Month: July 2026

Tanabata Festival

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By Liam Truesdale

On Thursday evening, July 9th, we went to a Tanabata Festival, also called the Star Festival, as part of an extended workday. The Tanabata Festival actually originates from the Chinese Qixi Festival. Tanabata means “evening of the seventh,” and celebrates the meeting of the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi. Tanabata is celebrated by writing a wish on a piece of paper called tanzuku and hanging it on bamboo. 

In DC, the Tanabata Festival, sponsored by the Japan America Society of Washington DC, was held at the Hillwood Estate near Rock Creek Park. There were a few activities like writing wishes and making lanterns. However, the part I enjoyed the most were the gardens, which were just a part of the estate. The nicest part was the section inspired by Japanese gardens. It was fairly small, but very beautiful. My favorite part were the paths that went through the water. 


In Japanese culture, these bridges have a deeper meaning, they represent a transformation. In Shinto mythology, bridges connect our world to the gods and spirits. The reason why they’re so arched is so evil spirits cannot cross over them, because evil spirits are believed to travel in straight lines only.

It felt amazing going through the gardens after walking around by the monuments all day, cleansing even. I had a headache when we arrived at the Tanabata Festival; after I went through the gardens it was completely gone. It had just stopped raining when we got there, so it started to get foggy. The second time I went through the gardens, the fog was at its thickest, and the clouds had parted just enough for the sun to shine through. We could see the rays of light shining through the trees, the only word I could use to describe it was mystical.



$25 and a One-Way Bus Ticket

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By Aston Newell

We heard from Mr. Gerald Yamada of the Japanese American Veterans Association (JAVA) about some of the history of Japanese Americans and the military regiment that was composed of Japanese Americans, named the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.

Mr. Yamada started off by informing us about how Japanese American civilians were treated before World War II. Then after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the USA started to discriminate against the Japanese Americans more through racism and creating the assembly centers and incarceration camps, which were remote barracks meant to keep a hold of a mass amount of Japanese American supervised and isolated from the rest of the USA. When he finished informing us on the treatment the Japanese Americans had faced after Pearl Harbor, Mr. Yamada then told us about the 442nd, which is a highly decorated Japanese American military regiment that gave Japanese Americans a chance to prove their loyalty to the USA and played a crucial part in defeating Germany in April of 1945.

After all of that, Mr. Yamada told us that the US Government finally let the Japanese Americans leave the incarceration camps, but gave them only $25 and a bus ticket home. Eventually in 1988, after various debates and disagreements on whether Japanese Americans should receive reparations, President Ronald Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act that offered $20,000 and an official apology to all of the living survivors of the World War II camps.

Note: The above engraved words are found at the National Japanese American Memorial which we visited as part of Japan in DC.

The Untold Story

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By Zaevior Byrd-Watson

Today, July 7th, former Japanese American Veterans Association (JAVA) President Gerald Yamada shared his story on Japanese American exclusion. Many believe that the discrimination against Japanese and Japanese American individuals began with the bombing of Pearl Harbor, but this just isn’t the case. In fact, the discrimination dates all the way back to the early 1800s, when Japanese immigration began. The year 1942, after Pearl Harbor, was when it got bad. During this time, incarceration camps were established. At the same time, interestingly, a military unit for Japanese Americans, the 442nd, was formed. This regiment is famously the most decorated unit for its size and length of service in the history of the US military. After the end of World War II, and the 442nd’s service, incarceration camps were closed down and the Japanese were allowed to go home, but weren’t fully integrated.

Mr. Yamada’s presentation was very insightful. I learned many things I previously hadn’t known. One thing I hadn’t known was how far back Japanese American discrimination had dated, which both intrigued and frightened me. I encourage everyone to research about the War Relocation Authority (WRA) camps and the history behind the discrimination of Japanese Americans. Additionally, I was surprised by the amount of awards the previously mentioned battalion, the 442nd, was given. Their awards consist of 4,000 Purple Hearts, the Congressional Gold Medal, 21 Medals of Honor, and many more.

World War II: The All Japanese American Military Teams

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By Morgan Moss

On Day 6, we were given a presentation by Mr. Gerald Yamada, the former President of the Japanese American Veterans Association (JAVA). Gerald Yamada helped to create the annual celebration of the Day of Affirmation, which this year will be celebrated on July 18th. The Day of Affirmation’s origins go back to 1946, when President Harry S. Truman acknowledged the patriotism of the Japanese Americans who served in World War II, even after their incarceration. “You fought not only the enemy, but you have fought prejudice – and you have won.”

