Please Help Save Little Tokyo, it may be lost forever...

Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, The place I grew up going to every weekend since I was little. At age 16, I started attending the Higashi Honganji Buddhist Temple, and started volunteering at the Japanese American National Museum. Now 21 years later, after making my name known in Little Tokyo, from the various Organizations I have volunteered with. Now all that we love about Little Tokyo may be gone forever.

It all started years ago when the Yaohan Department store and Market closed down and various places in the Yaohan plaza closed down, the Little Tokyo Bowl and the movie theatre. I recently heard that some Korean investors bought the plaza and started to evict the Japanese Businesses to replace with Korean stores. I am appalled at the idea that non Japanese are buying up all the properties in the Lil Tokyo area and destroying the feeling and look one of the few last remaining J-towns in the America.

Then there is the eyesore of the Office Depot that moved from Alameda to 2nd and Central. Expensive condos are popping up in every available space left. What else is going to disappear, The Fire Tower, all of our favorite Japanese Food places? You know things are going downhill when a Starbucks, Subway and Johnny Rockets show up in your town. Sunday I read in the Los Angeles Times, about the third week in a row our town was in the paper. There was an article about how MTA wants to build a train connection through Little Tokyo. Not the Gold Line that just opened last week, a connection I think to the Blue Line to Union Station.

What can we do to save the town that we all love? Who can we turn to? JANM, JACCC, and of the Temple's. Is there even a Little Tokyo Historical Society, if there is where the Hell are they. If they exist how come I can't find them online? Hopefully someone will step forward to Protect the last remaining parts of Little Tokyo. Will there even be a Nisei Week Celebration years from now, when the Japanese culture dies in our town. Now I am depressed with all that is happening so fast. Trying to hold on tight to my memories of the past.

If you have any thought or comments on this subject, please comment here or join my Friends of Little Tokyo Group on Facebook.

Is anyone even listening to me?

Hi everyone, Just wondering is anyone actually reading my blogs? If I do have a audience here, Please comment on my postings. So I know that I am not just talking to myself here. I have alot to talk about now...

Taking a lil Break

Hello all, I will be taking a little break blogging. will be back soon with more stuff to post. Don't give up on me yet.

A New Name and A New Hobby

First off, The last 3 weeks, I have been changing things with the Ghost Hunting group. I changed the name from JL & Associates Paranormal Investigations to Little Tokyo Paranormal Research Society. The new name sounds more professional, and easier for people to remember. The email has also been changed to liltokyoprs@gmail.com, there will be a new blog site and possibly a website.

Second, Phuong and I have started a new hobby. We started bowling each week at the Alhambra Bowling Center with one of our friends from the Temple. Got my old bowling ball re-drilled, the one I bought years ago at the Little Tokyo Bowling alley. (The one that was on the third floor of the old Yaohan plaza.) We even bought our own shoes so we wont have to wear those disgusting ugly rental shoes. We both got Dexter shoes, she got the slip ons and I got the one named Jeff with a cool red and white design. these feel like regular sneakers, really comfortable, unlike those stiff rental ones.

Good Girl Dinette

Hi Everyone, Phuong and I finally had dinner at the Good Girl Dinette in Highland Park. They may be the first Vietnamese Restaurant in Highland Park that I know of. Its located in the Old Masonic Temple building on Ave 56 and Figueroa. Phuong and I both ordered the Grandma's Pho, which was pretty tasty. I don't usually drink the soup whenever I eat Pho, but their Pho chicken broth was really good. I even had the home made Pop, which was good too. Unfortunately they were out of Pies or the dessert that we wanted. So next time we will go earlier in the day. The owner Diep Tran was really nice too. I would recommend this place for anyone who love's Pho.

