On Nikkei
What is Nikkei? Ryusuke Kawai, a non-fiction writer who translated "No-No Boy," covers a variety of topics related to Nikkei, including people, history, books, movies, and music, focusing on his own involvement with Nikkei.
Stories from this series
Part 8: Vladivostok, the footsteps of Japanese
May 27, 2022 • Ryusuke Kawai
The relationship between Japan and Russia has worsened since Russia invaded Ukraine in February this year, and the places and people associated with the history of Japan and Russia must be feeling complicated. This occurred to me while on a reporting trip along the coastline of the Hokuriku region recently. The trip started in Niigata City and we drove along the coastline of Toyama, Ishikawa, and Fukui. On the way, we went around the Noto Peninsula and visited Rokkozaki at …
No. 7: Yokohama Overseas Migration Museum, Renewal
May 13, 2022 • Ryusuke Kawai
A clue to understanding immigration and Nikkei The JICA Yokohama Overseas Migration Museum, known as a unique institution that exhibits materials related to migration and immigration, has recently reopened after renovation. The basic exhibits remain the same as before, introducing the history of immigrants who moved to North and South America from the Meiji era onwards, as well as the actual work and life conditions in their new homes. However, the use of images and videos has made the exhibits …
Part 6: Searching for Roots - Texas and Fukuyama Edition -
April 22, 2022 • Ryusuke Kawai
Before the war, Japanese immigrants to America were generally employed as laborers in states on the West Coast. However, looking across the country, there were also rare cases of Japanese immigrants who were self-employed, such as in the form of settlement businesses. One of these was the Yamato Colony, established in southern Florida at the beginning of the 20th century, but looking at states individually, the most active settlement project was in Texas, also in the south. Before the Russo-Japanese …
Part 5: Searching for Roots - Florida and Hyogo
April 8, 2022 • Ryusuke Kawai
When I interview Japanese Americans, I always want to ask them questions like, "Do you know where your roots are in Japan?" or, "Which part of Japan are your roots?" This is because I think that if I were born in America as a Japanese American, at some point I would want to know where my roots are. For Japanese people, even if you trace back history as far as you can, it is natural that their roots are somewhere …
Part 4: "Japanese-Americans" and Music Culture
March 25, 2022 • Ryusuke Kawai
What is Nikkei? There are many themes that can make you think about this, such as politics, economics, sports, and food culture, but what will become clear if you focus on music? The answer to such an intriguing question emerges from the book "Music Culture of American Nikkei Society: A Hundred Years of Border Crossers" (Kyokubun) recently published by Professor Waseda Minako of the National College of Music, who has been researching this field for many years, a field that …
Vol. 3: Jack Shirai and the Volunteer Soldier
March 11, 2022 • Ryusuke Kawai
Volunteering for the Foreign Legion An event bigger than the COVID-19 news that is reported almost every day on the front pages has occurred: Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Some media outlets have described it as a "war," but this is a one-sided invasion and a genocide against the local people. Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, most of the world's public opinion has condemned Russia and offered various forms of support to Ukraine, including through nation-states, NGOs, and individuals, …
