Movie Monday: "Cats of Mirikitani," a film by Linda Hattendorf, 2006.

I saw this documentary several years ago and then rediscovered it again this last weekend. The messages of this film, for me, stand as an important reminder not only of significant events in American history, but also as a mirror for our preconceived notions on the stories of the countless homeless.

The film takes place mainly in Manhattan over the course of a couple years, beginning in late 2001. Tsutomu Mirikitani lives along a wall near a Korean Market on McDougal and Prince Street, creating artwork each and everyday. His mobile studio includes pens, crayons, chalk and paints, and his canvases include cardboard and scrap paper. With the events of September 11, 2001 breaking around him, he continues doing what he does best, creating memories through artwork. Shortly after 9/11, Ms. Hattendorf invites Mirikitani to stay with her for a period of time, to avoid the choking dust and debris still permeating the air around the World Trade Center site.

Over the course of the film, Hattendorf uncovers more and more details of Mirikitani’s life, including his birth in Sacramento, California and experience growing up in Hiroshima City, Japan. He returns to the US shortly after the opening of World War II. In his early twenties, and as a lawful US citizen, Mirikitani entered Tule Lake Internment Center in Northern California, where he signs a government document revoking his US citizenship. The film follows not only the story of his relationship with his new friend and documentarian Ms. Hattendorf, but also unveils some of his backstory that led to living on the streets in NYC.

The important messages of this film not only center on the plight of the mobile homeless, which continues to be an issue for social services nationwide, but also a reminder of the dark times in US history and of justice deferred. Far too easy to dismiss the internment of Japanese American citizens during WWII as history and not applicable today, one need only review the rhetoric of political demagogues against our Muslim citizens to realize such events could repeat themselves. Mirikitani expresses his anger and lingering, seething disgust at the events of World War II, and memorializes his experience in the internment camps through his artwork. He neither asks for nor wants anything from the US government, even as Ms. Hattendorf and her team work tirelessly to recover Mirikitani’s citizenship information and secure more public assistance for him in his advanced years.

The latter part of the film is lovely, as Mirikitani and Hattendorf slowly bring his story into the present moment, and realize that he is not alone in this world. Over time, family members are found and Mirikitani sees opportunity to work past what happened, and truly begin to see his life in the present moment.

Nancy Wong via WIkimedia Commons

"Janice Mirikitani in front of the International Hotel in San Francisco, January 1977"

The film is not always easy to watch, particularly at moments when Mirikitani’s cantankerous attitude aims at the filmmaker. I sometimes felt like Mirikitani didn't appreciate some of the kindnesses the filmmaker expressed, but after realizing his long history of being outside normal social channels, I feel more kindness towards his perspectives. Even though he sometimes criticizes the filmmaker’s decisions, once reprimanding her when she goes out to a movie and comes back to her apartment far later than expected, he does so because of worry and care for the young woman. Other moments legitimately made me tear up a little, particularly when the film explores recollections of the camp experience and of lives lost.

I encourage everyone to check out this film when given the chance. It is rather short and moves along at a good pace. It successfully introduces audiences to one story that helps humanize the events against Japanese American citizens during WWII that may only be known through textbooks. It also humanizes the ongoing social issues surrounding homelessness and our own personal notions of just who the homeless are.

Purchase "The Cats of Mirikitani" via Amazon

Movie Monday: "Grave of the Fireflies," a film by Isao Takahata, 1988

By Pkisme (Template:Pkisme) via Wikimedia Commons

"Grave of the Fireflies," a film by Isao Takahata, 1988.

A little late, but this review is dedicated in remembrance of December 7th, the 74th Anniversary of the Imperial Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. I chanced upon this Studio Ghibli gem in 2005 while studying abroad in Tokyo, Japan. I had had a rough day, and wanted a film to ease my uneasiness. This was definitely NOT a feel-good film, and I should have watched director Isao Takahata's other work, My Neighbors the Yamadas. Having said that, I do not regret the chance viewing. This film depicts the struggle of the everyday people to survive during war. The story revolves around a brother and sister in World War II Kobe, during the American firebombing campaigns. While not originally intended as an anti-war film, in North America the graphic nature and drama of this film inspired this kind of take-away message.

