, which strives to be the Big Apple\u2019s leading English-language resource for Japanese culture and community.<\/span><\/p>\nGrowing up in small-town North Carolina, McCormac knew little about her Japanese heritage. Though she was intrigued to know her mother came from Okinawa, she had not thought of her mother\u2019s Japanese heritage as her own. But as an adult, she became a \u201cborn-again Japanese American,\u201d a term coined by a fellow Japanese-American friend, who, like McCormac, fell in love with his family\u2019s Japanese heritage later in life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nMcCormac did not even begin the fascinating and challenging task of learning Japanese until she was 30 years old. But her language and cultural studies brought her to an ever-deeper appreciation of her heritage, and JapanCulture\u25cf<\/span>NYC is her way of helping strengthen Japanese-American and Japanese culture and community close to home.<\/span><\/p>\nBridging the Varieties of Japanese Culture\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/span>One of the core goals of JapanCulture\u25cf<\/span>NYC is to help connect people to Japanese culture\u2019s diverse elements. For example, if someone interested in anime or manga finds her website, it would also be easy for them to take a deep dive into nearby Japanese restaurants. Someone with a love for sake could also discover a new Japanese art exhibition. McCormac hopes that by introducing people to new aspects of Japanese culture through JapanCulture\u25cf<\/span>NYC, her work will \u201cbroaden people\u2019s experiences of what Japanese culture entails.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nMcCormac knows her vision for her platform well. \u201cIf people do a deep dive into \u2018Japan in New York,\u2019 they find me and are able to discover all these amazing things about Japanese culture that are right here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nAmericans Can Learn from the Japanese Sense of Seasonality<\/b><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/activ8.ckmsol.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/2-copy-300x183.jpg\")
(Photo) Cherry trees in Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens, NYC, where the Japanese American Association of NY hosts its annual Sakura Matsuri (Festival).<\/p><\/div>\n
McCormac believes Americans have much to learn from the Japanese emphasis on the aesthetics of the seasons. \u201cAmericans can learn to slow down and appreciate nature in everything we do,\u201d she says. Rather than constantly focusing on work and productivity, Americans could learn from the Japanese ability to slow down and focus on the natural world.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cEvery event, every tradition in Japan reflects upon the season, and we slow down thinking about that,\u201d McCormac says. Whether it is participating in a tea ceremony or the annual tradition of Obon, these temporal events allow Japanese people to take a deeper appreciation into complex ideas, such as spirituality and the question of why we are here, that are more difficult to come by in the American way of life.\u00a0 \u201cIf we follow along with the seasons, we appreciate time passing a little bit more.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nCommunity Has Helped Her Grow<\/b><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/activ8.ckmsol.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/1-copy-300x183.jpg\")
(Photo) Susan Miyagi McCormac (left) and Julie Azuma (right) in the library at the Japanese American Association of NY.<\/p><\/div>\n
McCormac has built relationships with many members of New York City\u2019s Japanese community, including her mentor Julie Azuma, President of Different Roads to Learning and Vice President of the Japanese American Association of New York (<\/span>JAANY<\/span>). Over the years, McCormac has grown to serve the community through leadership roles like board vice president of <\/span>JAANY<\/span>. As a result, McCormac no longer simply publicizes community events; she now takes a role in organizing them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nOne of the most fulfilling events she has ever coordinated was a volunteer initiative titled \u201cProject Bento.\u201d During the height of the pandemic lockdown, McCormac organized more than 30 volunteers to deliver bentos to homebound seniors. \u201cIt was a true community effort,\u201d she exclaims. Through efforts like this, McCormac is able to give back to the community that helped her grow.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/activ8.ckmsol.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/3-copy-300x183.jpg\")
(Photo) Some of the bento (Japanese lunchboxes) from the “Bento Project”<\/p><\/div>\n
Seek Advice in Order to Grow<\/b><\/p>\n
McCormac\u2019s advice to others is to let go of fear, however gradually. \u201cFear holds us back from doing a lot of things,\u201d she says, \u201cbut just keep chipping away at it, and hopefully you will blossom into the person you want to be!\u201d In her own career, she has learned to let go of fear and self-doubt in part by relying on others\u2019 wisdom and guidance.<\/span><\/p>\nMcCormac has worked on conquering her own fears by starting small. Taking on smaller challenges like introducing herself, volunteering as a way to get her foot in the door, and reaching out to others with questions have immensely helped her grow in her capacity to foster a deeper Japanese community in New York City.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u25c6JapanCulture\u25cfNYC<\/strong>
\nwww.japanculture-nyc.com<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TSUNAGU: To Connect. Whether it is connecting employers to job seekers or bringing different cultures together, we at Activ8 value the bridge-builders who make our world a better place every day. Our new series, TSUNAGU, will feature inspirational people who connect the U.S. and Japan through business, education, art, culture and more. Susan Miyagi McCormac, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34086","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/activ8.ckmsol.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34086"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/activ8.ckmsol.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/activ8.ckmsol.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/activ8.ckmsol.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/activ8.ckmsol.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=34086"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/activ8.ckmsol.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34086\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34114,"href":"https:\/\/activ8.ckmsol.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34086\/revisions\/34114"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/activ8.ckmsol.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=34086"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/activ8.ckmsol.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=34086"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/activ8.ckmsol.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=34086"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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