tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24294398.post114977645400885353..comments2009-07-11T02:09:27.298-07:00grhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06201891791568746231noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24294398.post-1150348698000291782006-06-14T22:18:00.000-07:002006-06-14T22:18:00.000-07:00Hi GR Guru:<BR/><BR/>Just passing thru and saw your comments about Sawtelle here and in the link to the Lounge.<BR/><BR/>For those of us who went to Sawtelle Gakuen and spent our allowance at Yamaguchi's, the area's transformation is bittersweet. On one hand it's great to see these older Nisei owners (or their heirs) realize the full value of their land which has sky-rocketted in recent years. I remember the geezer at OB Nursery telling me how JA's owned most of the properties up & down Olympic before the War, but most were forced to sell for pennies on the dollar when they were interned. I'm happy that the remaining families who struggled and managed to hang-on to their land can reap some of the benefits.<BR/><BR/>Nevertheless, it pains me to see the Japanese-American identity & imprint rapidly fading. You attribute it to a "lack of pride" among the younger generation, but I'm not so sure. I would call it more of a lack of Identity. I don't know any Sansei or Yonsei or Happa who's ashamed to be Japanese, but most teens and 20-sumthings don't really know what it means to be Japanese-American. Does it mean eating sushi? watching anime? folding origami? playing JA bball? or ricing your ride with stickers, flashy rims & a wing? Honestly, I don't even know. <BR/><BR/>What I'm sure of is that being JA is no longer about learning kanji or kendo or volunteering at the Nisei Week Carnival-- experiences of my youth that tied me to a distinct community. This begs the question: Is there really an under-20 JA youth scene left in LA (or the Bay area for that matter)?<BR/><BR/>At any rate, preservation of culture and identity in a racially-tolerant America is difficult without new immigrants or a strong community desire to stay separate and apart. China & Korea & all the SE Asian nations continue to send newcomers our way. Their communities will flourish until the tidal wave turns into a ripple. Jewish-Americans seem to be able to defend their heritage against the onslaught of acculturation to a large degree, but that's due to their emphasis on keeping their faith alive. It also helps that they've had a huge boost from Persian and Russian emigres in the past 30 years.<BR/><BR/>JA culture will probably go the way of the Irish & Germans in the Midwest, or Portugese here in Cali. There aren't any Little Dublins, Little Berlins or Little Lisbons dotting the highways. <BR/><BR/>You can't really fight it; all you can do is adapt. Whatever the reasons for the changing demographics in Sawtelle or Little Tokyo, I'm glad that GR sees the future and is embracing it with open arms.<BR/><BR/>peace out.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24294398.post-1149794512545783172006-06-08T12:21:00.000-07:002006-06-08T12:21:00.000-07:00Perhaps these places are dying out because Asians in general are acclimating better in America and America is more accommadating to Asians, therefore no longer needing places like Japantown or Chinatown. Plus Asian communities are moving and spreading across America. Take San Marino for instance, over 30% are Asian!The Phantom Presencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17677722574547294057noreply@blogger.com