Nisei Week

This past weekend on Sat August 15th, Phuong and I were special volunteers at the Japanese American National Museum's 11th Annual Courtyard Kids Festival. We worked in the Lily Pond game booth. Its the game with the small swimming pool full of water with glass bowls floating on little donut shaped lily pads. The object of the game is to throw a ping pong ball into the bowl. It was a fun game for little kids, not the adults. Adults had trouble getting the ball to stay in the bowl. The kids were winning like crazy since we had Boogie Boards for the main prize if you got two balls in the bowl. Phuong and I had fun, but now we are both really sore after running after ping pong balls all day.

Last night we went to the Nisei Week Parade and this is the first time we actually staked out a good spot. Note to self for next year, get a spot on Second street. The spot we were in across from JANM's historic building was at the end of the parade this year. It took forever to finally get around to us, and when the end hit it got really cold out and alot of people were freezing. My highlights of the parade were, Our Temple's Taiko group Bonbu playing on the back of a a truck, the Nebuta Float from Japan, The Mikoshi and seeing my friends in the parade.

So hopefully next year, Phuong and I will most likely be real volunteers for JANM, we should be out of debt by then, to have some free time to help out in the community. Other news, we have started going to the Tuesday Night Cafe's outside East West Players (EWP), which is on the first and third Tuesday of the month. Its kind of like a Asian American Variety show, with Music Bands, Spoken word artists, open mic, and other community presentations. Well, this is it for this weeks update. Next weekend is we are going to try to dance in Nisei Weeks Bon Odori street dance, which closes the week long festivities.

Back to Blogging

Hi everyone, I am back to blogging after a short vacation. Summer has been hectic, trying to go O'bon hopping, and working my Temple's O'bon Festival. Haven't been ghost hunting for a while, since one of our members is in a play for a few weeks, and one member was away in Hawaii for the month. We will be starting everything up again soon and I will also go back into my research of Little Tokyo's history for both books we are working on.

Phuong and I saw two movies today, Julie & Julia and The Proposal, Both were great movies. Julie & Julia was about both food and blogging, and it inspired me to start blogging again. I wonder if anyone is even listening to my rants here, or am I talking to myself? Well this is the start of me writing again. I may not write everyday like I said, but I will try to update this blog at least once a week, so don't give up on me yet.

Death, and the Afterlife.

I have been thinking about Death lately. Please don't misunderstand me and think that I am suicidal. I am not. As a person fascinated in ghosts, and the afterlife, Death is there right on the horizon. We can't escape it, it will come soon enough. So what's next? We die and then what? Religions tell us that we will either go to a Heavenly place in the sky or to hell, a fiery pit down below. In some sects of Buddhism, we don't really die, the flame of our self keeps going into new bodies as in Reincarnation.

As a ghost hunter, that is one of my goals is to learn about this Death, and where it will take us. A search for an afterlife. Do we just keep on going in a spiritual body, on with our lives watching and protecting our families who are still living. Or do we just move on into the oblivion or merge the God or Goddess head. From all the Obake Ghost stories I have been reading, seems like some of us will be stuck here walking along side by side with the living, instead of moving on.

Another idea I have been thinking about, when ever a person dies a new one is born at that brief moment. Those who have no unfinished business, will just come back to an earthly existence in a brief flash. Sometimes I think that just happens to keep the earth well balanced with continuing life. We die and are reborn again and again. Those who decide to stop this existence have already learned as much as they can about Life.

Here is a quote from the Buddhist Three Treasures,

"Hard is it to be born into human life. Now we are living it. Difficult is it to hear the teaching of the blessed one. Now we hear it. If we do not enlighten ourselves in the present life, no hope is there that we shall be freed from suffering and sorrow in the ocean of birth and death. Let us reverently take guidance from the Three Treasures of the Truth."

When you think about Death, you have to think about Life too. They both go hand in hand. Some how I wonder if life is so much pain and suffering, why would anyone in their right mind decide to stay and haunt a place. What's the reason holding them here? Why don't they move on or cross over? Take some time in your daily life and think about Death, its not as Taboo as it used to be. Its sung about in songs, made into art and is in our daily lives. When you do this, you will seem to understand what it means to Live a long and fulfilled life.

