Nikkei Chronicles
#14
Nikkei Family 2: Remembering Roots, Leaving Legacies
Baachan, grandpa, tía, irmão… our families are the starting point for who we are and who we become. Whether we follow in our parents’ footsteps or chart new directions in our lives, we are indelibly shaped by the generations that came before us. Even not knowing our family histories can profoundly shape our identities.
For Discover Nikkei’s twentieth anniversary, help us celebrate and honor Nikkei family stories in all their forms. From cherished memories to best-kept secrets, stories of struggle to legacies of strength, tell us how your family has influenced you, what you hope to pass on to future generations, and what Nikkei family means to you.
Acceptable formats include stories, essays, memoirs, and vignettes. Submissions about diverse perspectives are encouraged, including stories of cross-cultural families, reflections on unknown family histories, or tales of families other than your own.
All submissions that meet the guidelines and criteria will be published in the Discover Nikkei Journal on a rolling basis as part of this series. Multiple entries per author will be accepted.
Submissions are accepted from May 1 – September 30, 2025 at 6 p.m. PDT. Stories will be published beginning in June, so early submissions are greatly appreciated and encouraged!
Submit Your Story
Share your Nikkei Family 2 story!
Submissions will be accepted through Sept. 30, 2025, 6 p.m. PDT.
On this page
Favorites
All stories submitted that meet the project guidelines will be eligible for selection as the Nima-kai community favorite. Four additional stories (one each in English, Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese) will be selected by the editorial committee. Selected articles will be featured and professionally translated into Discover Nikkei’s other site languages.
Writing Prompts
Here are some questions to help get your ideas flowing:
- What family story has always stuck with you?
- What values did your family pass on to you? What values have you passed on or will you pass on in your family?
- Are you close to your family, or have family relationships been challenging? How has this affected you?
- What Nikkei traditions (celebrations, recipes, rituals, etc.) are important in your family?
- Why did your family migrate from Japan? How did they end up where you live today?
- What was your family’s experience during World War II?
- Have you explored your family genealogy, kamon (crest), or koseki (family registry)?
- Is your family multicultural, or do you have a chosen family?
Read stories from the original Nikkei Family: Memories, Traditions, and Values series for more inspiration!
If you have questions about whether your idea or topic is appropriate for this project, please contact us at editor@DiscoverNikkei.org.
Submission Guidelines
In order to include your story in the project, please review the following instructions:
ARTICLES
All submissions must be related to Nikkei experiences, history, and/or culture. Articles must meet the following length, format, and languages criteria:
Accepted writing formats:
Personal stories and essays, memoirs, academic papers, book reviews, and other prose genres. Poetry and video submissions will not be accepted.
Accepted file formats:
Microsoft Word documents or Google Docs. PDF and print copies will not be accepted.
Accepted languages:
English, Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese
Length:
• 600–1,500 words for English, Spanish, and Portuguese articles.
• 1,000–3,000 characters for Japanese articles.
Style:
Please italicize all foreign words.
For example: My tio Frank made a bento for lunch.
Copyright:
Previously published works are acceptable with copyright permission cleared by the author. Submissions cannot be previously published on Discover Nikkei.
All copyrights for the piece remain with the copyright owner. Upon submission, permission is granted to Discover Nikkei to publish the work on its website and with any other electronic or print publication in collaboration with the project.
Note: If you have other types of Nikkei-related stories that don’t fit within this theme, you can still submit them! Check out our regular Discover Nikkei Journal submission guidelines.
IMAGES
Please submit at least 1 image to illustrate your story. Submissions without images will not be accepted.
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Accepted file formats: .jpg, .png, or .gif
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Preferred size: 150 dpi, at least 1200 pixels on the longest side preferred. For best results, please send the largest pixel dimensions possible.
*If you do not have the capability to resize the image, send us the large file and we will do it. -
Only submit images for which you either own copyrights or have secured permission to use for this purpose.
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Provide a caption and/or photo credit for each image.
Send each image file separately. You may include images within the text file for reference and placement, but image files will additionally need to be sent as separate, individual files.
AUTHOR INFORMATION
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Submit a short bio of approximately 50–100 words (100–200 characters in Japanese) written in the same language of the article that you are submitting. If you are submitting your article in multiple languages, please send corresponding language bios for each.
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Send a portrait of the author as a .jpg, .png, or .gif file at 150 dpi, at least 500 × 500 pixels.
*The photo will be cropped to a square image. If you do not have the capability to resize or crop the image, send us the file and we will crop the image for you. -
Articles written by multiple authors are accepted. In this case, please submit a bio and portrait separately for each author.
Deadline for Submissions
The deadline for submissions is Sept. 30, 2025, 6 p.m. (PDT). Stories will be published on Discover Nikkei on a rolling basis, so don’t wait until the end to submit!
Multiple submissions are accepted; however we only accept email submissions.