In my opinion, this is probably Studio Ghibli's most serious and painful film. Based on Akiyuki Nosaka's semi-autobiographical story of the same name, Hotaru no Haka or "Grave of the Fireflies" showcases the quality we've come to expect from Studio Ghibli. The voice acting, as viewed in Japanese, captures the innocence of childhood under extreme stress. I feel like it captures a realism that is almost unavailable with real actors, although the sheer weightiness and tragedy of the narrative reminds me of Osama, Siddiq Barmak's 2003 film about post-Taliban Afghanistan. The art style is classic Studio Ghibli, and fans will recognize the hues and color coordination of Michiyo Yasuda, although innovative use of color made this film remarkable for its softer palette, given the plot.

Reminiscent of Sir Richard Attenborough's 1982 Ghandi, audiences are immediately given the fate of the main characters. This does not detract from the film, but sets the stage for the unfolding narrative. Ninth-grader Seita narrates his sister Setsuko and his fate just after the unconditional surrender of Japan to the Allies during World War II. He is dressed in a nice school uniform as his sister recovers a Sakuma Drops tin, tossed by a janitor into a garbage field near Sannomiya Station. The film then moves back in time, as Seita and Setsuko rush to secure a few belongings before heading to the bomb shelter with their ill mother.

I believe the significance of this film is not who was to blame for the war. In my viewing, I see the often silent tragedy of warfare is the real human cost to the civilians caught in a conflict. We see this now with the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, just as the Japanese Americans confinement after Pearl Harbor, to the enslavement and torture of East Asian and Southeast Asian guerrilla fighters and civilians to fuel the Japanese war machine in World War II. While it is clear the Allies are bombing Kobe, there is no American person shown in the film. Instead, in true Studio Ghibli style, the film focuses on the challenges of two children, trying to survive in wartime. Among many themes, we as viewers are introduced to the selfishness of family and neighbors during times of scarcity. We see the real cost of war is not only on the battlefield, although a terrible venue, but in the homes and minds of the people whose military and politicians are competing for world domination. Further, I feel this kind of film illustrates the important difference between civilians of an enemy nation and an enemy combatant. A distinction often ignored in many popular conceptions of wartime history.

This is not a film to watch casually while doing household chores. Frankly, I have a hard time actually recommending this film for entertainment, but it is necessary that any student of history, patriot, politician and educator see it. A truly educational, informative and heartbreaking look into the realities of war. In the United States, the anti-war message is a strong current, however the original Japanese version, and vision from Isao Takahata's direction, had a message of what can happen when hopelessness overcomes the will to survive, and the failure of family and the failure to survive in the face of hardship. Either way, this film commands an hour and a half of the viewer's undivided attention. Your eyes will be opened, if a little moist.

Purchase "Grave of the Fireflies" on Amazon.

Movie Monday: "Picture Bride," a film by Kayo Hatta

Wikimedia Collection

Hatta, Kayo. "Picture Bride," starring Kido Yuki, Takayama Akira, and Tamlyn Tomita, 1995.

It was by chance I happened upon “Picture Bride” at the library and was moved to rent it. A riveting historical drama, "Picture Bride" depicts the life of a young Japanese immigrant woman working on the sugar cane fields in Hawaii during the early 1900s. It shows how both characters used deception to improve their chances of sealing the arranged marriage. Photography innovated the “picture bride” system that initially relied on written letters alone or face-to-face meetings. 

This film provides a solid script for strong performances that make the film particularly moving. Lead actress Kudo Yuki gives picture bride Riyo the emotional expressions that capture the apprehension and exhaustion a newly arrived city girl experiences under field conditions. Actor Takayama Akira ably expresses the hard life and defeatist mentality many bachelor field hands experienced under the Gentleman's Agreement of 1907 and prejudicial labor relationships. Finally, Tamlyn Tomita supports the leads with her capable performance as a strong young picture bride who must take on the roles of mother and mentor. One important aspect is that the cast are all capable Japanese and Japanese-American actors, a novel circumstance given the recent controversial casting choices in 2015 Hollywood.