Have you seen people who are diagnosed with Cancer, or another life threatening illness have changed their outlook at life. They start to really live a fulfilling life and are no longer afraid of death. That is how we should live our every day lives. Live like its your last day on earth. Just live. Ok this is it for todays blog. See you next time.

Little Tokyo History Booklet Project

A friend and I are working on a small book on the history of Little Tokyo, with info on the shops and restaurants of Little Tokyo, stating a little bit of the history of the shops. It will probably be a pocket size book, catered to the New people moving into the Little Tokyo condos. A guide book of the Little Tokyo we know. You are probably thinking what experience do I have to write a book on the history of Little Tokyo? I have been a part of Little Tokyo since I was 16.

I was one of the first Volunteers of the Japanese American National Museum, when the museum didn't exist as a museum yet. Back when their office was on 3rd and Traction in the Arts District near Little Tokyo. Been a volunteer in the old Nishi Honganji Building when JANM first opened. I worked in the Legacy Center on the Camp Computer, helping people who were interned look for their files, I was also a photographer working with Norman Sugimoto and the other staff of the museum. I seemed to have been closer to the staff of JANM then to the volunteers. I have experience helping set up and take down exhibits, Museum store experience too. More like a Jack of all trades. I was also a part of the Outreach committee, worked at a few JANM events away from the museum.

My other experiences in Little Tokyo include, being a Volunteer for A3M, being on the staff of AISAREMA/Disorient, A member and Brief President of the local APAN-JACL chapter, Helped out at JACCC and was also a member of Zenshuji Buddhist Temple and their Zazenkai for a year.
I have always been interested in the history of Little Tokyo...so from all that I have posted, there should be no problem with me writing a book on the History of Little Tokyo. we hope that we wont have a problem with the Little Tokyo Historical Society, Until recently I never heard of their group. Seems like they are hiding in the shadows of Little Tokyo. Why is it so hard to find info on their organization, or a email address? Who knows.

I know there is a need for Historical books on Los Angele's Little Tokyo, they are pretty scarce, there is one book that Visual Communications had published but unfortunatly its out of print. Have you ever walked into a bookstore looking for a book on the History of Little Tokyo, well I have and always ended up coming out empty handed and upset. I will be starting a group on facebook to start recruiting people for our own organization. If anyone want to help out with our book project please comment on this blog, or email me on facebook. Til next time, stay safe and cool.

Changes to this blog

You may have noticed that I took out Ghost Hunting from the what this blog is about. I have made a seperate blog for my ghost hunting adventures. I will keep the google adds for now, I know its wrong to have Japanese dating sites advertised on the blog, I have no choice and I wished I could filter those out...

Imagined Futures Conference at JANM and Updates

Went to JANM today for the Imagined Futures Conference, Phuong and I were part of the Blog and New Media workshop. There were lots of information about how to start blogs, what to blog about and networking with other bloggers. Two new blogs I will keep up with will be Angry Asian Man and 8asians.com...I will make a JL & Associates Paranormal Investigations Blog later tonight, since I now know that people are interested in a blog about our investigations.

It was nice seeing old friends at JANM today, keynote speeches by Eric Nakamura and Mr. Sulu himself George Takei. There was a great dance performance by the UCLA NSU Modern dance troop, they were wonderful, made me really tired watching them.

Other updates, I got a package in the mail last week from Arcadia Publishing, with guidelines for the Images of America Little Tokyo book, my friend Steve and I are writing. Our main goals now are gathering pictures from the community for the book and sending in our book proposal. This is my first time writing a book and working with a publisher to get published. Hopefully any money I make with this book can be used for my Paranormal group. We are kind of writing two books, the Images of America, Little Tokyo and Ghosts of Little Tokyo a seperate book on True Ghost stories on Los Angeles's Little Tokyo.

Coming soon, will be a seperate blog on and about my paranormal group..stay tuned...

