gotohealth's Blog

This morning I’m listening to a Lewis Howes/Andrew Huberman podcast. They are the ones who got me started with my daily practice of learning, seven years ago, when I chose listening to podcasts as helping me define my new path and need when I became a widow and covid isolation happened.

 

Huberman puts his science at Stanford into my practice of “focus with meditation or prayer” with a benefit of “self-guidance” to place my brain into particular states, cutting down my daily unwanted noise.  “As humans we will never have all the answers”? 

 

Huberman is big on the fact that making our exhale breathing longer than our inhale calms our brain and I use it for sleep. Making my inhales longer speeds up my heart and helps me be more alert along with raising my Cortisol levels for morning alertness with sunlight exposure. He says caffeine is not the answer. 

 

My room looks out on Lake Washington and I try to start my day with watching at least three or four planes take off from SeaTac and traverse the inspirational western horizon, to up my Cortisol with sunlight or whatever light I get in our Seattle area.

 

OMOIDE writing and heritage research has become a weekly blogging practice for me and it’s exciting to put the science behind my endeavors for my own “peace of mind” focus!  Arthur Brooks, with his course on “happiness” at Harvard, teaches me that OMOIDE WRITING  and our monthly deadlines, with it’s heritage focus, is part of my DNA. 

 

Writing helps me direct my negative emotions, not at someone else or within my own brain’s thinking! OMOIDE members have a host of emotions with the Japanese in America stories to share with our community and specifically with school children in Washington state. 

 

When I have done presentations at Juvenile Detention Centers in our community, the first question I ask the kids is, “Raise your hands if you have had something UNFAIR HAPPEN TO YOU?!"

 

One of the kids at the Kitsap Detention Center in Bremerton could hardly wait to call his parents and get money to buy our OMOIDE books! That was truly gratifying and gives me fuel for continuing our program.

 

GO MARINERS!!!

Taking my granddaughter to school this week, I said, “Have a good day.” I think my daughter would have said the common parental departure statement: “Love you!” Although Sam and I were “Sansei” (third generation), we were embarrassed to use the word “I love you” in our courtship and marriage. We didn’t like the casual and crude ways the words were used in the media and community where we lived.

 

I am willing to succumb to the grandchildren’s generation in use of “Love You”. But even if Sam were still living, it would be embarrassment that we would keep inside and not say to each other.

 

Sam had several creative ways of showing me his commitment and feelings beyond sex and I have no problem describing it as his love for me - flowers, candy, rings, writings. But on both our parts, it takes more thinking beyond enjoying physical gifts. 

 

Just like the Japanese word, ai encompasses a wider range of feelings, including parental love, sibling love, and affection for living beings and nature. Ai is about the acts of loving and valuing someone, often involving selflessness and a willingness to act for the other person's sake.

 

Dropping my 16-yr-old granddaughter off at her friend’s just now, I asked her how she feels about the words. I like the fact that she is thinking about the words and agrees with me. Her boyfriends do use the words with her, but she says, “We also say we respect each other”.

 

With my husband, we still would not use words, "I love you".  I feel “AI” and all it’s definitions!!!

 

The custodian answered, "I'm helping us get to the moon."

 

Using this example and because I'm a board member,  I called the receptionist at the JCCCW (Japanese Culturall and Community Center of Washington) asking Atsuko, "What do you do?" 

 

With not too much explanation,  she answered, "I try to make the caller feel good and want to become involved." Atsuko is talking about being involved with some of the activities at the center.

 

Asking myself the same question as a blogger, I answer, "I write once a week about what I am learning from being human with Japanese Heritage living in America. " 

 

Our senior years, when my husband was alive, our purpose was to pass on stories of our heritage to our future generations.

 

My daughter came back to live with me with her two daughters who are in high school. I am strong about her taking over the house and making it her own. She likes to see me set an example for the girls of being active and continue to be involved with community and keep learning at age 86. 

 

My life is for learning, sharing and I am grateful.

 

 

“You don’t have to believe everything you think!” are the words on the door in my room. I printed and put up those words after I was given a “Joe Dispenza Seminar” on my computer for my birthday about 5 years ago. Dispenza is a popular author, lecturer, and researcher, focusing his work on how people can transform their lives by retraining their brains and bodies. Many of the nationally known podcasters talk about going to his week long seminars and the benefits. 

 

Joe Dispenza explains how every thought I have produces a CHEMICAL IN MY BODY and how I can learn to manage my thoughts! 

 

Joe Hudson is one of the most sought-after teachers among the world's top leaders at OpenAI, Alphabet, Apple, and more. He talks about how we benefit way more from the other parts of the body's emotional regulation, like the nervous system's heart and gut rather than "head advice".

 

Sam and I used to walk around Mercerdale Park near our home for our exercise so I avoided the park for a number of years because of the memories. I even told some friends how I get a back ache when walking.

