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Gil Asakawa

Being Japanese American: A JA Sourcebook for Nikkei, Hapa . . . & Their Friends Paperback – August 18, 2015

by Gil Asakawa (Author)

8 ratings

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This entertaining compendium is a celebration of Japanese American history and heritage. While detailing favorite foods, customs, words, games, and holidays, it explores the painful history of immigration and WWII internment, with suggestions for connecting to your Japanese American community and passing on traditions across generations and into intermarried families. This revised edition has fresh interviews with Japanese Americans about their life experiences and explores contemporary Japanese pop culture like anime and J-pop, with information on traveling to visit your Japanese roots and lists of resources on the Web and social media.

Gil Asakawa lives in Denver, Colorado, and is a nationally known journalist, editor, author, speaker, and blogger focusing on Japanese and Asian American issues.

Print length

176 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Stone Bridge Press
Publication date

August 18, 2015
Dimensions

7.4 x 0.6 x 9.1 inches
ISBN-10

1611720222
ISBN-13

978-1611720228
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Being Japanese American is a superb guide to avoiding breaches of tact around Japanese friends, family, or visitors, regardless of one's own ethnic heritage or background, and is also chock-full of helpful ways to embrace, preserve, and treasure one's cultural identity." ― Midwest Book Review

"Offers a great opportunity for JAs to process their feelings and experiences in relationship to other JAs who, through their stories and photos, share empathy and understanding." ― Asian Reporter

"Teens who want to know a little more about contemporary Japanese American culture beyond all the history books about the World War II internment experience will find great information here…" ― Voice of Youth Advocates, April 2005 Issue

"A must-read book that will delight you with its humor and amuse you with its insights; for non-Asian, a must-read book if you’re curious about what makes Japanese Americans tick." ― John Tateishi, National Executive Director, Japanese American Citizens League

"Part history, part photo album, part cultural document, part memoir, part language lesson, even part cookbook, Being Japanese American is an entertaining primer on many aspects of the Japanese American experience." ― BookDragon

"A lighthearted view into the unique lingo, idiosyncrasies and nuances of Japanese American life." ― DiscoverNikkei.org

"Being Japanese American is a superb guide to avoiding breaches of tact around Japanese friends, family, or visitors, regardless of one's own ethnic heritage or background, and is also chock-full of helpful ways to embrace, preserve, and treasure one's cultural identity." — Midwest Book Review

"Offers a great opportunity for JAs to process their feelings and experiences in relationship to other JAs who, through their stories and photos, share empathy and understanding." — Asian Reporter

"Teens who want to know a little more about contemporary Japanese American culture beyond all the history books about the World War II internment experience will find great information here…" — Voice of Youth Advocates, April 2005 Issue

"A must-read book that will delight you with its humor and amuse you with its insights; for non-Asian, a must-read book if you’re curious about what makes Japanese Americans tick." — John Tateishi, National Executive Director, Japanese American Citizens League

"Part history, part photo album, part cultural document, part memoir, part language lesson, even part cookbook, Being Japanese American is an entertaining primer on many aspects of the Japanese American experience." — BookDragon

"A lighthearted view into the unique lingo, idiosyncrasies and nuances of Japanese American life." — DiscoverNikkei.org

About the Author

Gil Asakawa a is a journalist, editor, author, speaker and blogger who covers Asian American, Japanese American and Japanese culture in blogs and social media. He writes regular columns for and is a member of the Editorial Board for the Pacific Citizen, the national newspaper of the Japanese American Citizens League, and his columns are also published in the Nikkei Voice, the national newspaper of Japanese Canadians

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Stone Bridge Press; Second edition (August 18, 2015)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 176 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1611720222
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1611720228
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.5 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.4 x 0.6 x 9.1 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,699,646 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #961 in Asian American Studies (Books)

Customer Reviews:
8 ratings

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4 star		24%
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Top reviews from the United States

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MozoMoto

We are alike but O so different!

Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2019

Verified Purchase

There were so many things we can all identify with that make us feel like a cultural family, but more amazingly the diversity in personal experience, especially with post WWII sansei, yonsei, and shin-nisei emphasize the really diverse people we have become. Hopefully we will not loose the ethos, and diligence of our cultural heritage which define us.

Helpful

D in NJ

Memoir, tour and guide for Japanese Americans, their friends and everyone else.

Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2016

Verified Purchase

Full disclosure: I'm biased. Gill is one of my closest friends and had been for a long time now, and I've long ben a big fan of Gil's writing. When we meet he was still "a banana" (the start of t the book explains that phrase), and I've had the pleasure off being along for parts of the journey as he started to connect with his heritage. If you're a JA, you'll probably find some of your story in those of Gil and all the people quoted. If you're not, you'll find a ton of stories, history, humor and lots and lots of food. You may find yourself wanting to visit Japan, which I definitely recommend (it's an amazing place). Look for that affordable photo of a young Gil dressed as a cowboy!

Helpful

Michiko Yoshimura

Four Stars

Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2016

Verified Purchase

I'm Japanese American so this has special meaning for me.

Helpful

Amazon Customer

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2015

Verified Purchase

No problems. Delivered on time.

Helpful

Helene Kwong

Easy, insightful read about Japanese-American culture

Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2016

Gil's book was very easy to read: organized like a history book on Japanese Americans (JAs), I enjoyed reading about how JAs have maintained some of their Japanese heritage while weaving that in with growing up in America (or Canada).

Reading the book gave me a greater appreciation of my own Chinese American upbringing. I liked the various Japanese words/phrases sprinkled throughout the book along with the insights from various JAs/JCs about how their experience was growing up in North America. I also learned a lot more about the internment of JAs during WWII, which was sad to read about but gave me a greater understanding of that time period since I only remember learning a small bit of that part of American history growing up. May we never repeat this kind of treatment of fellow Americans again.

A recommended read for those who are interested in learning about JAs.

Helpful

Amazon Customer

JA Contribution to American Culture

Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2015

This book is delightful and thoroughly researched in all aspects of being Japanese American. It reminds us how much JA culture has contributed to our lives—foods such as sushi and ramen, Godzilla and samurai movies, and the inspiring resilience of a people who continues to thrive despite a period of unjust internment. It also shows that assimilation is best achieved, not by burying our identity, but by bringing our specialties to the table and enriching the cultural feast for everyone.

6 people found this helpful

Helpful

David

Insightful read and full of wit, interesting anecdotes, ...

Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2016

Insightful read and full of wit, interesting anecdotes, and real-life sharing of being a Japanese-American. Gil is a tireless supporter and promoter of all things Asian, particularly Japanese and has been recognized by the Japanese government for his efforts. An important contribution to maintaining awareness of the virtues of being Japanese in America.

Helpful

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