor all the children who have or are battling childhood cancer.

Ice Cream For Breakfast Day FAQs

Who invented Ice Cream for Breakfast Day?

Florence Rappaport was a mom and social worker from New York. In an effort to entertain her six children on a cold day in February, she announced that it should be “Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast” day.

Is ice cream good for breakfast?

While it does tend to have high sugar content, ice cream may still be good for breakfast. One study shows that the cold temperatures may help to have an awakening effect on the brain.

Does ice cream have calcium?

Depending on the brand eaten and the ingredients it is made from, ice cream usually contains some calcium naturally and may also be fortified with additional calcium. But if it is home made directly from milk, it is likely to have more

Where was the largest Ice Cream for Breakfast Day Celebration?

While it hasn’t been officially recorded, the biggest Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day celebration so far took place in Jerusalem in 2020 where it was reported that more than 100,000 people would participate.

When is Ice Cream for Breakfast Day?

This day that was formed as a holiday back in 1966 is celebrated on the first Saturday of February. A similar day, called “National Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day” was started in 2013 and is celebrated on February 18.

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