When Riyo (Kudo) first arrives at the immigration office on the shores of the territory of Hawaii, she meets her husband for the first time, a field hand (Takayama) almost two decades her senior. This fact, not shown in the youthful photo he sent, sets up tensions from the start. The various hardships the two newlyweds face include prejudicial ethnic conflict with white overseers, labor conflicts with fellow Filipino field hands, as well as the appeal of gambling as a downtime activity. Couple this with the relationship built on lies and the film contains plenty of tension and conflict. The challenges these characters face will illuminate an almost forgotten historical exchange network that greatly disrupted immigration to the United States.

One of the strongest aspects of this film is the human element that makes it so relatable to a variety of viewers. Many of us can relate to the class challenges of trying to get ahead in a tough work and social environment, particularly when it seems like the paychecks are never quite enough. Viewers may relate with the ethnic conflicts that plague both historic societies and today. For me, this film made me realize how blessed I am in my own life, particularly the great physical toil these characters face each and everyday, and how they manage to find positives.

Overall, this film is a great peek into the historic condition of “picture brides” under the Gentleman's Agreement of 1907. Not only does it depict the ethnic conflicts Filipinos and Japanese field workers faced, but also the different ethnic hierarchies that native Hawaiians felt in relation to the Anglo landowners and European (Portuguese) overseers. While the film does slip into too much pathos at times, the narrative does manage to express an accurate depiction, perhaps less intense than some authentic experiences, of Japanese immigrants under an inherently prejudicial legal and social system. If you’re a fan of historical dramas, this may be the film for you. Please post comments or suggestions below, and what films you'd like to see reviewed in future posts.

Purchase "Picture Bride" or stream via Netflix here.

Historical Notes for discussion in the comments:

• The “picture bride” system for skirting the Gentleman's Agreement of 1907.

• Ethnic interrelationships and labor: Anglo and Euro owners vs. laboring minority; labor vs labor between Filipinos and Japanese

• Labor conflicts, the company store, $1 fee for lack of work, $. 65/day and $300 to go back to Japan

• Bachelor Societies: both Chinese and Japanese, Filipino immigrant men

• Aspire to be Rudolph Valentino, but Japanese actor Sessue Hayakawa came beforehand, but not in the dominant history

• Asian, mainly Japanese and Filipino actors cast in the film, Japanese language used instead of English (think Sayuri/Memoirs of a Geisha)

US Cold War Containment Policy

By Catechetical Guild (Catechetical Guild) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

After the conclusion of World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union emerged as the two “superpowers” whose economic, social, and cultural influence would long influence what historians later refer to as the Cold War period, roughly from 1945 until the 1990's. Alongside the rising international power of these two nations, each took on official policies to try and influence proxy states to adopt their own domestic governments allied with the two economic regimes, either Democracy or Communism.

Two regions, East Asia and Europe, were greatly influential in the United States' Cold War policy of containment, and felt the consequences of the worldwide contests between Soviet and US-backed governments.

After the war, Japan was essentially a nation rebuilding itself from square one. Much of the country had been destroyed by the Allies and many people were without basic fundamental services peacetime, first-world citizens take as given. The occupation by the United States also ushered in a period of demilitarization, and the reestablishment of fundamental government structures. Given this circumstance, the United States could, in essence, build a democratic nation, providing significant military and economic backing, and ensure that Japan could be relied upon as a “buffer” against the spreading of Communism from Soviet and, later, Chinese influence. US Cold War policy demanded a protected Japan.

