Discover Nikkei Logo

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/1332/

What Nikkei means to her

My definition of being Nikkei is mostly through food. I think that my mother... it’s all about food. Like what are we going to eat and what are we going to bring to the table and that has always brought us together as a family—cooking food and teaching us daughters from a young age in the kitchen and sharing the food with my grandmother and everybody. And always being very proud of her Japanese heritage.


food heritage Nikkei United States

Date: April 4, 2013

Location: California, US

Interviewer: Patricia Wakida

Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum

Interviewee Bio

Francesca Biller was born in Hawai'i and raised in Southern California to a Jewish father and Japanese American mother.

She is an award winning investigative journalist, political satirist, author, and social commentator for print, radio, and television. With a background of Japanese and Jewish, she writes about her interesting background in both an introspective and humorous way and her work has been published for The Huffington Post, CNN, The Los Angeles Times, The Jewish Journal of Los Angeles, and many other publications. Awards include The Edward R. Murrow award, two Golden Mike awards, and four Society of Professional Journalists awards for Excellence in Journalism.

Biller is currently writing three books, the first a novel about the 442nd Infantry set in Hawaii, the second a compilation of humorous essays about growing up as a Japanese Jew in Los Angeles during the 1970s, and the third a Lifestyle book about how a diet of Hawaiian, Japanese, and Jewish food keeps her family healthy and happy. She is also currently on a national radio tour discussing her humorous take on politics, pop culture, and families. (August 2013)

Roberto Hirose
en
ja
es
pt
Roberto Hirose

To be more Japanese than you really are (Spanish)

(b. 1950) Nisei Chilean, Businessman

en
ja
es
pt
Roberto Hirose
en
ja
es
pt
Roberto Hirose

Nikkei vs. Nisei (Spanish)

(b. 1950) Nisei Chilean, Businessman

en
ja
es
pt
Luis Yamada
en
ja
es
pt
Luis Yamada

Suffering in World War II (Spanish)

(b. 1929) Nisei Argentinean

en
ja
es
pt
Kazuomi Takagi
en
ja
es
pt
Kazuomi Takagi

Conflicting relations between Argentina and Japan (Spanish)

(1925-2014) La Plata Hochi, Journalist

en
ja
es
pt
Kazuomi Takagi
en
ja
es
pt
Kazuomi Takagi

Argentina is my home (Spanish)

(1925-2014) La Plata Hochi, Journalist

en
ja
es
pt
Celia Oi
en
ja
es
pt
Celia Oi

Japan's impact on the image of Nikkei in Brazil (Portuguese)

Former Director, Museu Histórico da Imigração Japonesa no Brasil

en
ja
es
pt
Celia Oi
en
ja
es
pt
Celia Oi

Change in sense of Nikkei Brazilian identity over time (Portuguese)

Former Director, Museu Histórico da Imigração Japonesa no Brasil

en
ja
es
pt
Emi Kasamatsu
en
ja
es
pt
Emi Kasamatsu

Japanese language education for Paraguayan Nisei (Spanish)

Nisei Paraguayan, Researcher

en
ja
es
pt
Toshio Inahara
en
ja
es
pt
Toshio Inahara

Identified as Japanese ancestry

(b. 1921) Vascular surgeon

en
ja
es
pt
Akira Watanabe
en
ja
es
pt
Akira Watanabe

Yes, Nikkei culture exists (Spanish)

(b. 1974) Director of Ryukyu Matsuri Daiko in Peru

en
ja
es
pt
Peter Mizuki
en
ja
es
pt
Peter Mizuki

Appreciation of Japanese food

Sansei Japanese American living in Japan and Kendo practioner

en
ja
es
pt
Doris Moromisato
en
ja
es
pt
Doris Moromisato

I’m a Japanese, Peruvian… who am I? (Spanish)

(b. 1962) Peruvian Poet, Okinawan descendant

en
ja
es
pt
Doris Moromisato
en
ja
es
pt
Doris Moromisato

Being a Nikkei today (Spanish)

(b. 1962) Peruvian Poet, Okinawan descendant

en
ja
es
pt
Doris Moromisato
en
ja
es
pt
Doris Moromisato

Nikkei identity (Spanish)

(b. 1962) Peruvian Poet, Okinawan descendant

en
ja
es
pt
Doris Moromisato
en
ja
es
pt
Doris Moromisato

The myth of the sacrifice of immigrants (Spanish)

(b. 1962) Peruvian Poet, Okinawan descendant

en
ja
es
pt

Discover Nikkei Updates

SUPPORT THE PROJECT
Discover Nikkei’s 20 for 20 campaign celebrates our first 20 years and jumpstarts our next 20. Learn more and donate!
CREATIVE WRITING CONTEST
Submit a short story set in Little Tokyo to the 12th annual Imagine Little Tokyo Short Story Contest! Stories due February 28.
PROJECT UPDATES
New Site Design
See exciting new changes to Discover Nikkei. Find out what’s new and what’s coming soon!