Mr. Yamada talked about events that transpired and groups that existed during World War II, which includes the 442nd Regimental Combat Team (also known as the Purple Heart Battalion), and the 1399th Engineer Construction Battalion. Both groups were solely comprised of Japanese Americans.

The 442nd was comprised of 4000 initial Japanese American volunteers from Hawaii and the contiguous US, which grew to 14,000 to 18,000 members by the time the war ended. They had fought in five major battles. The 442nd was sent on a rescue mission to rescue Texas’s Lost Battalion from imprisonment by German forces. Saving the 211 surviving members of the Lost Battalion cost the 442nd over 800 casualties of both killed and wounded men. The 442nd also pierced the Gothic Defense Line in only 34 minutes, which is regarded as a key factor to ending the war. In total they have been awarded 7 Presidential Unit Citations, 21 Medals of Honor, 29 Distinguished Service Crosses, and over 4,000 Purple Hearts, all in 30 months. The 1399th was a team stationed in Hawaii that consisted of almost 1,000 men. They were responsible for 54 construction projects that contributed to the defense of Hawaii after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Personally, I find it inspiring that people can find the will to fight for a country that has unfairly stripped away their rights and freedoms purely because of their ethnicity, and the faith that the country that had betrayed them can turn it around for the better. Especially since the Japanese Americans didn’t know what was going to happen to them during the war, so volunteering was essentially a leap of faith. I don’t think I could gain the courage to take a risk as big as that. Choosing to take the risk was really commendable!

One Day, One Attack

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By Blessing Maya

One day, one attack
Changed the lives of many people.
Many stories began, and many dreams came to an end.
Many lives were lost. Many did not know why.
Many died. Many fought for what was right.
Many could not fight.

I would send you many paintings,
The day you would no longer see me as an enemy.
I would place flowers at your door,
The day you would no longer see me as an enemy.

The children did not know they were trapped,
Living inside invisible prisons.
Born here, yet treated as strangers in their own land.
Japanese by heritage, American by birth,
Misunderstood, yet they stood strong.

Don’t hurt your own family
Just because their roots come from another tree.
Their roots are here too,
Just like yours and mine.

From the ashes of war, a new dawn rises.
Two nations, once divided, grow closer.
Cherry blossoms bloom beside the Tidal Basin,
As symbols of peace, friendship, and hope.

Together we stand across the ocean wide,
In friendship and hope, side by side.

From Japan to Hawaii to DC: Surprising Japan Connection in the MLK Library

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By Madisen Moss

On Wednesday, July 1st, Japan in DC paid a visit to Martin Luther King Jr. Library located near Gallery Place metro stop. The MLK Library hosts many activities and clubs, such as the anime club. For our program, we went to the Teen Center located on the second floor. We first looked around their huge manga collection and I was pretty impressed by the size of the collection. Near the shelves filled with manga, they also had cool artwork showing snippets of different mangas that were created by one of the staff at MLK.


At the Teen Center, we also had a workshop about the process of making zines with Brandy, one of the staff members there. While Brandy was explaining how to make zines to us, she mentioned that she actually had a Japan connection as well.


To learn about her Japan connection, we conducted a mini-interview with her. We learned that she is a 4th generation Japanese. In the 1920s, her great-grandparents migrated from Japan to Hawaii to work on the sugarcane plantations. She explained that many Japanese people decided to migrate to Hawaii during that time period to work on the sugarcane and pineapple plantations because it was a pretty profitable job opportunity. Additionally, her grandmother was a grade schooler during the Pearl Harbor attack and she mentioned that after the attack, her grandmother had to wear a gas mask to school due to the toxic environment left by the destruction. The windows of the school also were painted black after the attack to obscure artificial light in case of more surprise bombings.

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, FDR signed Executive Order 9066 that ordered Japanese-Americans to be placed in internment camps. As for Brandy’s family in Hawaii, they were not sent to the internment camps because it was far too expensive to send all of the Japanese people in Hawaii to the mainland. Lastly, Brandy shared that she tries to connect with her Japanese heritage by cooking Japanese foods and watching anime. I enjoyed hearing about her heritage and how she still connects with Japanese culture.


Table For Two

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By Kamaya Caldwell

TABLE FOR TWO USA is a nonprofit organization that focuses on promoting healthy eating while also helping provide school meals to children in need around the world. The organization partners with several groups and companies on its annual fall ONIGIRI ACTION campaign to support its mission of reducing hunger and encouraging healthier lifestyles.

