(2019) TRT: 56 min. From the iconic typeface of “The Godfather” book cover to Herman Miller’s Noguchi table, the influence of Japanese American artists and designers in postwar American art and design is unparalleled. While this second generation of Japanese American artists have been celebrated in various publications and exhibitions with their iconic work, less-discussed is how the World War II incarceration — a period of intense discrimination and hardship — has also had a powerful effect on the lives of artists such as Ruth Asawa, George Nakashima, Isamu Noguchi, S. Neil Fujita and Gyo Obata.
(2019) TRT: 9 min. Cal Tajima has been a Chicago Cubs baseball fan since he was a boy. At 92 years old, he’s going to see them play in the World Series. Discover how his love for the Cubs is related to his time as a WWII veteran.
(2015) TRT: 5 Min. Had the pleasure of making this video for The Budokan of Los Angeles in Little Tokyo. I made a similar video for the campaign 9 years ago as this gym is something that the community has been organizing around for over 20 years. Please support this epic community effort!
(2006) TRT: 11 Min. Breakfast at Tak’s is a small project I did on one of my favorite places to eat in LA. As a Japanese American growing up on the westside, one of my favorite childhood memories is ordering fried rice at the Holiday Bowl and wondering how they get the rice in a perfect mound. While the Holiday Bowl has been long gone it’s legacy still lives on at Tak’s Coffee Shop!
(2005) TRT: 4 Min. A true community documentarian, Eddie Oshiro was the hardest working photographer in Little Tokyo that you never heard of. Visual Communications has recently launched a project to archive and digitize Eddie’s massive photo collection. This video was shot by Sheri Kamimura and produced by the Downtown Community Media Center.
(2005) TRT: 5 Min. This video was made in 2005 to help promote and raise funds for the Little Tokyo Rec. Center campaign. The project has made a lot of progress since then and has been renamed Budokan of Los Angeles. Please visit their website to find out more: http://reccenter.ltsc.org
(2003) TRT: 11 Min. This is something I did a while back… On a rain-drenched March 15, 2003, Asian Pacific Americans in Los Angeles joined millions worldwide to protest the invasion of Iraq. This lyrical video shows the often overlooked Asian American contingent in the anti-war movement.
(2011) TRT: 2 Min. LOS ANGELES—The Japanese American Cultural and Community Center (JACCC) in Little Tokyo held a hope and memorial service on Thursday, March 17, 2011, for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan.
(2010) TRT: 6 Min. This is a video I made for the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center to celebrate their 30th anniversary. For the past 30 years the JACCC has been one of the largest ethnic arts and cultural centers of its kind in the United States.