 

For some reason I didn’t get a back ache on the treadmill. But the treadmill was put away with remodeling our basement. So, I decided to use the park walking for meditation and started telling various organs in my body how much they are appreciated and to help with chemicals to heal my back pain. It’s working!!!

 

Skeptics will laugh and say, "Of course it's the exercise." But what the heck, what's wrong with paying more attention to what I'm thinking???

 

 

 

As a Sansei (third-generation Japanese American), I’m on fire with a vision of a JAPANESE CULTURAL AND COMMUNITY CENTER OF WASHINGTON, that Seattle city tour guides direct visitors to, 100 YEARS FROM NOW! In addition to the Historically Designated buildings currently on the property from 1913, I visualize the following:  Additional iconic buildings with a Japanese style, elevator-lifting-cars, parking facility, a 500-people gathering space bringing enthusiastic participations from the broader community to the center, strategic rentals and a covered alley retail Street Mall. How “zen” to have tea/coffee/ramen/business transactions/ educational classes while overlooking the Kintsugi Japanese Garden!

 

In 1989, after twenty years of gathering documentation of the Japanese in America experience for the University of Washington Archives, I realized, “Seattle doesn’t have a Japanese Historical organization.” I made an appointment with Tomio Moriguchi, CEO of Uwajimaya, who suggested I talk to Chuck Kato, president of Japanese Language School & Japanese Community Service. (JLS/JCS). Chuck had tried to develop a Japanese cultural center at the Seattle JLS a couple times the previous 20 years. Chuck asked me to join the board, but both of us were blackballed because several board members considered us to be part of the “typically young spenders and no longer traditionally prudent”. Those board members had reestablished the JLS after WWII incarceration of Japanese and were proud of being in the black financially, over their previous thirty years.

 

Ten years later, by year 2000, it became clear that younger people, like us, were needed for fundraising and survival. In 2003 Nikkei Heritage Association was incorporated, gradually combining JLS/JCS for a broader purpose and known publicly as JCCCW. With good management and donations, the board and the Executive Director developed a balanced budget in 2020, but realized that what was needed was a funding mechanism like an Endowment Fund for sustainability.

 

June 2025, I was invited to an all-paid conference to establish a National Archive of Japanese in America Heritage stories with Professor Maruyama at the University of Connecticut because of my work with our OMOIDE (memories) writing program. I established OMOIDE 34 years ago with the late Chuck Kato. The current participants are now ready to publish OMOIDE VII.  

 

With a 28-hour weather delay, I missed my connection back to Seattle and stayed overnight in Chicago with Malia Huff, a Northwestern University friend of my daughter Kelly. Malia is a professional fund raiser and as she was driving me back to O’Hare, she inspired me to look at JCCCW funding and she gave me a mini-fundraising seminar. 

 

Sharing Malia’s ideas with several key Seattle associates, the responses have been, “Yes, Seattle would benefit with a Japanese Cultural Center 100 years from now. I am willing to help!” 

 

 

 

 

Yesterday, August 2025, cousins from my mom’s youngest brother, Frank, came for a visit from Hawaii & Portland. We shared stories about their mom, Alice. My memories start with my excitement when the parents got married on January 27th, 1947 in Ontario, Eastern Oregon. I was eight-years-old. It was one of the first social events in our Japanese community in the local paper, the Ontario Argus Observer.

Especially, thrilling was being dressed with the long pretty pink dress that my mother made of sheer pink organza over pink nylon and the gold locket that I got for being flower girl. It was 4pm, and just like we had rehearsed, but now I had real rose petals in my basket. I went down the aisle first, scattering the petals along the way as I made my way way to the front of the guests sitting on folding chairs in two sections at the Ontario Women’s Club. Uncle Frank Tsukamaki married Auntie Alice Mizomoto and she became part of our family.

 

My parents were poor, so poor that we lived in a one-room farmhouse, 30 miles south across the Snake River into Idaho.  We had an outhouse, a wood/coal stove, no running hot water and no telephone. But, I never felt poor because of people in my life like Auntie Alice. From the time they were engaged Auntie took me shopping.

 

That first Easter after they married, Auntie bought me this wonderful rayon, yellow dress. The next Easter, it was a pink one. I remember, she picked me up from the farm in Sand Hollow, Idaho, and drove me to Boise. My sister, Kathy - five years younger than me, got dresses too.

 

Another incident, five years later - we had moved to Ontario by then, they dropped by our house after a summer vacation trip to California. Kathy spotted a Terri Lee Doll in the back of their station wagon. All of Kathy’s friends had the doll and she was dying for one. Auntie Alice had bought it for Christmas and I knew it.  We had an Ouiji Board and that night Kathy asked if the doll was for her and when she would get it. The answer was, “Tomorrow.” I didn’t believe it but Uncle Frank found out she had seen the doll and gave it to her the next day. I got a rhinestone necklace that was my favorite piece of jewelry for years. 

