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We’re celebrating Discover Nikkei’s 10th anniversary!

Discover Nikkei has grown tremendously since its official site launch at the end of March 2005. Thank you so much for supporting the project! We hope you continue to participate and engage with our global Nima-kai online community through the project.

In the past ten years, we have been thankful to share so many wonderful stories about Nikkei around the world. What has been just as exciting for us though, is hearing how our project has impacted and connected individuals and organizations. Our global network—the Discover Nikkei Nima-kai community—has connected, and in some cases reconnected, people around the world.

To celebrate our 10th anniversary, we would love to hear from you! Check back as we post a new question each month through March 2016. We hope you participate and use this as an opportunity to “meet” your fellow Nima.

Thank you to all of our site contributors, volunteers, editors, partners, consultants, mentors, staff, and supporters. Thanks to all of you who have helped us just by reading and appreciating the stories, commenting, or sharing them with others. We are especially grateful to The Nippon Foundation for their generous support which enabled us to develop, grow, and maintain the site. Without everyone’s support, we would not have accomplished this much!

We look forward to the next 10 years with you!

—The Discover Nikkei Team

What is your favorite “Nikkei” food?

Food is a universal interest, and Japanese food has become internationally popular. “Nikkei food” is not necessarily the same as “Washoku” Japanese traditional food. Many Nikkei adapted local ingredients and tastes to develop their own recipes and styles. In 2012, Discover Nikkei solicited articles about Nikkei food culture and received many great stories. (“ITADAKIMASU! A Taste of Nikkei Culture”)

What is your favorite “Nikkei” food? Please tempt us with delicious-looking photos of your favorite Nikkei foods!

Photo: My gastronomic habits in Brazil” (Journal)

Post your responses below!

Do you know?

Thank you very much to everyone who submitted a story(ies) to Nikkei Chronicles #4: Nikkei Family: Memories, Traditions, and Values and for supporting this series. We received 25 articles (17 English, 2 Japanese, 4 Spanish, and 2 Portuguese) from the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, and Peru.
Read the Nikkei Family story now!! 

Do you know?

In spring 2015, we began making major improvements to our Journal section. The redesign, the first major update since 2009, includes new features that make it easier to find stories in your languages.

Do you know?

Discover Nikkei has many participating organizations around the world that contribute content to the site. Of these, Asociación Peruano Japonesa has contributed the most articles to our Journal section.

Read their stories now!

Do you know?

Discover Nikkei’s longest running series is “My Name is Neal” by Neal Yamamoto. The first cartoon was published on November 24, 2007 and still continues to share a new comic every Saturday! As of May 2015, 393 comics are available!

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In Discover Nikkei’s Events section, you can find out about upcoming events around the world. Many of our partnering organizations like the APA Institute at NYU, Centro Nikkei Argentino, and the Japanese American Museum of San Jose regularly post information about events in their areas.

As an added incentive, Discover Nikkei will tweet about your event on Twitter. Share your own community’s Nikkei events!

Do you know?

As of May 2015, Discover Nikkei has shared over 1,200 video clips from over 150 life history interviews with individuals from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Japan, Paraguay, Peru, and the United States.

Do you know?

Nikkei: Japanese emigrants and their descendants who have created communities throughout the world.

Discover Nikkei’s definition for “Nikkei” is based on the findings from the Japanese American National Museum’s International Nikkei Research Project (1998–2001). The international network brought together for the INRP (more than 100 scholars from 10 countries and 14 participating institutions) and their research findings were the foundations for the Discover Nikkei project.

What is “Nikkei” »

Do you know?

Discover Nikkei is very active on social media. Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook to be updated on new stories, events, and more.

Do you know?

Did you know that Brazil has the largest population of Nikkei in the world? Official migration began with the arrival of the Kasato-maru which arrived in Port Santos on June 18, 1908, with 781 Japanese immigrants.

On Discover Nikkei, you can watch clips from an interview with Ryoichi Kodama, who arrived on the Kasato-maru

Watch the interview »

Do you know?

Discover Nikkei currently has at least one story about Nikkei in each of the following countries: Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Canada, Cambodia, Columbia, Dominica Republic, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Spain, and the United States.

Do you know?

Discover Nikkei is a unique space where Nikkei communities around the world can connect. When the Great Tohoku Kanto earthquake and tsunami hit Japan in 2011, we asked our Nima-kai community to share their reactions and perspectives. We continue to present stories in this series as Nikkei provide updates on their efforts to support the affected communities in Japan.

Kizuna: Nikkei Stories from the 2011 Japan Earthquake & Tsunami »

Do you know?

When Cole Kawana was in the 6th grade, he developed a simple video tutorial on how to conduct your own oral history interview. This tutorial is available on Discover Nikkei to encourage people of all ages and skill levels to take an active role in preserving our community stories.

Do you know?

Discover Nikkei’s Taiko Groups database was an early addition to the site in 2005. The interface and functionality has improved over time, making it easier for taiko groups from around the world to share information, photos, videos, and events about their groups.

If your group would like to be added, please contact us at Editor@DiscoverNikkei.org.