Keiko Fukuda
@fukudaAfter graduating from International Christian University, Keiko Fukuda worked at a publishing company for an information magazine in Tokyo and moved to the U.S. in 1992. She served as Editor-in-Chief of a Japanese information magazine in Los Angeles until 2003 and transitioned to freelance work that same year. She conducted interviews with various people and reported on topics such as education in the U.S. and Japanese food culture. In 2024, she relocated her base to her hometown of Oita and has continued her reporting and writing online. Website: https://angeleno.net
Updated October 2024
Stories from This Author
Spreading Japanese kimono culture to the world: Costume designer/fashion stylist/kimono dresser Sueko Oshimoto ~ Part 2
Nov. 12, 2014 • Keiko Fukuda
Read Part 1 >> With pride and spirit as a traditional cultural artist In 2010, Oshimoto launched the Suehiro Kimono Agency in partnership with Kentaro Terauchi to promote kimono around the world. At the time, Terauchi asked her, "What do you want to do in the future?" and she immediately replied, "Well, I want to do costume design." With the goal of designing costumes incorporating kimonos that would be popular not only in America but around the world, Oshimoto began …
Spreading Japanese kimono culture to the world: Costume designer/fashion stylist/kimono dresser Sueko Oshimoto ~ Part 1
Nov. 11, 2014 • Keiko Fukuda
A dynamic take on the kimono: designing costumes for Miss Universe When I was shown the photo, my eyes were glued to it. An Asian woman in a gorgeous long-sleeved kimono in orange, yellow, and blue, carrying a huge fan over her shoulder. It is clearly not a traditional Japanese kimono, but at the same time, it has a strong presence without losing any dignity. It was a photo of a costume designed by costume designer Oshimoto Sueko for Miss …
Appealing to Angelinos about "Nagoya" - The 1st Nagoya Day Held
Sept. 26, 2014 • Keiko Fukuda
Los Angeles' first sister city There may be quite a few Japanese people living in the US who know that Los Angeles and Nagoya are sister cities. However, it is doubtful whether Angelinos (people of Los Angeles) are aware of the sister city relationship. In other words, Los Angeles is famous from Nagoya or Japan, but Angelinos know very little about Nagoya. It is a sad, unrequited love for Nagoya. Moreover, Nagoya is the first sister city of Los Angeles, …
A man who fought against the California Alien Land Law: The story of Sei Fujii – “Lil Tokyo Reporter” - Interviews with the production team and cast members - Part 4
Sept. 15, 2014 • Keiko Fukuda
Read Part 3 >> Film editor: Chisako YokoyamaPublicist: Takamichi Go “You might think of short films as some kind of amateur work, but ‘Lil Tokyo Reporter’ was different. Their camerawork was extremely professional and its high quality made me want to get involved,” said Chisako Yokoyama, a film editor, as she recalled the time when Director Jeffrey Gee Chin showed her the unedited film. With more than twenty years of experience in the industry, Chisako is the one and only …
A man who fought against the California Alien Land Law: The story of Sei Fujii “Lil Tokyo Reporter” - Interviews with the production team and cast members - Part 3
Sept. 8, 2014 • Keiko Fukuda
Read Part 2 >> Actor: Eijiro Ozaki “Lil Tokyo Reporter” is a film led by a Chinese-American director, a third-generation Japanese-American producer and a lead actor. Since the story depicted the lives of first-generation immigrants, I was a little worried about the authenticity of the Japanese language spoken by actors, but there was nothing unnatural about their speech. I shouldn’t have worried at all in the first place. However, later I found out that they had the support from a …
A man who fought against the California Alien Land Law: The story of Sei Fujii “Lil Tokyo Reporter” - Interviews with the production team and cast members - Part 2
Sept. 1, 2014 • Keiko Fukuda
Read Part 1 >> Executive producer: Fumiko Carole FujitaDirector and scriptwriter: Jeffrey Gee ChinLeading actor: Chris Tashima Playing the lead, Sei Fujii, in “Lil Tokyo Reporter” is a third-generation Japanese-American actor and director, Chris Tashima. He found himself strongly attracted to the script. “Since it was a prewar story, I read the script without any prior knowledge. I didn’t know about Sei Fujii either. But the script was exceptionally good and the theme was just great. I felt like I …
A man who fought against the California Alien Land Law: The story of Sei Fujii “Lil Tokyo Reporter” - Interviews with the production team and cast members - Part 1
Aug. 25, 2014 • Keiko Fukuda
Executive producer: Fumiko Carole FujitaDirector and scriptwriter: Jeffrey Gee Chin As a “new” Issei (first-generation Japanese immigrant), my life in America is all-too-peaceful, without any encounter with discrimination or inconvenience. Perhaps the only thing is my lack of English vocabulary, since English is not my native language. Aside from the well-known fact about the experience of Japanese-Americans during the World War II, the fact that they were deprived of all property and imprisoned in internment camps, the first-generation immigrants (or …
Three years after the Great East Japan Earthquake: Interview with Yoshihito Yonezawa the President of the Nanka Miyagi Kenjin Kai - Part 2
March 10, 2014 • Keiko Fukuda
Read part 1 >> Stood speechless at the sight of disaster areas: We will keep doing what we can Soon we will observe the third anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake. In the faraway land of America, the Nanka (Southern California) Miyagi Kenjinkai has been engaging in charity activities with their heart all going out to their hometown. While it’s not a big organization, with 100 family units, so far they have collected nearly $160,000—the achievement which no doubt …
Three years after the Great East Japan Earthquake: Interview with Yoshihito Yonezawa the President of the Nanka Miyagi Kenjin Kai - Part 1
March 3, 2014 • Keiko Fukuda
“I was so touched by people’s kindness I wanted to do all that I could to help others” The Great East Japan Earthquake has become an unprecedented disaster. Nearly three years have passed since the day of March 11, 2011. There was a widespread call for support all over the world in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake; and in California, too, the Miyagi Kenjinkai, under the direction of president Yoshihito Yonezawa, actively launched and expanded its charity drive. Japan …
Shinobu Ichiyanagi – Master of Candy Crafts "Amezaiku" Artist who Captured American Heart with Traditional Japanese Performing Art
Dec. 18, 2013 • Keiko Fukuda
Working His Way up from Swap Meets to Private Celebrity PartiesAmezaiku (candy crafts) is a piece of artistry which transforms soft candy into intricate shapes of animals and many other objects. While we can clearly picture its process in our head, we can’t quite remember whether we have seen it on TV or in real life—a possible proof of just how rare a traditional Japanese art of amezaiku has become. Currently based in Los Angeles, Shinobu “Shan” Ichiyanagi inspires America …
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