Nisei Week
Aug. 10th, 2002 09:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kyburgWelcome back to the world of the 28.8 modem. Yup. I'm down to my old friend, the IBM Stinkpad. *pats fondly* Just you and me, kid.
Jim's at work. He started his shift at 5:30 this afternoon and will be getting off about 2:30AM, which means he will walk in the door about 3:30. I might still be up then - I got a two hour nap after we got home this afternoon, and I intend to get some shit done. So there.
Nisei Week. This is so totally American - for those of you unfamiliar with the term, "nisei" refers to one of Japanese ancestry - but the first generation born abroad in the United States.
They hold a festival to celebrate this event every year in Little Tokyo. Hi - you're Japanese. Hi - you're American. Ain't it great?!
Think Rose Parade with kimono, complete with Nisei Week Queen and Court. They had photos from the mid 30's. It's been around a long time.
And if you think we'd miss this one -- augh, we just about did, despite ourselves.
Jim and I both worked full shifts Friday - so he has to pull the night shift with only what sleep he got last night - grouchy? Oh hell yes.
We managed to get into Little Tokyo in time to see A Thousand Cranes close - so no Japanese breakfast - but Azalea (these are both in the New Otani) was so totally wonderful, who could complain?
We then hit the street fair and bought stuff left and right and left and right again...I love $10 t-shirts. I also scored some Kenshin capsule plushies, a copy of Chobits and oh-my-blushing-stars, the Asian HIV center was out in force handing out safe sex kits. We both took two. For unsuspecting friends. I think. And a stress-reducing "syphyllis bug" squishie. Each. Mine will go to my desk - and let them wonder. Right next to the bright orange lion.
This is the best time to get answers to any of your anime-inspired Japanese culture questions - they had a sword display that was just the bomb, they had a super sumi-e display and the bottom floor of the Cultural Center smelled just wonderful with all the flower arrangements inside.
Then you go up to the 5th floor. Tea Ceremony. Buy your tickets and get goodies.
I have to hook with this group, just to dress in kimono like they did. WONDERFUL. But Jim got his first "white filling" mochi - they served these lovely pink lima-bean paste filled mochi as part of the tea ceremony, and everyone got their own cup of cha-no-ya green tea.
It's intense. Frothy, very intensely flavored - I loved it. However, the caffeine and sugar rush kicked in almost immediately, and that meant find food. Now.
We gambled on a buffet. We lost. Horribly. It was disgusting - $15 and nothing fit to eat. I had some rice, almond jello and picked a chawan mushi apart - blech. Blech, blech, blech!!!
Hit Marukai and got Jim some char si bo to take to work. Drove home in 100+ temps - so hot, when I took an ice cold shower, the water was hot when I squeezed it out of my hair.
We're cranky - go fig.
It'll be on all this week - Click here for more on it.
Likely, we'll go back next Sunday when Jim's off.
And to top it off, the tea jar broke - and the necklace I got at the same Nisei Festival five years ago was eaten by the cat this afternoon. I'm making a list of things to do tomorrow morning while Jim's asleep. Restringing the necklace is one of them. Restringing the cat remains to be seen
Jim's at work. He started his shift at 5:30 this afternoon and will be getting off about 2:30AM, which means he will walk in the door about 3:30. I might still be up then - I got a two hour nap after we got home this afternoon, and I intend to get some shit done. So there.
Nisei Week. This is so totally American - for those of you unfamiliar with the term, "nisei" refers to one of Japanese ancestry - but the first generation born abroad in the United States.
They hold a festival to celebrate this event every year in Little Tokyo. Hi - you're Japanese. Hi - you're American. Ain't it great?!
Think Rose Parade with kimono, complete with Nisei Week Queen and Court. They had photos from the mid 30's. It's been around a long time.
And if you think we'd miss this one -- augh, we just about did, despite ourselves.
Jim and I both worked full shifts Friday - so he has to pull the night shift with only what sleep he got last night - grouchy? Oh hell yes.
We managed to get into Little Tokyo in time to see A Thousand Cranes close - so no Japanese breakfast - but Azalea (these are both in the New Otani) was so totally wonderful, who could complain?
We then hit the street fair and bought stuff left and right and left and right again...I love $10 t-shirts. I also scored some Kenshin capsule plushies, a copy of Chobits and oh-my-blushing-stars, the Asian HIV center was out in force handing out safe sex kits. We both took two. For unsuspecting friends. I think. And a stress-reducing "syphyllis bug" squishie. Each. Mine will go to my desk - and let them wonder. Right next to the bright orange lion.
This is the best time to get answers to any of your anime-inspired Japanese culture questions - they had a sword display that was just the bomb, they had a super sumi-e display and the bottom floor of the Cultural Center smelled just wonderful with all the flower arrangements inside.
Then you go up to the 5th floor. Tea Ceremony. Buy your tickets and get goodies.
I have to hook with this group, just to dress in kimono like they did. WONDERFUL. But Jim got his first "white filling" mochi - they served these lovely pink lima-bean paste filled mochi as part of the tea ceremony, and everyone got their own cup of cha-no-ya green tea.
It's intense. Frothy, very intensely flavored - I loved it. However, the caffeine and sugar rush kicked in almost immediately, and that meant find food. Now.
We gambled on a buffet. We lost. Horribly. It was disgusting - $15 and nothing fit to eat. I had some rice, almond jello and picked a chawan mushi apart - blech. Blech, blech, blech!!!
Hit Marukai and got Jim some char si bo to take to work. Drove home in 100+ temps - so hot, when I took an ice cold shower, the water was hot when I squeezed it out of my hair.
We're cranky - go fig.
It'll be on all this week - Click here for more on it.
Likely, we'll go back next Sunday when Jim's off.
And to top it off, the tea jar broke - and the necklace I got at the same Nisei Festival five years ago was eaten by the cat this afternoon. I'm making a list of things to do tomorrow morning while Jim's asleep. Restringing the necklace is one of them. Restringing the cat remains to be seen