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? GET WRITING AND SUBMIT YOUR WORK TO DISCOVER NIKKEI!
Disclaimer: By submitting your story, you are granting Discover Nikkei and the Japanese American National Museum permission to post your article and images on DiscoverNikkei.org, and potentially other publications in print or online affiliated with this project. This includes any translations of your work in association with Discover Nikkei. You, the writer, will retain copyright. Check Discover Nikkei’s Terms of Services and Privacy Policy for more details.
Community Partners
Hawaii United Okinawa Association
The Hawaii United Okinawa Association (HUOA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving as the umbrella organization for fifty member clubs statewide, representing over 40,000 Okinawa immigrants and descendants in Hawai‘i. HUOA’s mission is to promote, perpetuate, and preserve the Okinawan culture in Hawai‘i. HUOA hosts the annual Okinawan Festival, the biggest ethnic event in the state traditionally held on the Saturday and Sunday of Labor Day weekend. The HUOA is also a charter member of the United Japanese Society of Hawaii.
Japanese-Brazilian Cultural and Charitable Association of Curitiba - Nikkei Curitiba
Nikkei Curitiba is a Japanese-Brazilian association located in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.
National Association of Japanese Canadians
The National Association of Japanese Canadians (NAJC) was formed in 1947 to fight for the rights of 22,000 Japanese Canadians who were stripped of their rights, uprooted, dispossessed, interned/incarcerated during and after the Second World War, and exiled. The NAJC led talks for Redress, and in 1988, the Canadian government acknowledged and apologized for the injustices with a historic agreement signed on September 22, 1988. The NAJC also negotiated BC Redress with British Columbia, the provincial government, with another historic apology announced on May 21, 2022.The NAJC advances the Japanese Canadian community through human rights, community development, and strengthening networks. The NAJC supports diversity, equity, and inclusion for all communities.
Liceo Mexicano Japonés (LMJ) is a bicultural private school in Mexico City. Established in 1977, it symbolizes the enduring friendship and cooperation between Mexico and Japan. LMJ offers education for all nationalities from preschool through high school, featuring two academic sections. The Mexican Section follows the curriculum set by Mexico's Secretariat of Public Education (SEP) and the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), primarily in Spanish. The Japanese Section: Adheres to the guidelines of Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), primarily in Japanese. Recognized for its academic excellence, the school has consistently ranked among the top preparatory schools in Mexico City, as it emphasizes language learning and cultural integration. It provides students with opportunities to study Spanish, English, and Japanese, as well as clubs such as calligraphy, martial arts, and traditional tea ceremony, among other activities, like music and sports.
Editorial Committee
We're deeply grateful for the participation of our Editorial Committee:
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ENGLISH
Susan Kiyo Ito is a Sansei writer and author of the memoir, I Would Meet You Anywhere. She is most recently a contributor to The Gate of Memory: Poems by Descendants of Nikkei Wartime Incarceration. Her work has appeared in Growing Up Asian American, Hyphen, Agni, Guernica, and elsewhere. She lives in Northern California. -
JAPANESE
Ryusuke Kawai is a journalist and non-fiction writer. Born in Kanagawa Prefecture, he graduated from the Faculty of Law at Keio University and worked as a reporter for the Mainichi Shimbun before going independent. His books include Yamato Colony: Florida ni “nihon” wo nokoshita otokotachi (Yamato Colony: The Pioneers Who Brought Japan to Florida, published Junposha). He translated the monumental work of Japanese American literature, No-No Boy (Junposha). The English version of Yamato Colony won the 2021 Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore Award for the best book on ethnic groups or social issues from the Florida Historical Society. -
SPANISH
Harumi López Higa is a Peruvian film director and visual artist with Okinawan roots. She is a founding member of NUNA, the Association of Women Film Directors of Peru; a researcher at the Peruvian Japanese Academic Association; and recipient of the Nippon Foundation Nikkei Scholarship Association grant. Her work includes short films, video installations, and participatory exhibitions. Harumi’s artistic and academic practice explores themes of migration, memory, and minorities. -
PORTUGUESE
Kiyoshi Harada, a Nisei from Marília, São Paulo, is a jurist, university professor and author of 43 legal works. He founded the Brazil-Japan Institute of Comparative Law, served as Secretary General for 20 consecutive terms, and is currently a member of the Deliberative Council. Within the Nikkei community, he coordinated, among other works, O Nikkei no Brasil, which narrates the saga of Japanese immigration to Brazil until the present day, and Intercâmbio cultural Brasil-Japão, with the participation of Nikkei and non-Nikkei authors, bringing together the cream of São Paulo society, promoting the confrontation of cultures between the two countries in the most diverse areas of human knowledge.
Thanks to Jay Horinouchi for designing our logo for this series, and to our wonderful staff and volunteers who help us review, edit, upload, and promote this project!
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