 

In 1993, when Auntie Alice turned 70-years-old we had a reunion at Sugai’s Eastside Cafe in Ontario. I went to JAE AWARDS, here in Seattle’s Beacon Hill, owned by the John Shigaki family. I had the trophy inscribed with the tribute: WORLD’S GREATEST ENCOURAGER!

 

I gave a toast, “You are remembered most for your complete dedication to helping and encouraging your husband and four children to accomplish successful lives. You were always known to be the most vocal and enthusiastic fan at all three boy’s ball games for years. It’s about time you have a trophy of your own, like the ones all over your house. You helped your family win. We could all learn a few skills from the WORLD’S GREATEST ENCOURAGER. Everyone needs an Auntie Alice!” 

 

 

 

 A few years ago, I asked my 18-yr-old granddaughter, “How do you feel about your Japanese Heritage?”

 

She answered, “It gives me energy and I feel more power?”

 

“Give me an example of when you feel like this,” I implored at that time. 

 

“Well, a couple times when I was with some friends and the subject came up, I said ‘I’m Gosei (5th generation Japanese American)’ and I felt good.”

 

Today, three years later, she is considering a journaling career and says, “All heritages are important, but I think being Japanese makes me emphasize accountability and honesty with ‘wabi-sabi’ (not needing perfection) uniqueness.”

 

This response is thrilling to me. Perhaps our parenting, my husband’s comic strips for the North American Post and our books are resonating? I have a vision for a better Pacific Northwest community because we are sharing our OMOIDE (Memories) program at the JCCCW (Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Washington). Our stories, for 5th graders are currently working on publishing OMOIDE VII. 

 

I am surprised daily with leading scientists around the world citing Japanese cultural examples. Ethnologist Frans de Waal talks about conflict resolution. His example is about how in Japan adults and teacher do not intervene in children’s fights. They consider it natural learning to let them work things out for themselves at their level, without adult or community rules. De Waal did a lot of studies with chimps and monkeys, citing, “Are we smart enough to know how smart animals are?”

 

Psychiatrist and philosopher, Iain McGilchrist, who researches the difference between the left and right hemispheres of the brain says, “The Western Culture has been mostly created by left brain activity which deals with numbers and goals.” He suggests we incorporate more Asian and particularly parts of the Japanese Culture into our lives for more balance with right brain emotions and look at our work and world as a whole instead of just parts.

 

Although it’s not empirical studies sanctioned by modern universities, the Japanese had 200 years of the Edo Period which brought the practices of the arts and cultural expectations to a PhD level.

 

As a member of the board of the JCCCW, I am picturing a tour guide, 100 years from now, bringing attention to the strong Japanese heritage values of GAMAN - enduring hardship with patience and dignity and GAMBATTE - do your best with resilience. Trust our stories shared today, will help shape our Northwest community tomorrow.

 

 

The artwork is the creation of my youngest granddaughter. I’m using this to illustrate how I’m feeling this morning as I post on my blog. I’m listening to a podcast by Simon Sinek in conversation with Mo Gawdat. 

 

As I planned my weekend, I started to text a friend about having lunch and was feeling more of a social obligation than an activity that I really wanted in my heart. Listening to the podcast I heard the words, “A real friend is someone who agrees with you to grow together.” 

 

I’m thinking, “This person has made up her mind to listen to the news and the political chaos. That is not the growth that I want.” 

 

Then, I heard Gawdat talk about how he learned from his son, “The ‘gravity of the battle’ means nothing to those at peace!” Also, PEACE and clarifying THE INNER REAL ME are the podcasts I’m enjoying.

 

I had such a friend/spouse for 56 years, where we grew together. But, he passed seven years ago and I lost five lunch 50-year friends last year.  I'm being guided to write down what I want!  I wrote on my note pad: “WHAT I WANT: ‘some new friends with whom I can exchange videos I like and talk about the ideas,  with the agreement that we continue to grow together!’” The key is that I want to keep growing and I'm avoiding those that have nothing on their mind but their latest health crisis. 

 

Forty plus years ago, Sam and I set a goal to work at keeping our health because he was diagnosed with eminent Diabetes, which was inherited. He made it to age 85 doing yard work to the end and was never diagnosed as Diabetic but did secumb to related issues. I am benefiting from our attention to health, but it's clear, I need to find a new set of friends. "Hmmmmmmm? thinking!"

 

I'm excited about asking my granddaughters and their boyfriends to help me. I am inviting them to lunch or dinner tonight and next week. It’s a new thought that I get them to help me on “my new path”. I had been stuck in looking to find retired individuals who would have more time. 

 

Wow, writing things down is working!