Asian American, Pacific Islander comics are the main event in an LA comedy and cuisine festival
'It's like we grew up kind of shying away and hiding our Asian-ness,' said Viv Wang, a volunteer festival producer with Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment, or CAPE, who helped conceive the idea for the event. 'It just made a lot of sense to have comedy and food — these two ways that people can connect and just celebrate being Asian and having a place to feel cool to be Asian.'
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Japan Forward
4 days ago
- Japan Forward
Ichiro Suzuki Inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame
Ichiro Suzuki was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday, July 27, a milestone that puts his trailblazing career in its proper perspective. The Aichi Prefecture native is now a baseball immortal and the first Asian to be enshrined at the revered institution in Cooperstown, New York. Ichiro, joined in the 2025 Hall of Fame induction class by pitchers CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner and the late sluggers Dick Allen and Dave Parker, put his unique personal touch on his speech during the ceremony. A crowd estimated at 30,000, including 52 returning Hall of Famers, attended the event. Reluctant to speak English in public over the years (opting to use an interpreter in his interactions with the press), Ichiro embraced the challenge of giving his induction ceremony speech in English. Ichiro Suzuki gives his induction ceremony speech at the National Baseball Hall of Fame on July 27. (KYODO) This resonated with the global baseball community. Seattle Sports, an ESPN Radio affiliate, summed up Ichiro's nearly 20-minute appearance in front of the microphone on X (formerly Twitter): "Ichiro's heartfelt Hall of Fame induction speech had it all ― sage wisdom, deep gratitude, and yes, his witty sense of humor." The fan favorite opened his speech by saying, "Today, I am feeling something I thought I would never know again. For the third time, I am a rookie. First, in 1992, after the Orix BlueWave drafted me out of high school. Then, in 2001, I became a rookie again at 27 when the Seattle Mariners signed me. "As I look over here now, and see men like [Hall of Fame inductees] Rod Carew, George Brett and Tony La Russa, I realized I'm a rookie again." Laughter and smiles from the audience punctuated Ichiro's speech. "Thank you for welcoming me so warmly into your great team," he continued. Ichiro Suzuki was a 10-time MLB All-Star. (KYODO, KYODO, SANKEI) A Long List of Baseball Accomplishments On Ichiro's Hall of Fame plaque, the inscription includes the following: "With extraordinary work ethic and unparalleled bat control, brought record-setting hit totals to Major League Baseball as its first Japanese-born position player. Electrified 2001 Mariners to record 116-win campaign…" In the years that followed, his incredible batting skills, including 10 consecutive 200-hit seasons, brilliance on the basepaths and excellence as an outfielder were the stuff of legends. Ichiro Suzuki (KYODO) What's more, best-selling author Robert Whiting observed in 2024, Ichiro had "the best work ethic in MLB history." His all-time record of 4,367 combined hits in NPB and MLB, 10 MLB All-Star selections, 509 MLB stolen bases, 10 Gold Glove awards, two AL batting titles, and the 2001 AL MVP and Rookie of the Year awards were a testament to his talent and determination. He also set the single-season hit record (262) in 2004. Curiously enough, all of the above didn't persuade one Baseball Writers' Association of America voter to include Ichiro on their 2025 Hall of Fame ballot. Ichiro was a near unanimous selection, receiving 99.7% of the vote (393 of 394) in his first year as an eligible Hall of Fame candidate. Laughter and Memories With a deep love of baseball and its rich history, Ichiro Suzuki traveled to Cooperstown, New York, seven times during his MLB career to visit the Hall of Fame, which opened in 1936. Visiting Cooperstown for the first time in 2001, he enjoyed looking at historic artifacts and items on display inside the building. Now, as an inductee, Ichiro says he has a duty to honor the game. "I hope I can uphold the values of the Hall of Fame, but please, I am 51 years old now, so easy on the hazing," he joked. He then said, "I don't need to wear a Hooters uniform again." Ichiro also summed up his lifelong ambition in his speech: "My goal was always clear: to play professionally at the highest level." The new Hall of Famer remarked that "people often measure me by my records" before mentioning some of his most famous feats. Then he quipped, "Not bad, huh?" This drew laughter from the crowd ― and a few shouts of arigatou (thank you). Ichiro Suzuki is introduced before he gives his induction ceremony speech. (KYODO) How Baseball Impacted Ichiro's Life Ichiro offered his insights on the impact of baseball on his life. "Baseball is so much more than hitting, throwing and running," he said, before adding, "baseball taught me to make valued decisions about what is important." And he spoke about dedicating himself fully to baseball in order to be able to keep playing until age 45. Indeed, the Japanese legend took his job seriously. "When fans use their precious time to come watch you play, you have a responsibility to perform for them," Ichiro said in his Sunday speech. "Whether we are winning by 10 [runs] or losing by 10, I felt my duty was to be motivated the same from Opening Day through game 162." About one-third of the way through his speech, Ichiro took a humorous dig at the BBWAA writer who ensured that he would not be a unanimous Hall of Fame selection in 2025. "Three-thousands hits or 262 in one season are achievements recognized by the writers ― well, all but one of you," Ichiro stated. The crowd reacted with "ooh!" and a mix of laughter, too. As a baseball player, the recurring sense of duty that Ichiro highlighted in his speech was a reminder of his love for the game. "By taking responsibility for yourself, you support your teammates and you don't cheat the fans," he said, describing the essence of his approach as a player. Ichiro Suzuki made his first visit to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001, when he was an MLB rookie. (KYODO) The Difference Between Dreams and Goals In a vivid recollection from his childhood, Ichiro told the audience that he wrote an essay when he was an elementary school student. The essay was about his dream of becoming a professional baseball player. Looking back, he said, with the wisdom he gained over the years, he admitted he would now swap "dream" for "goal" in the essay. But why? "Dreams are not always realistic," Ichiro opined, "but goals can be possible if you think deeply about how to reach them." Waxing philosophically, he added: "In order to make your dream your goal, you must be honest in thinking about what is important to achieve it." Hideo Nomo (KYODO) The Influence of Hideo Nomo People that inspire others can also influence us to accomplish things. For example, when star pitcher Hideo Nomo left NPB's Kintetsu Buffaloes and signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in February 1995, it was notable for Ichiro and Japan as a whole. Nomo was, after all, the first Japanese MLB player in 30 years. (Masanori Murakami pitched for the San Francisco Giants in 1964-65.) "His success inspired many, including me," Ichiro shared. "Thanks to him, MLB was always in the news in Japan, and MLB games were broadcast on TV because of Hideo Nomo's courage." This inspired Ichiro to pursue playing in the major leagues. And he personally thanked Nomo in Japanese during his speech. Numerous thank-you comments followed for the Orix BlueWave, the Seattle Mariners, the New York Yankees and the Miami Marlins, the four teams he played for during his career. "Thank you for giving me the chance to reach 3,000 hits as a Marlin and with those teammates," Ichiro said with gratitude. Ichiro Suzuki's wife Yumiko (center) claps during his speech at the Baseball Hall of Fame. (KYODO) Near the end of his speech, Ichiro thanked his agents, the late Tony Attanasio and John Boggs, his longtime interpreter, Allen Turner, and his wife, Yumiko, for their unwavering support. "It would only be natural if she (Yumiko) had doubts, too," Ichiro pointed out, referring to skepticism about whether he would succeed as an MLB player. "But she never made me feel them. All of her energy was focused on supporting and encouraging me. "For 19 seasons in Seattle, New York and Miami, she made sure that our home was always happy and positive. I tried to be consistent as a player, but she's the most consistent teammate I ever had." Post-Speech Insights In a press conference held after his Hall of Fame induction ceremony speech, Ichiro Suzuki was asked why he decided to give his speech in English instead of Japanese. "Of course it's going to be better to speak in Japanese to get what I am trying to say across," Ichiro said through his interpreter. "But this is America, and being able to speak English, the fans would understand the most and be able to understand and feel how I was feeling. So there was no deciding factor. I always knew that I was going to do it in English." Several of the reporters' questions in Cooperstown in the post-induction press gathering cited Ichiro's humor-laced speech and he acknowledged that there are differences in telling jokes in Japanese and English. But he noted, for example, that he enjoys humor during dinner conversations with American friends. RELATED: Author: Ed Odeven Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
Winnipeg Free Press
21-07-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Book Review: Grief is profound, painful and personal in this debut novel from J.B. Hwang
'Mendell Station' is Korean American writer J.B. Hwang's first novel. And it is all about death — its horror, finality and mystery, and, most of all, how those who knew and loved that person must cope. Miriam, the main character, who is a Korean American postal worker living in San Francisco, learns that her best friend, Esther, was found dead, having fallen two stories onto the train tracks at Van Ness station. The mystery of how Esther died is never solved in the book, although we learn she had been intoxicated and wobbly on her feet when last seen at a bar. The narrative focuses more on Miriam's initial confusion and the painful emotional attempt at mourning and eventual acceptance. 'The love I had for Esther distended and became a fluid that filled my skull… My skeleton felt ripped out of my body, and I crumpled to the floor. The sound of many waters, weighted clouds in the sky, thin black grooves between the wooden floorboards teeming with darkness.' Like many great novels, the specifics are clear — the Asian American experience, which is quite different from the white or Black American experience, in many ways, or the details of working at the post office, the menial, never-ending repetition — as fitting the expression 'going postal' — but also the gentle kindness of the regular folks who are her co-workers. The universal human story of losing a loved one comes alive amid the backdrop of these specifics, like many great novels. It is very moving. The experience, happening amid the confusion that came in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, is so unsettling Miriam's faith in God is shattered. She starts writing letters to Esther that never get delivered to cope with her grief. 