FACTOID # 97: Got a parking ticket in Finland? Better just pay up - it is the least corrupt nation in the world.
 
 Home   Encyclopedia   Statistics   Countries A-Z   Flags   Maps   Education   Forum   FAQ   About 
 
WHAT'S NEW
RECENT ARTICLES
More Recent Articles »
 

FACTS & STATISTICS    Simple view

  1. Select countries to view: (hold down Control key and click to select several)

     

     

    Compare:

     

     

  1. Select fact or statistic: (* = graphable)

     

     

     

  2. (OPTIONAL) Compare to statistic: (both need to be graphable)

     

     

     

  3. View result as:

     

       
(OR) SEARCH ALL encyclopedia, stats & forums:   

Encyclopedia > Nisei Week

Nisei Week is a annual festival celebrating Japanese American culture and history in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. Nisei means 2nd generation in Japanese, describing the first American born Japanese. Nisei Week draws tens of thousands of participants each year, from both the Japanese community and Southern California area. Festivities are held over one month, though the main attractions are held during the primary week of the festival in mid-August. Serving from 1999 to 2003, Army General Eric Shinseki of Hawaii became the first Asian American military chief of staff. ... Japantown is a common name for Japanese-American or Japanese-Canadian communities in big cities. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... The Nisei Japanese (二世 pronounced Nee-say, lit. ...


The first festival was held August 13, 1934, founded by the JACL during the Great Depression. The festival has been running annually, except the years during and after Japanese internment. Nisei Week is currently run by the nonprofit Nisei Week Foundation. Nisei Week celebrated its 50th aniversary in 1990. [1][2] August 13 is the 225th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (226th in leap years), with 140 days remaining. ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Tcl/Java is a project to bridge Tcl and Java. ... The Great Depression was a worldwide economic downturn, starting in 1929 and lasting through most of the 1930s. ... Jerome Relocation Camp The Japanese American internment refers to the exclusion and subsequent removal of approximately 112,000 to 120,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans, officially described as persons of Japanese ancestry, 62% of whom were United States citizens, from the west coast of the United States during World War... This article is about the year. ...


Nisei Week's mascot is "Aki", an akita inu [3]. Aki was created by renowned mascot artist Dick Sakahara. The Akita or Akita Ken is a breed of large Japanese dog, named for Akita Prefecture, where it is thought to have originated. ...

Contents


Festivities

Nisei Week has many attractions and exihibitions, which change annually, though many traditions remain each year.


Nisei Week Parade

The Nisei Week Parade takes place on Sunday of Nisei Week, featuring highschool marching bands, ondo groups, martial art dojos, elected parade marshals (usually celebrities), Japanese and local politicians, a mikoshi shrine, floats, pagent queens, taiko players, etc. Spanning several hours, the Nisei Week Parade lasts longer than the Rose Parade due to its many participants and slow walk pace of traditional Japanese dancers. Ondo City is the largest city in Ondo state, Nigeria. ... This mikoshi enshrines Tokugawa Ieyasu at the Toshogu in Nikko A mikoshi (神輿、みこし) is a portable Shinto shrine that serves as the vehicle of a divine spirit in Japan at the time of a parade of deities. ... Taiko drummers in Aichi, Japan The word taiko (太鼓) means simply great drum in Japanese. ... There is also the Roses Tournament in England Perhaps one of the United States of Americas most important annual festivities, The Tournament of Roses Parade is the 114-year-old traditional parade generally held on New Years Day in Pasadena, California. ...


Go For Broke and U.S. 100th Infantry Battalion Exhibits

After WWII, exhibits were introduced about internment camps and Japanese American veterans, including those of the U.S. 100th Infantry Battalion. JA veterans march every year in the Nisei Week Parade. German soldiers at the Battle of Stalingrad World War II was the most extensive and costly armed conflict in the history of the world, involving the great majority of the worlds nations, being fought simultaneously in several major theatres, and costing tens of millions of lives. ... The 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry is the only infantry unit in the U.S. Army Reserve and combines the identities of two Second World War Japanese-American units, the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. ...


Nisei Week Car Show

The Car Show was introduced in 2004, and features import cars along with competitions for cash prizes [4]. The Car Show celebrates Japanese and Asian American influence and foundations in the import scene. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...


Nisei Week Queen and Court

The 2nd Nisei Week introduced the Nisei Week pagent and Nisei Week Coronation Ball [5], where nikkei females were awarded for their community service. New queens and princesses (part of a court marked by year) are inducted annually and featured prominently on float during the Nisei Week Parade.


Nisei Week Street Arts Fair

Originally similar to an matsuri or carnival, a street festival was held over the weekend, featuring games, crafts, and rides for children, along with food and arts vendors. Since 2000, the carnival has been replaced by Street Arts fair, which features Southern California crafts and food vendors.


Street Arts has always been open to the public, and an alternative to Tofu Festival's admission based system. The upcoming 2006 Nisei Week festival will feature a matsuri, held by the Japanese Student Network [6], further relieving the need for Street Arts to heavily cater to children.


Tofu Festival

Tofu Fest was added as a subcommittee to Nisei Week in 1996 [7], focusing on Japanese cuisine and obon like atmosphere [8]. As its name suggests, tofu is the primary ingredient of dishes and the cultural icon of the festival. Tofu Fest also features a large array of sake and beer [9], supplementing Little Tokyo's own beer gardens and Street Art's vendors. There are many views of what is fundamental to Japanese cuisine. ... YOSAKOI1(2004 August at Enomoto Primary School Osaka) Yosakoi2(2004 August at Enomoto Primary School Osaka) O-bon is a Japanese Buddhist holiday to honor the departed spirits of ones ancestors. ... Tofu, sometimes also called doufu (often in Chinese recipes) or bean curd (literal translation), is a food of Chinese origin, made by coagulating soy milk, and then pressing the resulting curds into blocks. ...


Due to Tofu Fest's wider cultural and material appeal, along larger funds to work with (Tofu Fest charges admission into its area), it has outgrown Nisei Week's Street Arts fair -- Tofu Fest's first fair had over 10,000 visitors [10]. Tofu Festival's Children's Pavailion has also replaced many of the children's activities no longer available at Street Arts.


Nikkei Games

The Nikkei Games offers competition and activities for Japanese American sports leagues, and open events such as running for children. It also features martial art competitions and exhibitions. [11]


External links

See also



 

COMMENTARY     


Share your thoughts, questions and commentary here
Your name
Your comments
Please enter the 5-letter protection code

Want to know more?
Search encyclopedia, statistics and forums:

 


Lesson Plans | Student Area | Student FAQ | Reviews | Press Releases |  Feeds | Contact
The Wikipedia article included on this page is licensed under the GFDL.
Images may be subject to relevant owners' copyright.
All other elements are (c) copyright NationMaster.com 2003-5. All Rights Reserved.
Usage implies agreement with terms.