In Korea, with the solidification of Chinese Communism to its West, and the influence of the Soviet north, a movement towards a Communist Korea swept through and built up a power base in the North of the peninsula under Kim Il Sung. Sung wanted the official military backing of China and Soviet Russia in order to take the South and make Korea a Communist nation, but was largely left wanting. Syngman Rhee, a national conservative politician of the south, kept the US interested and worked to encourage a US Cold War policy that ensured Korea would not fall to the Communists. The Korean Conflict was largely an expression of Cold War policy by the two dominant powers to create a sphere of influence in East Asia, with the US seeking to continue its Cold War policy of containment. Though some efforts were made to take the entire peninsula for the South, the US ultimately failed and the modern de facto borders of North and South Korea were established along the 38th parallel line. Partial Cold War containment, however, was a success in Korea.

In Vietnam, the Communists began efforts to unify the country along Communist lines under Ho Chi Minh, while the Southern Vietnamese government of Ngo Dinh Diem was supported as a nominally democratic government, although displayed dictatorial tendencies. In some parallels to Korea, Vietnam became a proxy war that escalated to a direct conflict for the United States. 1968’s escalation under Lyndon Johnson resulted in over 500,000 US troops committed to South Vietnam. Efforts at US Cold War containment were in full swing in Southeast Asia,

Post War, Germany was a country divided, both ideologically and literally. Eastern Germany was established as a Communist satellite state, and West Germany a democratically aligned state. Indeed, Berlin itself was divided along Democratic-Communist divisions, and later a wall. The US Cold War policy committed to the protection of Berlin and Germany specifically because of the limited successes in the Korean Conflict, which spiraled out of control. Berlin and Germany were influential in the developments of the Cuban Missile Crisis, as one of the key considerations for Soviet Russia was the inability of the US to simultaneously defend West Germany and Cuba with their military. The presence of missiles so close to the US mainland negated any advantages the US held by stationing military forces in, and thus militarily advantageous, Europe. This was the closest the world came to a third World War, and total nuclear conflict. Fidel Castro was committed to the Communist cause, and when Khrushchev decided to back down in the face of a US blockade and ultimatum, Castro felt betrayed. Thankfully, however, it avoided a nuclear war between the periods’ two superpowers.

Recommended Films: Dr. Strangelove and Full Metal Jacket, Stanley Kubrick; The Manchurian Candidate, John Frankenheimer; The Bedford Incident, James B. Harris

Hungry History: Spam Musubi!!

Hawaii-Asian-American food at its finest!

Combining some of the best aspects of American modern food miracles and Japanese sushi rice recipes, Spam Musubi merges the umami of rice vinegar infused short-grain rice and nori (dried seaweed) with the sodium-rich protein goodness of Spam into a snack worthy of any lunch-box.

Spam's history dates to the World War II military bases in Hawaii, where soldiers' main protein rations consisted of canisters of Spam. Due to the prevalence of this canned wonder, Hawaiians began incorporating Spam into island recipes. The Japanese communities in Hawaii can be credited with fashioning Spam musubi, inspired by Japanese omusubi with more traditional Japanese ingredients.

Variations exist that incorporate such ingredients, including Japanese furikake (dried ingredients for mixing into rice) like egg, salmon, sesame seeds, and flavored nori. Additional ingredients for musubi include Japanese chicken katsu (fried cutlet) and hot dogs.

Depending on the individual variation desired, chefs may opt for Hormel's slightly healthier variations of Spam, including their 25% less sodium variation, turkey variation, or "lite" variation, used in the recipe prepared above.

The Spam of choice is marinated in a soy-based sauce, sometimes flavored with sugar or vinegar, then grilled or baked until slightly dry (I used 350-degree oven for ten minutes). Cooked rice is mixed with rice wine vinegar and layered on dried nori to desired thickness. Sliced Spam is then layered on rice with a desired sauce, including but not limited to Hawaiian or Japanese style katsu sauce, Japanese mayonnaise, or soy sauce.

These snacks can be wrapped in plastic wrap then stored, as Spam Musubi can be enjoyed hot or cold.

This recipe from Allrecipes should get you started, but the beauty is making it your own with your own flavors. Don't be afraid to experiment!