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Inspire Forward: Nikkei Heroes Under 30
Politics, Taiko, and Nikkei Activism with Kota Mizutani
Introduction
Kota Mizutani grew up in rural Sonoma County, California, where he gradually became aware of Japanese American traditions that surrounded him as a child; teriyaki festivals, obons, taiko performances. He began playing taiko himself at the age of six, he told Discover Nikkei in a recent interview, and it was history and community surrounding Japanese drumming that grounded him in his Nikkei identity. These days, he is 26 years old and continues playing with Mark H Taiko in the Washington DC metro area.
He has also become a strong voice for the Japanese American community in po…
