Leisure

October 6, 2023 0

Humanity, Nature Shine Through Japanese Island’s Dark History

Surrounding Oshima, a tiny island in Southwest Japan, is the calm, blue Seto Inland Sea. The island itself is a place of beauty: Nearly everywhere are manicured trees and shrubs including matsu pines that look like over-sized bonsai, Japanese maples, mountain peach trees, and tsubaki, a type of camellia with deep green leaves that in winter blooms vibrant red flowers. Views of other mountainous islands further out at sea are visible from all over Oshima, especially along the winding trails […]

August 19, 2023 0

What August Moon Means to Me:

by Sampan Staff

Three Community Leaders Reflect on the Summer Celebration Editor note: It’s that time of the year, where the August Moon Festival serves as a reminder for all of us that the greatest riches are within our grasp. We cherish friends, embrace family, give grateful thanks, and offer humble prayers for a bountiful future. The August Moon Festival is a rich tradition that harkens back to simpler times while also adapting to changing environments and our constantly evolving sometimes difficult days. […]

August 19, 2023 0

An Interview with For the Beauty of the Earth: Solutions to Net Zero Energy author Frank C. Pao

by Christopher John Stephens

Frank C. Pao has spent more than twenty years as a leader in the fields of energy and technology. The stated mission of his organization Climate X Change is to focus on achieving an equitable zero-emissions economy through means of an advanced state policy. Sampan recently had the opportunity to ask Mr. Pao about this delicate balance between the urgency of saving the planet while dealing with the sometimes volatile and unpredictable nature of the human condition. SAMPAN: One of the more interesting and refreshing elements of your new […]

August 19, 2023 0

Founder, Chef of Quincy’s First Japanese Restaurant Reflect on ‘Dream’ Come True

by DongDong Yang

In 1998, Quincy saw the opening of its first Japanese restaurant – Fuji, marking the start of JP Fuji Group’s unprecedented growth and success in Boston’s competitive restaurant scene. As it celebrates its 25th anniversary, Sampan met with Jimmy Liang, the founder and his partner and Executive Head Chef of Sushi, Ming Cao. Jimmy shared how he was first introduced to the art of sushi. “At 14,” he said, “I met my Sensei (teacher) who taught me sushi-making for a […]

August 5, 2023 0

August Moon Festival: Celebrating the Brightest and Fullest Moon of the Year

by Daniel Steinberg

Every year, millions across China and the Chinese diaspora gather to celebrate the August Moon Festival. In Chinese culture, the festival is one of the most important occasions, second only to Lunar New Year. Dating back over 3,000 years, the festival is traditionally held on the 15th day of the 8th month on the Chinese Lunar Calendar. It is meant to commemorate the brightest and fullest moon of the year. August Moon Festival, or the Mid-Autumn Festival, is a celebration […]

August 5, 2023 0

Mutant Mayhem: Fun for All Ages

by Din Makreas

Cowabunga dudes! The newest iteration of the evergreen (no pun intended) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is here! TMNT Mutant Mayhem is the cinematic reboot audiences and fans have been waiting for. Directed by Jeff Rowe and produced by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and James Weaver, Mutant Mayhem aims high and delivers on every level. This is hands-down the best the Turtles have ever been on screen. This movie just oozes charm and charisma (again, no pun intended). Previous attempts to […]

July 22, 2023 0

Peace, Reunification, and Healing: an Interview with Crossings Director Deann Borshay Liem on the two Koreas and Hopes for Resolution after Seventy Years

by Christopher John Stephens

Emmy Award-Winning documentarian Deann Borshay Liem’s new film Crossings examines the 2015 journey a group of female peace activists takes to call attention to the still unresolved issues between North and South Korea. It starts streaming on July 22 at midnight on worldchannel.org, WORLD’s YouTube and the PBS app ahead of the July 23 television broadcast on WORLD at 10pm ET. SAMPAN: Your work is often about identity and the repercussions of history. Crossings shows, among other things, how the […]

July 22, 2023 0

Joy Ride: A True Joy Ride From Start to Finish

by Harmony Witte

The latest film by director Adele Lim (Crazy Rich Asians) is aptly named as it is a true joy ride from start to finish. It tells the tale of four Chinese American friends who embark on a journey to China to find one of their birth mothers. The film is simultaneously raunchy and hilarious, with a few surprisingly poignant moments mixed in, all of that along with an exploration of identity. Along the way, the main characters all learn to […]

July 8, 2023 0

Elemental Review

by Harmony Witte

Pixar’s Elemental is a sweet, transfixing tale of an immigrant family of fire elementals making their way through their new life in Element City and the unlikely love story that unfolds. The film follows two generations of a family who are new in a city full of anthropomorphic water, land, earth, and air residents. A city that its very infrastructure is not made to accommodate fire elementals. When the young, temperamental, Ember, meets an easy-going water elemental called Wade, sparks fly, and […]

July 8, 2023 0

The Mysterious World of Cirque Du Soleil: Behind the Magic

by DongDong Yang

Cirque du Soleil is a Canadian entertainment company and the world’s largest theater production company. Known as Canada’s “National Treasure,” it is the fastest growing, highest-earning and most popular art group in the world today. Corteo is a centerpiece play from Cirque that combines elegant aerial acrobatics and shocking theatrical performances. “Corteo” means “cortege” in Italian, which means a process of joy and refers to a happy team imagined by the clown, Mauro, who envisions that his own burial will […]

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