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WASHINGTON — APIAVote congratulated President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden, and commended the naming of Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) to the Obama-Biden transition team.

One of them is former APIAVote board member Sonal Shah of the Google Foundation.

LOS ANGELES — The Grateful Crane Ensemble has announced the completion of the “Nihonmachi: The Place to Be” original cast album CD featuring all 19 songs from the popular touring musical show about California’s historic Japantowns.

Since its world premiere in 2006, “Nihonmachi” has played to thousands of people across California, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Jose, Long Beach, and Torrance, as well as Salt Lake City, Utah.

by BARBARA HIURA
Hokubei Mainichi

SAN JOSE— The musical stylings of renowned ukulele player Herb Ohta Jr. and slack key guitarist Keoki Kahumoku made the Ukulele Source grand opening in San Jose’s Japantown the place to be on the sunny Sunday afternoon of Oct. 5.

What could be better then listening to great Hawaiian music, eating Hawaiian food, and celebrating the one and only ukulele retail shop in the Bay Area, located right in the heart of Japantown?

SAN MATEO — Every first Sunday of the month, San Mateo Kabuki Group watches kabuki videos at the Japanese American Community Center, 415 S. Claremont St.

On Dec. 7 at 1:30 p.m., the group will watch “Tatatoki,” written by Kawatake Mokuami in 1884.

The 9th Hojo Takatoki (played by Nakamura Hashinosuke) is utterly infatuated with drinking and women. His political power is unreasonably outraged. His vassals are perplexed.

One day his mansion is plunged into darkness and a fierce storm breaks out. A number of long-nosed goblins then appear one by one before the pensive Takatoki.