Ghost's of Little Tokyo Book Project

I started my research this week for the book I am writing on the Ghost's of Little Tokyo. I have always been interested in the history of Little Tokyo and of Japanese Americans ever since I started volunteering at the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo from 1988 to 1996. With over 1000 hours of volunteer service under my belt and those first few years in JANM's Historic building. I have felt and heard things in both the balcony area, and in the back storage areas that was behind the original Altar in the upstairs exhibit hall. For some reason I have always felt uneasy in the balcony of that building, especially in the dark when I used to be usher for the plays and musicals we had in there.

Some background on my reasons for writing this book, My book will be unique because its a Buddhist's perspective on Ghosts and the paranormal. Searching for the truth to hauntings and of an afterlife. There are many books and websites online about Little Tokyo, but I have never seen any books on or about ghosts in Little Tokyo. I think there will be a good market for my book.

Sample Chapters will be:

• Ghost stories and local legends



• Buddhist forms of house blessings/clearings and excorism



• True stories of the paranormal



• Pictures



• Some historical info on each location



• etc...

The hardest part of my research is compiling witness accounts and stories from the public. Places I am interested in: The Japanese American National Museum both the historic and new building, Any of the Temple's or Churches in Little Tokyo as well as shops, restaurants, Hotels, and public places. I am also interested in portions of the Artists District adjacent to Little Tokyo.

Please if anyone who is reading this, who Volunteers or works in Little Tokyo, Please forward me your experiences of the paranormal and ghosts. What have you seen or heard, when did it happen, and is the place still active. I will also need contact names, addresses and phone numbers. Please send them to jlaparanormal.investigations@gmail.com or send me a message on facebook.

Time for Diet and Exercise...

This past weekend my wife and I went to the Cherry Blossom Festival in Little Tokyo. Yesterday I finally gave in and got my blood pressure and Body Fat Index done...And I got some bad news, First it took four of the girls in the booth 6 times to try to find my pulse...lol for a moment there they thought I was dead...lol Then one finally found it but couldn't hear it well enough. What they came up with was kind of high, duh I was then irritated since it took them forever using me as a lab rat searching for a pulse. They then did the body fat index, dont know how accurate that hand held machine was. I was measured, lol came out at 5'8.5 what i shrunk half and inch...then the really bad news, I weighed out at 199 lbs, Yes I admit it that I have gotton fatter over the years. Some say its married life that did it, but I say that it was my change in diet and lack of exercise that did me in. I remember when I used to be so skinny, weighing just 115 lbs. Still trying to figure out how much I should way for my age and Height.

So starting today, My wife and I are planning on going on a diet and start some kind of excercise program. Anyone want to be our excercise partners, let me know. Someone to offer me some moral support. Someone to wack me over the head when I reach for that donut or slice of cheese cake...lol

So I guess I need to go on more Ghost hunting adventures that require alot of hiking up hill. Other news, besides the sunburn I got this weekend, is that I am going into full gear now looking for haunted sites to investigate. Now I am asking my facebook family for help into that matter.
So if you are reading this blog here at Blogspot or at facebook, please send me info on any places you know that are haunted. Until next time, thanks for your time...

Just a couple of Ghost Hunting Pics...

Here are a few of my Ghost Hunting Pics, from the Years past. Enjoy...

El Campo Cemetary, Old Town San Diego near the Whaley House. Look closely at the grave in the center of the picture on the tree. What do you see? Please leave me comments on what you think it is. Note, the grave is of a Native American Chief.

Walking the Streets of Old Town Albuquerque with my brother Joe looking for Ghosts...

Looking for some old Haunts in Angelino Heights, Los Angeles.. This is more recent, the house above was listed for sale for close to $3. Million, Wished I had that much to buy a Haunted House...

Well, Just wanted to post some pictures of some of the places I have been and would like to do more Investigations at.

About adding Ads to my Blog

Hi everyone, Since the economy has been bad and It's even harder for me to find a job in it. I have gave in and added some ads to my blog, to see if I can make any money from it. I also became an affiliate for the Ghost Hunter store, to try to raise money for more ghost hunting tools for my group. To view that add please scroll all the way to the bottem of my blog. I also added some google ads to see if I can make money from that too.

