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https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/735/

Thoughts on the term, "Nikkei"

What does Nikkei mean to me? It means an American of Japanese ancestry. Not necessarily… So then am I Japanese or am I an American when they say “Japanese American?” Japanese American National Museum. That’s interesting. I was born an American citizen. Grew up on the so-called Westside of Los Angeles, not the new Westside but the old Westside. Predominantly ethnic neighborhood. Hamburgers, hot dogs, burritos, collard greens, rice everyday growing up. All those things. Japanese language school. To me that’s all Nikkei. The language, the food, the broken Japanese, understanding what it is, the evolvement of Japanese words in American society and stuff. So all those different kinds of things are Nikkei.

So I never use the word, or it doesn’t come out of my mouth very freely in terms of using the word, “Nikkei.” I’m not sure, but I think the term Nikkei, I think I saw it within the context of the JACL. It was not necessarily brought up as much or talked about or used as much in the other Japanese American organization, religious organizations—whether it be in the Buddhist organizations or the Christian organizations. They may have used it. But for us, I didn’t necessarily use the word “Nikkei” as much. I just didn’t. I guess the Japanese would call us more Nikkei than I would call myself a Nikkei.


identity Nikkei United States

Date: October 15, 2004

Location: California, US

Interviewer: Art Hansen, Sojin Kim

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

Interviewee Bio

John Yukio “Johnny” Mori is a musician and arts educator/administrator from Los Angeles.

Born November 30, 1949, he is the second son of his Issei father and Nisei mother. As a young man, he was an early activist, draft resistor, and general hell-raiser during the Asian American Movement in the 1970s, and ran the Amerasia Bookstore in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo. The shop was a co-operative bookseller that also served as a community meeting place and political action and performing arts venue. Mori went on to travel the globe as a percussionist for the jazz-fusion band, Hiroshima, before retiring in 2003.

Mori is a seminal member of Kinnara Taiko, one of the first Japanese American taiko groups in the United States. For the past 20 years, he has also taught workshops on taiko and Japanese American culture to participants ranging from elementary school to university students. He currently serves as the Producing Director of Performing Arts at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center in Los Angeles. (June 13, 2007)

Doris Moromisato
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Doris Moromisato

Histories of immigrants (Spanish)

(b. 1962) Peruvian Poet, Okinawan descendant

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Doris Moromisato
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Doris Moromisato

The myth of the sacrifice of immigrants (Spanish)

(b. 1962) Peruvian Poet, Okinawan descendant

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Doris Moromisato
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Doris Moromisato

Paisaje terrestre [Terrestrial landscape] (Spanish)

(b. 1962) Peruvian Poet, Okinawan descendant

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Henry Suto
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Henry Suto

Fitting back into American life

(1928 - 2008) Drafted into both the Japanese Imperial Army and the U.S. Army.

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Cedrick Shimo
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Cedrick Shimo

Interpretation of Nikkei

(1919-2020) Member of the 1800th Engineering Battalion. Promoted Japan-U.S. trade while working for Honda's export division.

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Henry Suto
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Henry Suto

Identity (Japanese)

(1928 - 2008) Drafted into both the Japanese Imperial Army and the U.S. Army.

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Toshiro Konishi
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Toshiro Konishi

Integrating As First-Generation Japanese-Peruvian (Japanese)

(b. 1962) Japanese restaurant owner and chef in Peru

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Toshiro Konishi
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Toshiro Konishi

Peru Representative vs. Japan Representative (Japanese)

(b. 1962) Japanese restaurant owner and chef in Peru

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Toshiro Konishi
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Toshiro Konishi

Thoughts on Japan (Japanese)

(b. 1962) Japanese restaurant owner and chef in Peru

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Isao Taoka
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Isao Taoka

Views on Japanese Youth (Japanese)

(b. 1943) Paraguayan Ambassador to Japan

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Masakatsu Jaime Ashimine Oshiro
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Masakatsu Jaime Ashimine Oshiro

Being Nikkei: A Double Responsibility (Spanish)

(1958-2014) Former Bolivian Ambassador to Japan

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Masakatsu Jaime Ashimine Oshiro
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Masakatsu Jaime Ashimine Oshiro

The Impact of Technology in Japan (Spanish)

(1958-2014) Former Bolivian Ambassador to Japan

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Jero (Jerome Charles White Jr.)
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Jero (Jerome Charles White Jr.)

"Harebutai" (Japanese)

(b. 1981) Enka Singer

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Yoshiko Inose
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Yoshiko Inose

The Secret to Youth (Japanese)

(b.1908) Daugther of the first publisher of the Rafu Shimpo

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Margaret Kuroiwa
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Margaret Kuroiwa

Beach & America

Daughter of an Issei doctor.

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