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Chicago's Japanese Community


LosMediasBlancas
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QUOTE(LosMediasBlancas @ Jan 28, 2005 -> 01:12 PM)
I know there is a nice size Chinese population in this city, most of it lives near the park. Are there a lot of Japanese in Chicago? Is there a Japanese neighborhood....even in the burbs?

 

 

I know there's many in the Western burbs.. but I don't know if I would call it a "neighborhood". It should be interesting to see if they come out to the park.

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Yeah, that's exactly what I was getting at. I didn't really see a big turnout last year for Shingo. I know on the coasts, especially out west, Japanese players add to the attendance big time.

I'd be curious to see some cencus stats.

QUOTE(Steff @ Jan 28, 2005 -> 07:16 PM)
I know there's many in the Western burbs.. but I don't know if I would call it a "neighborhood". It should be interesting to see if they come out to the park.

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QUOTE(LosMediasBlancas @ Jan 28, 2005 -> 01:31 PM)
Yeah, that's exactly what I was getting at. I didn't really see a big turnout last year for Shingo. I know on the coasts, especially out west,  Japanese players add to the attendance big time.

I'd be curious to see some cencus stats.

 

In my opinion the turnout for someone like Shingo was better than I expected. If I recall correctly, the Japanese tend to follow hitters more religiously than pitchers. But, on numerous occasions I saw the TV flash a picture of some Japanese folk. Heck, there were two Japanese hotties behind me this one game.

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QUOTE(LosMediasBlancas @ Jan 28, 2005 -> 01:31 PM)
Yeah, that's exactly what I was getting at. I didn't really see a big turnout last year for Shingo. I know on the coasts, especially out west,  Japanese players add to the attendance big time.

I'd be curious to see some cencus stats.

 

I remember seeing quite a few Asians at the park during the height of Shingo mania... Maybe I was just imagining things again... :unsure:

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QUOTE(LosMediasBlancas @ Jan 28, 2005 -> 01:31 PM)
Yeah, that's exactly what I was getting at. I didn't really see a big turnout last year for Shingo. I know on the coasts, especially out west,  Japanese players add to the attendance big time.

I'd be curious to see some cencus stats.

 

We split tickets by the Sox bullpen and it was interesting to see the number of fans out there watching Shingo.. mostly with cameras. They are silent as can be though. They just stand there and watch him and take pictures.

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Yeah, there were some scattered about.

Now where is that Chinese 5 tool superstar? :D

QUOTE(Mr. Zero @ Jan 28, 2005 -> 07:35 PM)
In my opinion the turnout for someone like Shingo was better than I expected. If I recall correctly, the Japanese tend to follow hitters more religiously than pitchers. But, on numerous occasions I saw the TV flash a picture of some Japanese folk. Heck, there were two Japanese hotties behind me this one game.

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QUOTE(LosMediasBlancas @ Jan 28, 2005 -> 01:31 PM)
Yeah, that's exactly what I was getting at. I didn't really see a big turnout last year for Shingo. I know on the coasts, especially out west,  Japanese players add to the attendance big time.

I'd be curious to see some cencus stats.

 

I think being an everyday position player has a chance to push attentence much more than a relief pitcher does. Especially since you have to factor in that Shingo was barely used in April and really took a while to win the closers role. I think Iguchi will provide a daily presence that will make the opportunity to see a Japanese player everyday, much more likely.

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good point.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Jan 28, 2005 -> 07:38 PM)
I think being an everyday position player has a chance to push attentence much more than a relief pitcher does.  Especially since you have to factor in that Shingo was barely used in April and really took a while to win the closers role.  I think Iguchi will provide a daily presence that will make the opportunity to see a Japanese player everyday, much more likely.

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Once upon a time, actually once upon a real long time ago when I was in high school there was a sizeable Japanese-American population in the Lake View, Uptown and Edgewater neighborhoods. Many of the offspring of these first and second generation Japanese attended Lake View and Senn High Schools. I'm of the opinion that many of them have either A moved to the burbs or B left the area altogether for the Sun Belt. Just like many other natives of old Chicago neighborhoods. Rose Toguri , who was Tokyo Rose eventually came to live in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago, after her post war ordeal was over. I don't know if she's still alive or not, she should be well into her eighties.

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I would expect a larger noticeable turnout for Iguchi than Shingo. The Japanese position players have tended to be a larger draw. There's not a huge Japanese population in Chicago but I also think having Iguchi around would draw fans from farther away.

 

I'm thinking the type of Japanese turnout we get when Ichiro is in town. This year when Ichiro visits it should be even bigger.

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Chinatown is a myth. I read an article not to long ago that most Chinatowns are a collaboration of asian cultures: Japanese, Korean, Pacific Islanders, etc.

The so-called Chinatowns were built during the railroad days when many Chinese were imported as indentured servants over 100 yrs ago.

 

The other myth is that only Japanese asians follow Japanese baseball. Many Koreans, Taiwanese, Thailanders, & other asian nations follow Japanese baseball.

 

Finally, a much better measure of how many asians are living in Chicago is television. There are at least 2 asian UHF stations in the Chicago area. Mostly geared toward Korean speaking persons, but likewise featuring Chinese-Mandarin & some Japanese. That would suggest to me the overall asian population for that audience is several 100,000. Including some of WI, & IN.

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If I'm not mistaken, the Korean community in Chicago and the surrounding area is enormous, relatively speaking. A lot of Korean-American newspapers and institutions are based here. I am wondering if it is larger than the Chinese community. I've lived here all my life, and have known far more Koreans and Korean-Americans than Chinese.

 

Just head down Lawrence, and you'll see what I mean.

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