It has been so hard lately finding things to write about here. If you have any suggestions for me to write about please send me a messege at Facebook, or send me a message here. Thanks

Late update to my last post and what's new...

The memory card problem didn't fix the phone. I ended up taking it to a Verizon store to exchange the defected one for a fresh new one. Good thing is, I no longer have problems with it. No more shutting off and resetting itself over and over again. Now I have a working cell phone....yay Just been busy the last week or so, learning new things about my Blackberry. Been having too much fun downloading Music to it and uploading pictures for the desktop.

I have gotten a new book this weekend called "The Mentalist's Handbook" by Clint Marsh. It's an explorer's guide to the Astral, Spirit and Psychic worlds, with exercises to learn how to Astral travel, Telekinesis, Telepathy and other neat tricks. I have always been interested in the Paranormal, History, and Anthropology. As well as Buddhist Art and Architecture. So far, I started to meditate again on my own..and furthering my Buddhist and Paranormal studies online each day by visiting new websites. Since it's been so hard finding a new job, I decided to spend my time wisely at home, instead of sitting around doing nothing and being depressed all day. Enough said for now..Until next time..Don't forget to breathe and be more Mindful in your everyday life...

(Below is one of my favorite pictures of His Holiness the Dalai Lama..)

Frustrating Last two weeks..

Hi Everyone, about a week and a half ago I got me a new cell phone. I had gotten myself a Blackberry Curve 8330. It worked fine for about 4 days then all hell broke loose. It started to have problems, the main problem was that it kept turning itself off and when it came on there was a white screen with a hourglass in the middle. It was taking too long to reboot itself. I finally figured out that it was the old memory card I transferred over from my old cell that was causing the problem. Too make things worse, I couldn't download the blackberry software to my computer because of a problem with the installer. Well late last night I searched the Windows XP solution center for a fix.

Around 2:00 AM I had found it and installed the fix, then I was able to install the software needed to fix my phone. I ended up staying up til 7:30 AM, finally went to sleep when Phuong went to work. All this trouble just for a cell phone I chose to upgrade my technology, to be able to send email and use the web away from my home computer. Well, I feel better now that I don't have to lose all the apps and pictures I downloaded to my cell, I did a handset wipe and accidentally deleted the wall papers and ring tones I bought. Oh well live and learn. Now I can backup all my apps and settings and reinstall the cell OS whenever it screws up again.

Now I am trying so hard to install my Zune software so I can add more music and podcasts to it. Well that's another story for later. Gassho JL

Sorry...Blogging for the whole month didnt work.

Hi everyone, I am sorry that I haven't been keeping up with my daily blogs. I had a bad month of February, due to my dental health. Been in so much pain since my birthday. From a Dental extraction the Saturday after my birthday til 2 root canals today. The pain was so bad, felt like I was going to die from it, either that or over dosing on pain meds. I am fine now.

For my day today, spent about a little over an hour at the Hollywood Forrest Lawn cemetery, trying to find my Great Grand parents graves, had the directions but couldn't find them. I guess I will go back another day with my wife and try searching again. I did find a family friend though, who was a oil painter and a friend to one of my great Aunts. Later today, My friend Jj and I went to the Alexandria II Bookstore in Pasadena and I found an old friend of mine who is a Buddhist Monk, there looking at the books. I haven't seen him since my Temple's O'bon festival years ago.
Well, this is it for now. Need to get my rest.

Little Tokyo Mall...R.I.P My old Friend

One of my favorite restaurants in Little Tokyo, I was told that they will not be closing down.

This past Sunday, the day after Valentine's Day. My wife, my mom and I made a depressing trip to Little Tokyo for Lunch. This Time I decided to go check out for myself about what happened at the Little Tokyo Mall. Once known to all as Yaohan Plaza. It was a sad site to see, all my favorite stores are now closed and empty with for Lease signs up. I was upset when I heard that some Korean Business men have bought the mall and that they are kicking all the Japanese Merchants out to be replaced with Korean shops instead. My favorite Japanese market was replaced by a Korean one. Normally I have no problem with Koreans, but I wished they would stay in there own neighborhood, Since they have their own Korea Town.

