The North American Post

The North American Post is a Japanese newspaper published in Seattle, Washington. As the oldest Japanese newspaper, it widely covers the nikkei community in the Northwest region. Currently it's published weekly as a bilingual newspaper in Japanese and English. A Japanese magazine Soy Source is its sister paper. 

Updated December 2014

community en

Hori Bathhouse Restored

Frank Hori recalled days when he enjoyed soaking in the family bathtub in the 1930s in a farming valley along the Green River in Auburn, Washington. He sometimes heard train sounds, but mostly there was silence, unlike today’s constant vehicle noise from State Highway 18. The Hori Furoba (bathhouse) at the historic Neely Mansion was restored this year after a long preservation project. The site is located in the back yard of the mansion, built in 1929 by Hori’s father Shigeichi for use after a long and hard day of labor. “I liked the hot [water],” said Hori, who talk…

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community ja

オレゴンの新日本文化発信地へ ポートランド日本庭園 自然と共存、新施設完成は来年

ポートランド市内の西に広がる森林公園は、市街地から程よい距離で静観な自然区間が広がる。ポートランド日本庭園は、ノースウエストの自然のなかに5つの庭園要素を備える。立地、景観などのバランスに優れ、年間で35万人の訪問者があるなど同市内名所の1つとなっている。今新たな事業として文化施設「Cultural Crossing」の建設を進め、日本文化の発信地として存在感を高めている。 ポートランド日本庭園はポートランド、札幌姉妹都市提携を機に1963年に建設が始まった。東京農業大学の戸野琢磨教授が設計。5.5エーカーという小さな、スペースながら勾配に富む景観を利用し、「平庭」、「石庭」、「茶庭」、「池泉回遊庭」、「自然庭」の5つの日本庭園要素を取り込んだ。 同庭園の内山貞文. 日本庭園文化・技術 主監は、「ノースウエストの自然の中に日本庭園がある。周りの木は切らずにそのままにしてあります」と語る。市街中心部からも近く、自然景観に恵まれた様々な要素が人気を呼んでいるという。 庭園が現在の形へ大きく舵を取ったのは2005年。スティーブ・ブルームCEOは着任後、庭園の持続的な存続を図るため、日本文化の発信、また地元社会との連携といった活動に注力。入場者数は過去10年で約3倍に伸びる成果を見せた。 従業員数は季節ごとに変わるが、常時50人以上を抱え、05年時の15人から大幅に増員された。内…

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war en

New Exhibit Shares Memories of Hunt Hotel

JCCCW President Kurt Tokita recalled a meeting over 10 years ago when the Japanese Cultural & Community Center of Washington’s project was on the table. It was the first time he heard about his own connection to the building, where his father Shokichi and family lived temporarily from 1945 to 1947. “Since then, the cultural center project has become really personal for me,” Tokita said. Not only Tokita but the community still remembers rich stories of their “center,” which was a daily Japanese language school for a thousand children. It was occupied as a mi…

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culture en

Discovering a Forgotten Photographer Elmer Ogawa

Elmer Ogawa: After hours with Seattle’s forgotten photographer is a unique biography that captures both the remarkable life of an almost entirely unknown figure and countless snippets of local history. Through Ogawa’s photographs and correspondence and interviews with what few colleagues, friends, and family he could find—including actress and singer Pat Suzuki—author Todd Matthews provides context and a platform for a wealth of photographs and corresponding anecdotes that may otherwise have gathered dust in the University of Washington Libraries Special Collections fo…

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community en

Sharing Memories for the Future of Nihonmachi

There had, for decades, been many Japanese signs and Japanese was spoken by local merchant and visitors who came and went on the street. In the late afternoon, workers might come back to share the Japanese public bath, sento, to refresh themselves and enjoy swapping stories about their day. These nostalgic scenes are from Nihonmachi, located in a part of the current International District. From the late 19th century, the population of Japanese immigrants sharply increased while they resided in the area and came to build Japantown. Nisei (second generation Japanese Americans) who were born a…

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