Recently, on the second day of my Japan in DC program, we had the opportunity to attend a presentation from TABLE FOR TWO USA where we learned about their work and participated in a bento box workshop. During the presentation, our guest, Miwako Felix, explained that in Japan both the presentation of food and the quality of ingredients are considered very important. Food is not only meant to taste good, but it should also be visually appealing and balanced.

One of the most interesting things I learned was the five color system used when creating a bento box. The colors are red, white, yellow, black, and green, and each color represents different types of foods and nutrients. For example, yellow foods can include eggs or yellow peppers. By including foods from each color group, a bento box becomes more nutritious, colorful, and enjoyable to eat. Before this workshop, I never really thought about how much effort goes into planning a balanced meal. I usually focused on whether food tasted good, but this experience showed me that nutrition and presentation are important too. I learned that adding a variety of colors to a meal is an easy way to make sure you are getting different nutrients. Seeing how much care is put into bento boxes helped me appreciate the connection between healthy eating, creativity, and mindfulness. This experience taught me how thoughtful meal planning can make healthy eating both fun and appealing.


Onigiri Action

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By Lauren Holloway

On Thursday July 2nd, Miwako Felix gave us a presentation on Table for Two and their social action initiative called #OnigiriAction. Table for Two is a non-profit organization that started in the USA back in 2010. They started this organization because out of 8 billion people, 750 million suffer from hunger. Onigiri Action is an activity that takes place in the fall each year. If you post a picture of your onigiri (Japanese rice ball) or anything related to onigiri on any social media site (like TikTok or Instagram) between specified dates in October and November, then their partners will donate 5 free school meals to be delivered to kids around the world in need of healthy meals. Last year photos were posted from 47 countries around the world while 233,321 photos were taken and 1,166,605 meals were delivered around the world to kids in need. It is so important that kids around the world are getting healthy and nutritious school meals, because not only does having a good school lunch improve students’ well-being and work ethic, it also improves attendance. Since the launch of Onigiri Action USA in 2016, the campaign has provided 10 million school meals to kids around the world.

Table for Two also goes around to different schools in the U.S. and internationally to do a bento box workshop which we got to experience also. During the workshop we were able to learn how to make onigiri. It is surprisingly easy and simple. Learning about this campaign was amazing, since it’s so simple and easy to be a part of if you don’t have money to donate, or if you’re too busy to volunteer anywhere. A few things I found surprising was that they post recipes and videos on their website on how to make it so that you don’t have to experiment or search up how to make it yourself. Another thing is so many people have participated which is more than I thought would have participated, and that this initiative doesn’t just benefit people struggling with hunger only in Japan. Onigiri Action helps people struggling with hunger in the United States and Africa.


From Presentation to Nutrition: What I Learned

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By Malia Butler

Onigiri is a handheld snack made from steamed rice, typically formed into a triangle ball or a shape of choice and often wrapped in nori (seaweed). A bento box is a single-portion meal, either homemade or store bought, packed into a container portioned off. Onigiri and bento boxes are well known in Japan. When I made bento boxes and onigiri for the first time, I learned that presentation is key. In Japan before people eat, you have to appreciate the presentation of your food, by looking at the decorations and the thought put into it. “Before eating you have to eat with your eyes,” which is what Ms. Miwako Felix said from the “Table for Two” organization. Another thing that I learned is before eating a meal you have to say “itadakimasu,” and after a meal you have to say “gochi sou sama deshite.” The reason they do this is to show appreciation to farmers, vendors, and cooks.

Something that I learned that affected me personally is that when making bento boxes they focus on nutrition. When making bento boxes, every meal has to be balanced, so in order to do that they use the 3:2:1 ratio. For the 3 part, this is used as a base. People often use it for steamed rice. For the 2 part, this is used as a main dish, usually meant for a various amount of protein. For the 1 part, this is used for a side, often used for different types of vegetables. Both the 2 and 1 part of the ratio can help with keeping someone energized throughout the day, because each have a specific amount that can keep you energized. Based on this experience, I learned how to make a balanced meal. This can help me on my daily life, because as an athlete it can help me to have energy for sports.




A Visit from Gabrielle Headly

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By Pippa Byron

Last week, Gabrielle Headly, an employee at the Japanese Embassy’s Japan Information and Culture Center (JICC), came to visit us and talk about her experience with studying Japanese culture, studying abroad in Japan, as well as her life’s career path and how Japan has influenced it. Gabrielle’s story ended up being really interesting to me because not only did she go to Japan, she intertwined it in her life and learned many skills and lessons during her time there.