You noticed in one of my earlier posts about how Little Tokyo has changed, with all the new high cost condos going up, and stores like Office Depot, Johnny Rockets, Quiznos, and Starbucks . Plus I see more Korean Barbeque's and Boba places popping up too.

I am also pissed off about the lack of parking in the area too, this is mainly the fault of the new condos going up. I remember the days of old when they used to have the Nisei Week carnival in the lot across from JACCC, late into the night. I also miss the annual Spring Festival that JANM used to have before the new building was built. I know that things change and about impermanence...but our J-Towns are disappearing, we need to save what we have left for our future generations.

Below are some pictures of what used to be Yaohan Plaza in Little Tokyo.

Above was the Japanese Bookstore, where one can buy books in Japanese, as well as Manga and Magazines. Below are various pictures of the emptiness. The first picture shows the Clock tower gone. Pics of what used to be the bowling alley, and of empty store fronts.





This one I think is staying too.

Memories of Benjamin Franklin High School

Above, Dan Auiler : Franklin Press Advisor and Teacher circa 1989'

Today's blog is about High School memories, of Friends who are not forgotten. It's been 17 years since I graduated from Franklin. Class of 1991', The Illuminati. Ever since I joined facebook, I have been trying to gather all the friends I knew into one place. Found friends that I haven't heard from or seen in years, outside my little group of friends. I just posted a bunch of pictures, I took out of my yearbooks, too bad the ones i wanted to post came out too blurry from my small digital camera. At times like this I wished I still had a scanner.

Out of all my friends I have found, I am glad that I am still friends with my Highschool Journalism teacher/mentor and friend, Dan Auiler. If it wasn't for his incouragement during those years at Franklin, I would have never started writing. I have been trying to get my poetry published ever since, but with all my rejection notices in the past, I pretty much left them on the back burner until the time is right.

I wished I had more pictures of myself from those years and the years I worked as a Volunteer at JANM....I have more pictures that I have taken then I do of myself. If anyone has any pics of me, from Highschool on, please post them to facebook or send me copies...

Some of my favorite things...Photo Blog

Some of my favorite things in Life...This will be a photo blog.

My Love, my wife Phuong...

My Buddhist Temple Higashi Honganji..Photo taken from online.

My best friends from High school. John, Diane, Alex and Cynthia...

My Temple Family..in pic Ted Hamachi...

My East West Players Volunteer friends...Community Activist Years

Long time friends in pic, Mark Jue and Billy Wing.

My Brother Joe...

My Native American Heritage, Photo is from the Gathering of Nations Pow Wow, 2007.

My best friend, Ching Chikara Wong...

Ghost Hunting with my friend Jeff Lam: Co-Founder of the JL & Associates Paranormal Investigations group..

Another pic of Jeff Lam

Temple hopping with my wife...

Well, I just wanted to show some of my pics from my life so far..things I like to do, and who I like to spend time with...Can't beat good friends...

My Birthday

This will be short tonight, since I am not feeling too good. I got a free 2fer yesterday at Disneyland. It rained most of the day and went on a few rides. Didn't get what I wanted for a Birthday present, I wanted a new Hooded Disney jacket but they didn't have any good ones like my old one that broke. Here are 2 pics from yesterday. I had emailed myself a pic from the Buzz light year ride, but unfortunately I erased it by mistake this morning.

Notice the hat Phuong had me wear all day, it says Happy Birthday, with my name on the back.

Phuong

Feb 7th...and Today

Sorry for not writing yesterday, I had a really bad toothache and went to bed early...Today I spent all day at Disneyland for my 37th Birthday, so I will be back to writing my blogs regulery tomorrow.

