news:
Young Asian Americans Work to Save the Planet
By AUDREY SHIOMI
Switzerland’s glaciers are melting away, fast.
That’s what I noticed last year while climbing an area of the Alps 11,000 feet above sea level. The panoramic view of mountain range poking through the clouds was stunning, but there was an obvious flaw to the picture. “It’s melting,” said my tour guide Rene, a [...]
Another Man’s Treasure
A former WWII U.S. soldier reveals a Japanese journal kept secret for over 60 years.
BY AUDREY SHIOMI
Harry Dolan had just turned 18 when his Naval ship, the U.S.S. Boliver, was sent to the Marshall Islands to meet surrendering Japanese forces in 1943. Stepping onto shore, he discovered an empty bunker scattered with beer bottles [...]
BY AUDREY SHIOMI
Harry Dolan had just turned 18 when his Naval ship, the U.S.S. Boliver, was sent to the Marshall Islands to meet surrendering Japanese forces in 1943. Stepping onto shore, he discovered an empty bunker scattered with beer bottles and personal effects left behind by Japanese soldiers. Among them was a small black book scribbled in Japanese with notes and diagrams.
It amounted to chicken scratch, but that didn’t stop Dolan from grabbing the book and stuffing it into his locker as his fleet headed for battle in Guam.
Sixty years later, Dolan continues to hold on to the book which, though discolored through time, remains impeccably intact, still carrying grains of sand between its pages.
An avid collector of antiques, Dolan kept the book a heavily guarded treasure, letting only his family and close friends know about it. He rarely took it out for public view, safely stowing it away with other wartime documents.
“He felt bad about keeping it,” said son Craig. “He thought it was a manual of some sort, something that the Japanese military used.”
It was only about a month ago when Dolan decided to hand the book over to his son, a truck driver who frequently traveled from Florida to Los Angeles. Craig had Japanese friends on the West Coast who could possibly decipher the notes written in the book.
“I’ve always been interested in history and archaeology and wanted to know what was written in it,” said 77-year-old Dolan who spoke to The Rafu last week from his New York residence.
And what was thought to be a manual turned out to be a personal journal.
Jottings of daily happenings fill a portion of the journal while other pages carry address listings, perhaps of loved ones back home. One name that stands out is “Yorimasa Nishimura,” with the address of “Motoyama, Nagaoka-gun, Koichi-ken,” although translators can only guess that this is the journal’s owner.
The last entry in the journal is dated Sept. 9. “An explosion was heard and we went to battle … A submarine sent out a missile…” is what was deciphered. The owner’s archaic handwriting makes it difficult for translators to fully understand the rest.
Dolan hopes to find out more about the journal and, if possible who the owner was. “I often wondered about this man,” he said. “He’s probably the same age as me.”
Ideally, he would like to see the diary go to the family of the owner, or if not, to a museum that can preserve this long-held treasure.
“I’ve taken pretty good care of it,” Dolan added. “But this book might be of value to someone… And once it’s gone, it’s gone.”
-->Bowlers Rally for Holiday Bowl
The bowling alley site may become the new home of a Starbucks chain.
BY AUDREY SHIOMI
Dozens of veteran bowlers and local residents rallied Saturday outside the Holiday Bowl in Crenshaw in support of reopening the bowling alley that closed its doors over two years ago.
The Los Angeles conservancy, a non-profit preservation group, supplied informational packets [...]
BY AUDREY SHIOMI
Dozens of veteran bowlers and local residents rallied Saturday outside the Holiday Bowl in Crenshaw in support of reopening the bowling alley that closed its doors over two years ago.
The Los Angeles conservancy, a non-profit preservation group, supplied informational packets to onlookers while longtime Holiday bowlers gathered along Crenshaw Strip with signboards in hand, prompting drivers to honk in support.
“The bowling alley definitely served a purpose in this community,” said Jackie Sowell, one of the landmark’s dedicated coffee shop waitresses. “It’s never been grafittied, vandalized and gang-bangers (from opposing gangs) played pool together.”
The Holiday Bowl opened in 1958 by four Japanese Americans who gathered $50,000 in personal funds and $250,000 from investors to build the four-acre site located in the Crenshaw district.
Situated in a predominately second-generation (Nisei) Japanese American neighborhood, the bowling alley developed a reputation as a place to meet friends, bowl a few games and eat a hearty meal. Leagues for war vets, housewives, and children played regularly. Some bowlers frequented Holiday Bowl as often as six days a week.
Local resident Bryan Muranaka, who started bowling over 30 years ago, felt the alley had a respected place in the community. During the 1965 Watts Riots, vandalizers scoured neighborhood businesses for nearly a week but left Holiday Bowl unscathed. The same thing occurred in 1992’s riots.
“This place stood up. Nobody touched this place. It was home to everybody. All kinds of nationalities used to come into this bowling alley.” Since its closing, Muranaka along with other patrons were forced to find other alleys.
Holiday Bowl supporters expressed their disapproval Saturday over a project proposal by developer Abe Shofet of Axiom Real Estate. The proposal includes plans to demolish the bowling alley to make way for a strip mall. A Starbucks would replace the former coffee shop and Walgreens drug store would replace the remainder of the premises. Shofet was not available for comment.
Holiday Bowl supporters questioned the practicality of such a project, pointing out the pre-existing drug store next to the alley, as well as a Ralphs supermarket across the street.
The Coalition to Save Holiday Bowl offered a proposal to redevelop the site to accommodate a new bowling alley that may include a video arcade or movie theater.
“It’s a different package now,” said Cynthia Griffin, a coalition member who said that Brunswick representatives have expressed a “definite interest” in redeveloping the site. “These days, it’s not just a bowling alley, it’s an entertainment center.”
Leah Harden, a member of Right Angle, another Holiday Bowl support group, is pushing for a state-of-the-art recreation facility, which would include a sports gymnasium and a learning center. Costs are estimated upwards of $15 million but financial supporters such as NBA player Paul Pierce have already acknowledged interest in the project, Harden said.
“Structured recreational facilities are needed to help cultivate both the youth and the seniors. Another strip mall here is just a travesty,” said Crenshaw resident JC Johnson.
The city’s Environmental Impact Report, a feasibility report for the project proposed by developers ends circulation today, after which Community Redevelopment Agency consultants will assess all information, including testimonies by Holiday Bowl patrons.
A final EIR will circulate as early as December when the CRA may decide to approve the project.
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