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Nisei Week in Little Tokyo

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Japanese Tea Ceremony

This morning, Martine and I took the E-Train downtown to Little Tokyo. It was the beginning of Nisei Week, and there were some interesting events and exhibits to experience.

We had not attended Nisei Week since before the Covid-19 lockdown, so we were surprised by the smaller crowds and the obvious cutbacks. There were no events in the large Japanese American Cultural and Community Center (JACCC) courtyard. Some dozen years or so ago, I remember fondly seeing a program of five films starring Raizo Ichikawa at the center’s Aratani Theatre. This year, there were no film programs, no musical programs.

On the plus side, there was a fascinating Japanese tea ceremony. Martine did not know what she was missing when she decided not to attend. The forty-five minute program included a re-enactment of the tea ceremony in a little wooden tea house on the ground floor of the JACCC. There is something about the ritual and multiple exchange of bows that is somehow close to the very soul of the Japanese. And, at the end of the ceremony, we were given some excellent matcha tea and a Japanese sweet.

On the ground floor of the center, we saw a beautiful flower arrangement exhibit. I could kick myself for forgetting to bring my camera, because some of the arrangements were highly artistic; and there was even enough light in the room to make good pictures without flash.

On the fifth floor, we also saw an exhibit of Japanese dolls (not my cup of tea) and ceramics.

After the JACCC events, we trudged to Weller Court and had a so-so Chinese meal until such time as the karate event at the Terasaki Budokan gymnasium on Los Angeles Street was to start. Most of the event was like watching people do calisthenics, except for the team match-ups where there was something that looked like real fighting. There were teams from Japan, the United States, France, and Canada—and that was the order in which they finished.

Some of the Japanese participants were really fierce and fun to watch.

Will we go again next year? Probably not, but we’ll check first to see what they’ll have to offer.

Carry-Ons

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Daily writing prompt
What is the most important thing to carry with you all the time?
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Because of my medical history (diabetes, no pituitary gland), the most important thing to carry with me all the time are my medications, especially my insulin and hydrocortisone. Next in importance: reading glasses, pen, wallet, and keys. I guess I should be happy I don’t also have to lug around an anvil, though it feels like it some of the time.

Habitual

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Daily writing prompt
Describe one habit that brings you joy.
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Nothing brings me joy more than travel. Unfortunately, I don’t have the cash tom do as much traveling as I want. So, the next best thing is breakfast. Early on in my life, I was not a big breakfast eater. After my brain surgery in 1966, however, I was prescribed medicines that made it mandatory to eat three meals a day—including breakfast. I love drinking a cup of hot tea with honey and fresh lime, accompanied by one of ten rotating breakfast dishes.

While eating breakfast, I perform the KenKen and Sudoku puzzles in the Los Angeles Times, followed by a reading of the funnies, where one finds more truth than in any other part of the newspaper.

My Looks

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Daily writing prompt
How would you describe yourself to someone who can’t see you?
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Imagine a combination of Robert Redford and Brad Pitt. Throw in Paul Newman’s blue eyes. (He was from Cleveland like me.) Think of an exciting life of race-car driving and climbing the Southern Andes. That, in a word, is not me. I am too ordinary for words.