Rain Rain Go Away...Come back after my Birthday..

Tonight's blog is going to be short. It's been raining the past 2 days. Been pouring down, making me sick again. I normally love the rain, because we need it. I love walking in the rain and singing in the rain...well not really since I cant sing..lol I miss all the rain we used to get when I was little. This year I can get into Disneyland free on my birthday. I know that I am turning 37 but I am still a kid at heart. Was planning on riding the haunted mansion ride over and over again, but cant now since its closed for major refurbishment, Just hope they don't screw it up too badly. So rain today, rain tomorrow, dry Sunday they say, and rain all next week. Lets hope the Gods are in my favor and let me have a dry Birthday at the Happiest place on earth. I will leave you with a pic from a few years ago from at Disneyland.





Me at Disneyland 2 years ago...

The past 20 Years...Where am I now?

Looking back at the last twenty years, I came a long way. But where am I now? Back in 1988, I was in the 9 th grade and 17 years old. My mom and I started going to the Higashi Honganji Buddhist Temple and around that time we some how signed up to be volunteers with the Japanese American National Museum, when they had a small exhibit upstairs in the Japanese village plaza, upstairs up above where the frozen yogurt place is now. When that happened, it was a start to my community activist years. I had made dozens of new friends along the way. It really cemented my interests into the Japanese culture. Some of my Japanese American friends tell me that I am more Japanese then they are. Even though I grew up around Asians, and Native Americans, I became pretty much what I am today.

With JANM in the beginning, I still remember working on the Spark Matsunaga exhibit, Since I had written an article for the museum newsletter. I had alot of memories volunteering at the museum, all the life long friends I still know today, and recently found again on facebook. Then in 1992 the year after I graduated from Franklin High, my Temple YABA group sent me to Japan for the Dobo Convention. One of the older members from West Covina Buddhist Temple, became my father figure since then, because my father died when I was 7. His name is Ted Hamachi, we became really close. We used to go out to eat lunch alot after that but lately since he is up there in his years, we only see each other during our Annual O'bon festival. I was 20 when I went to Japan, Now this coming Sunday I will be 37. So that's a full 20 years since all this started.

So where am I now? I will get to this a little bit later on in this blog. From that time I went to Japan, I was also apart of a few other non profit organizations in Little Tokyo, through the years this is what I have done: Volunteered with A3m, AISAREMA/Disorient, JACCC, JACL-APAN, Higashi Honganji YABA, Zenshuji Zazenkai, and JANM. Outside of Little Tokyo, I worked with the Los Angeles Friends of Tibet, and the Pasadena Friends of Tibet. To my clubs at Pasadena City College, Started out in the Chinese Student Association, was on the staff of the Asian Student Coalition, then to me founding the PCC Buddhist Association.

So 20 years later, now married, I am still active at Higashi Honganji. My wife and I helped out at East West Players a few times. I would like to start to be active again in Little Tokyo, before the town I grew up in disappears. Parts of Little Tokyo are changing, and I don't think its for the better. Yaohan plaza, became the Little Tokyo mall and now is turning into a Korean Mall, My favorite stores and restaurants are closing down. The old look of Little Tokyo, in my opinion changed when new stores like Office Depot, 2 Starbucks, Quiznos and new condos popping up. The small J-town feel is almost gone. I am going to be 37, and hope what we have left will still be there when I turn 80. Ending here on a sad note....I miss it

So where am I now? I am back to where I have started, back in J-Town...Little Tokyo, the place I have always called Home.

Me and Ted

Higashi Honganji O'bon 2007

Some of my favorite Haunted Places.

Grave site in Old Town San Diego, CA
What do you see in the center of the pic?

Jeff Lane and Jeff Lam on
Suicide Bridge in Pasadena, CA

Jeff Lam in front of

The Cobb Estate in Altadena, CA

Ghost's of the past...

Ghost's of the past, Tonight's topic is about my interests in ghost hunting, history and peoples lives of the past. I recently started my own ghost hunting group that I helped founded with my best friend. JL & Associates Paranormal Investigations.