'Esther, I wondered why I didn't want to kill myself after you died, when I couldn't stop thinking about it after my father's death. Would I be recognizable to you now, without my faith, without you? I don't like who I am without you,' goes one of her letters. This is a book that speaks to women, especially Asian American women, and those who have just lost a loved one. And this writer happens to fit all those categories. Still, it's a good book for anyone. Hwang is comfortable switching from a language that is a myopic closeup in its descriptiveness to free-wheeling poetic grandeur on the same page, entering the mind and soul of the woman who is our heroine. It matters more than ever that she is an Asian American in a storytelling universe dominated by white people. Yet it matters not at all. Hwang's writing often doesn't bother with stage-setting, or scene or character descriptions. Readers feel as though they have simply slipped into Miriam's skin. We know through our own skin and bones, rather than read and learn, the sad memories of our upbringing, the routine drudgery of work, the loneliness and the joy of finding a friend, and the unbearable grief of losing one. The effect is mesmerizing, and strangely comforting. We affirm through the journey that Hwang takes us on that lesson we knew all along: We must live. Those who have gone want that and expect that of us. ___ AP book reviews:
Vancouver Sun
16-07-2025
- Vancouver Sun
360 Riot Walk reclaims forgotten Vancouver history at Eastside Arts Festival
When: July 18-27 Where: Various Eastside Arts District (EAD) studios, breweries, and performance venues, plus an all-day outdoor musical event at MacLean Park. Tickets and info: When Vancouver artist Henry Tsang first learned about the city's 1907 anti-Asian riot, he was in his 20s — and stunned. 'I grew up here,' he says, 'and had no idea this happened. It wasn't in school. No one talked about it.' That sense of disbelief eventually sparked what would become the 360 Riot Walk: a self-guided, 360-degree video walking tour that brings one of Vancouver's buried stories back into public view. This summer, the Eastside Arts Festival invites audiences to step into that history — and see the city in a new light. Get top headlines and gossip from the world of celebrity and entertainment. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sun Spots will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'There's more appetite now for these conversations,' says Tsang. 'And the Riot Walk helps ground them in place.' Now in its fifth year, the Eastside Arts Festival (formerly CREATE!), brings this project to the forefront with three guided sessions of the 360 Riot Walk, running July 19, 20 and 24, alongside a full slate of multidisciplinary arts programming. Produced by the Eastside Arts Society, the festival features more than two weeks of live performances, hands-on workshops, outdoor markets and neighbourhood walking tours designed to engage audiences across generations. The 360 Riot Walk traces the route of the 1907 riot, which began as a parade organized by the Vancouver chapter of the Asiatic Exclusion League and escalated into mob violence through Chinatown and the Powell Street area. Just three days earlier, a similar riot had taken place in Bellingham, Wash., where a mob attacked and drove out a group of Punjabi mill workers. 'The ones who could still walk, some of them ended up in Vancouver in time to watch another riot — this one against the Chinese and the Japanese,' says Tsang. The tour begins in Gastown's Maple Tree Square, then proceeds down Carroll Street and along Hastings, stopping near the Carnegie Centre (formerly City Hall). Participants use a tablet or smartphone to access 360-degree video content at each site, with historical images overlaid on modern-day views. As they turn their bodies, the screen shifts with them, offering an immersive experience that merges past and present. 'It's not just about what happened then — it's about how that history continues to shape our city and who feels welcome in it,' says Tsang, who developed the project in partnership with the Powell Street Festival Society. While the 360 Riot Walk is available year-round as a self-guided experience via , the Eastside Arts Festival includes guided group tours followed by post-walk discussions, often led by Tsang himself. These walking tours are just one element of an expanded festival. This year's edition features the most artmaking workshops in its history — including first-time offerings like eco-printing with indigo artist Naomi Yamamoto, goldwork embroidery with textile artist Candice Weber, and felted Mason jar cozies with felting expert Chantal Cardinal. Workshops are held at artist studios and breweries across east Vancouver and are priced at $35. The festival is also teaming up with the Rickshaw Theatre for a ticketed live show on July 25 featuring local indie acts Young Friend, Babe Corner and Kylie V. Other live events include The Dance Deck with Belle Spirale Dance Projects and the Big Print Powell Street/Paueru Gai carving demonstration on July 24. A free, all-day outdoor celebration takes over MacLean Park on July 26, with live music, hands-on art activities, food trucks and a beer garden hosted by Strange Fellows Brewing. Musical guests include Janky Bungag, Twin River, the ReViberators and Madelyn Read. A second day of free music follows on July 27, courtesy of the MacLean Park Music Series. Festivalgoers can also sample the wares of some of the neighbourhood's craft breweries through the new Eastside Beer Passport. For $35, participants can enjoy pints at four to eight local sudsmakers, including East Van Brewing, Luppolo, Off the Rail, Parallel 49, Storm, Superflux, Strathcona, and Strange Fellows. Proceeds go toward Eastside Arts Society programming.