Gabrielle started by explaining how she was first introduced to Japan through its pop culture. She said that as someone of Caribbean descent, she could feel that Japanese culture was very different to her own, which intrigued her. This led her to self-study Japanese for a while. Later, as a high school graduation present, Gabrielle went to Okinawa, Japan, where her uncle worked on an American military base. This trip was a great experience for her, and she decided to continue pursuing her love for Japanese through minoring in Japanese in college. 

In her Junior year of college, Gabrielle spent a semester studying abroad in Osaka, Japan. She said Osaka was a very fun city to live in and the university she went to, Kansai Gaidai University, was a great place for cultural exchange, being an international school. After spending this extended period of time in Japan, she realized she wanted to live there. She greatly appreciated the sense of safety she felt in Japan and the vibrancy of the culture.

To pursue her dream of living in Japan, after graduation, Gabrielle decided to apply to the JET program — a program that connects Americans to English teaching jobs in Japan and arranges their stay there. Gabrielle was accepted, and was sent to a small town in Oita prefecture. Upon her arrival there, she was surprised to find out that the town was largely art-focused, and that most of the people and establishments there were related to different art forms. Gabrielle had previously mentioned to us that pottery was one of her biggest interests even back in the U.S., and she had done a lot of work and classes related to pottery. So, along with her teaching work, she was “adopted” into a ceramics store, where she did pottery and was introduced to the Japanese art of Kintsugi, which is a technique that uses gold to fix broken pottery. Along with becoming invested in her community, she also got to travel a lot and see different areas of Japan.

Later on, she decided to end her teaching contract with JET and continue to live in Japan on her own. She moved to Fukuoka, a larger city, where she studied pottery and got officially certified in Kintsugi. Here, she met a lot of interesting people with unique interests such as punk music, and made lots of great friends. Gabrielle told us that she had had a bit of trouble in Japan regarding her hair, as people in Japan often didn’t know about black hair and assumed she had gotten a perm or that her hair was messy. However in Fukuoka, she happened to meet and become friends with a hairdresser who was interested in learning how to work with black hair, which became mutually beneficial for both of them. Meeting so many people she connected with on a deep level was one of the best experiences Gabrielle had in Japan, and she is still friends with them to this day.

In 2023, Gabrielle decided to move back to the U.S. She found out about a job opening at the Japan Information and Culture Center involving their exhibitions. She realized this would be a great position for her, as she loved the idea of being able to teach others about Japanese culture. She eventually became the exhibition coordinator at JICC, and she’s able to put both her creativity and her knowledge of Japan into her work. She even has an upcoming exhibition about Yōkai, which are supernatural entities in Japanese folklore, and we’ll have the opportunity to see it soon!

To me, Gabrielle’s story was extremely inspiring for a few different reasons. To begin with, I thought it was amazing how Gabrielle took Japanese, which was just a hobby at the beginning, and turned it into a lifelong journey of experiences and career opportunities. I am still having trouble figuring out exactly what I want to do in the future, and seeing that it’s possible to find a job that connects so strongly to your interests was really enlightening to me.

Also, I really enjoyed hearing about her experience connecting with different communities throughout Japan and finding lifelong friendships. As someone who also wants to go abroad in the future, I’ve heard a lot about people living in a different country than theirs who struggle to integrate socially because of vast cultural differences. But Gabrielle’s story proves that finding shared interests with others, as well as engaging in community activities and traditions, can foster a sense of belonging and build new friendships no matter how different a place’s culture is. Moreover, I thought that it was great that even though Gabrielle was away from the U.S., she was able to continue pottery, a hobby that she loved, and study Japanese styles of pottery, an experience that she wouldn’t have gotten in the U.S.

Lastly, I liked that Gabrielle had tried a lot of different things before settling down in her current occupation, like teaching and moving to different places. I think that it’s often good for people to experience and try a lot of different things in life before settling down, instead of just going down a straight line to one job or living situation, and I also hope to try a lot of things just like Gabrielle. Gabrielle’s current position also highlights one of the benefits of living in D.C. As the capital of the U.S. where all the embassies are, there are a lot of opportunities related to world cultures and diplomacy. As someone who’s really interested in both, it made me realize that I should take as much advantage of living here as I can. 

Altogether, it was an inspiring story of following one’s passion, and I think all of us learned a lot from it, and I’m excited to visit Gabrielle at the Embassy of Japan and learn more about her work!