Keiko K.
@keikoinbostonKeiko was born in Chiba Prefecture, Japan and raised on the East Coast of the US. She identifies as Sansei. Her maternal grandparents immigrated to Hawai'i from Okinawa in the early 1900s where they labored on a sugar plantation to provide for their family. Her father's family hails from Tokyo, where they too struggled for a better life in the aftermath of WWII. Advancement through education has been a core value in Keiko's family. She honed her writing and critical thinking skills at a small liberal arts college in Western Massachusetts. Little did she know that one day she'd be using those skills to blog about Japanese food. When Keiko needs a break from thinking about ramen, she writes about culture, identity, Japanese American history, LGBT issues, and Hawai'i. You can follow her on Twitter at @keikoinboston.
Updated August 2015
Stories from This Author
How to Get Your Japanese Citizenship Back
Nov. 14, 2016 • Keiko K.
I grew up a dual national. I was born in Japan but my mother is an American citizen so she reported my birth abroad (see also: Wikipedia). The United States uses the jus sanguinis—meaning “right of blood”—principle to determine nationality so because my mother was a US citizen, she could apply to have my birth recognized by the US, thus giving me citizenship. Having spent the majority of my life in the US, when it came time for me to …
Happy Anniversary to The Genki Spark!
Nov. 9, 2015 • Keiko K.
The Genki Spark was founded in 2010, by Sansei Chinese/Japanese American Karen Young, who was also a founding member of Odaiko New England. They are the first and only all-Asian all-female taiko performance troupe in the United States. This year they’re celebrating their 5th anniversary! On their website they describe themselves as “a multi-generational, pan-Asian women’s arts and advocacy organization that uses Japanese taiko drumming, personal stories, and creativity to build community, develop leadership, and advocate respect for all.” They …
Monet’s La Japonaise Kimono Wednesdays at the MFA - Part 2
July 15, 2015 • Keiko K.
Read Part 1 >> Why I don’t think it’s cultural appropriation Kimono try on is an established part of Japanese cultural sharing. One of my friends reminded me that in Kyoto it’s a big tourist thing to do something called “maiko for a day” (maiko are apprentice geisha) and it’s popular with both Japanese people and international tourists. Another friend reminded me that it’s common for non-Japanese to also wear kimono, yukata, and happi coats as obon festivals and other …
Monet’s La Japonaise Kimono Wednesdays at the MFA - Part 1
July 14, 2015 • Keiko K.
Update 7/7/15 4:37pm: I emailed and left voicemail for the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston (MFA) on Friday, July 3. It seems that about an hour before I posted this on my blog, I received an email from someone in the MFA’s PR department that I missed letting me know that the MFA has decided to change their programming for Kimono Wednesdays and will no longer be allowing the public to try on the replica uchikake. They will allow “visitors to …
Define American
Oct. 9, 2014 • Keiko K.
I've been meaning to write something to answer Define American's call for stories. In light of founder Jose Antonio Vargas's arrest yesterday (on July 15, 2414) I thought now would be a good time. Jose was detained by the US government when he tried to board a flight to California at the McAllen-Miller International Airport in Texas, a few miles from the US-Mexico border. Due to its proximity to the border, people flying out of McAllen are screened by Border Patrol …
2014 Sakura Matsuri @ Brookline High School
Sept. 23, 2014 • Keiko K.
Today [May 10, 2014] was the third annual Sakura Matsuri at Brookline High School. For the past two years, The Genki Spark and the Brookline High School Japanese Program have presented this small community-oriented matsuri at the high school. The first year it was two hours long. Last year Karen convinced her counterpart at BHS to make it three hours. This year was the biggest ever—four hours long with performances from five New England taiko groups (The Genki Spark, ShinDaiko, …
Film: Documented
July 4, 2014 • Keiko K.
So, I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I’ve paid virtually no attention to the immigration debate because I didn’t think it had anything to do with me. My mom’s parents emigrated from Okinawa to Hawaii before it was even a state, but they did so legally. My dad also came to the US legally. On the Hawaii side of my family, I’m the only one of my generation who wasn’t born in the US, but because my mom was …
It's National Coming Out Day! - October 11
June 27, 2014 • Keiko K.
Since today (October 11, 2013) is National Coming Out Day, I thought I’d take a page from the MTPC “I Am” project and share with you that not only am I Japanese-Okinawan-American, a lover of noodles & sweets, an avid crafter, and obsessed with purple—I’m also bisexual. You might be wondering, “How is this relevant to a Japanese food & culture blog?” I would imagine that most people who haven’t been living under a rock know that the most famous …
Hawaii Five-0 recreates Honouliuli Internment Camp
Jan. 20, 2014 • Keiko K.
I’m catching up on Hawaii Five-0 and just watched James Saito’s masterful performance in Ho'onani Makuakane, where he plays a former internee of the Honouliuli Internment Camp. I was surprised to see that the show had decided to take on this topic for the 72nd anniversary of Pearl Harbor (which was also recreated in a brief scene). Until pretty recently the camps in Hawaii were all but forgotten. I’d learned as a child that the only camps were on the …