It all started 20 years ago when I first started volunteering with the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. I got interested in people's life stories when I worked the Internment camp computer in the legacy center. Hearing the painful stories of life in camp. I would like to go back to Manzanar, and look for the ghosts of our past. Ghosts of those who never made it out. The dead can tell us a lot about their stories. I would like to do a photo journal of the ghosts of manzanar, that's if anyone would allow me to do it.

I want to learn more about the history of the people who went before us, want to find proof of the afterlife and why those who decide to forgo the pure land and cling to the earthly plane. Are they staying around to teach us their stories, so we will never forget the atrocities of war. Has anyone ever thought about the ones who were left behind, the ones who never got the chance to passover? Has anyone ever thought about the ghosts of Manzanar? This will be one of my goals in the months or years to come, to get their stories told. Would anyone be interested in joining my group and helping me with this?

I will write more about this later on...

My Life Without Tivo

I wish I had a Tivo box, so I can watch my shows and not worry about missing an episode. Just got a HD TV converter box last month, so far I am ready for the switch from analog to digital. Unlike most people, I still don't have cable. Been watching my favorite shows online, like Ghost Hunters, Ghost Hunters International and Paranormal State. But unfortunately They don't put new episodes up, only one or two every few weeks. What am I to do?

Lately, I have been addicted to Korean dramas on channel 44, and recently got my wife hooked on to it too. This one series is on every Mon through Friday at 8:30pm, and its only on for a half hour. I don't know why I like these dramas so much, my friends think I am crazy because I cant live with missing an episode. I always watched Japanese dramas on KSCI ch 18, since I was in Jr. High and it was a way for me to practice understanding Japanese. I think this is the reason why I understand the language then I do with speaking it. Now with the Korean Drama, I really want to learn Korean now.

I'm sorry these postings seem to be short, but when I get the hang of this, I will write longer postings...To a point where you wont be able to shut me up...lol

My Unemployment and our hard struck economy..

It all started in December, When I called my regular Seasonal job at Sees Candies, to See when I was to start for the Xmas season. They told me that they didn't need me this season, because they were also so hard hit with this bad economy. Said that they are going to train the cashiers to do stock instead of a separate stock person. I was devastated, This job I had for over 6 years as the seasonal stock clerk. I always looked forward to working, and for my discount on the candy. Can't beat $10.00 an hour.

You know, how hard it is too find a job, when all the places are either closing down or having huge layoffs? I was finally able to get unemployment, after a few months of dire poverty. Had trouble applying due to some identity problems with the EDD. They didn't think I was who I was saying I am. Oh well, In order to keep getting my unemployment I have to be actively looking for work, but I have been trying, Problem is no one is calling me back. Its a good thing my wife is working full time, if not we wouldn't be serviving. Well, this is it for today. Tomorrow is a new day, see you all then. Peace

I am hoping on the Dream that President Obama still has, I will give it a year to see if the economy picks up. I am praying that it does, hopefully soon.
Peace

A Month of Blogs

Starting Feb 1st. I am going to attempt blogging every day of the month. Some of my friends can do it, Let's see if I can keep it up. Wish me luck.

Myspace change

I have been trying to get all my friends on myspace to join facebook and add me to their friends list. I want to set a goal to finally get off of myspace in 2009. I have reached a snag at facebook, They blocked me from sending friends requests to make new friends or to add people I actually know. So now in order to get new friends I have to send them a messege to send me a friends request. Apparently I can add friends that way. Stupid facebook rules forbidding people to send friend requests to people they don't know. I seem to have sent way too many and got blocked for harassment, with no way of having them remove the blockage.

My start at Blogging

A friend of mine from elementry school, said that I will make a great blogger. Here I will write about my life as a Community Activist, About the world we live in from a Buddhist's perspective, my writing, and maybe some rants about by ghost hunting career. So sit back, and enjoy the ride...If I bore you please let me know, I want as much interaction with my public as I can.