A view of the dining room of the Japanese-themed Mikado restaurant at the Mirage Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. For external views of the resort, see Source ID 0247_0001, Digital ID pho026228 (daytime), and Source ID 0247_0003, Digital ID pho026230 (nighttime). For a view of one of the suites, see Source ID 0247_0002, Digital ID pho026229. The Mirage is a 3,044 room Polynesian-themed resort and casino resort located on the Las Vegas Strip that wad built by developer Steve Wynn and is currently owned and operated by MGM Resorts International.
This Asian American and Pacific Islander Day panel discussion, "Talking Stories: A Panel of the City of Las Vegas AAPI Committee," features six panelists and was moderated by Allycia B. Murphy, Deputy City Attorney, Office of the City Attorney, Criminal Division. Panelists include Cynthia Leung, Chief Judge for Las Vegas Municipal Court; Jennifer Rabanes, Recreation Coordinator at Centennial Hills Active Adult Center; Patricia Cabrera, Enterprise Records Officer, City Clerk's office; Joey Boquecosa, Equipment Operator, Public Works Department; Natasha Shahani, Senior Public Information Officer; and Gai Phanalasy, Multimedia Production Specialist. The panel was held at Las Vegas City Hall on May 11, 2023, following Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman's declaration of May 11, 2023, as "Asian American and Pacific Islander Day." Anticipating the proclamation, the City's AAPI employees formed the City of Las Vegas AAPI Committee to organize the City's first AAPI Appreciation Day at City Hall. The Committee invited several local AAPI performers, organizations, and social, cultural, and advocacy groups to celebrate, honor, and recognize the City's AAPI employees across all departments.
Kaku Makino, the King of Japanese Buffet, was born in 1943 and raised in Tokyo, Japan, in a traditional, wealthy family. After surviving mumps at age four, he suffered a severe hearing loss. His father encouraged Kaku to play baseball, and he excelled. But his father died when Kaku was twenty years old, and, the oldest of four sons, he had to support the family, and he became a chef--an occupation he followed for twenty years in Tokyo before following his younger brothers to the U.S. in 1989.
Elaine Mariko Okamura was the sixth of seven children born to her parents in Honolulu, Hawai'i. She tells of her father, who left Japan to find his father in Hawai'i, and her mother who was born in Kauai but was sent to Japan as a five-year-old to care for her grandmother. Her father owned the only grocery store in their area, and she recalls him doing his calculations on the abacus. Elaine's knowledge of Japanese helped her to become a stewardess for the Pacific Rim for Pan American Airlines.
On February 21, 1980, collector Bob Bush interviewed porter and retired military man, Hugh E. Key (born on November 17th, 1919 in Fordyce, Arkansas) in Las Vegas, Nevada. This interview covers the life of a Las Vegas old-timer. Hugh Keys’ wife, Mrs. Key, is also present during the interview and offers a few remarks.