Mensole! Okinawa in the USA
Keiko Fukuda's seventh installment of her series on the Okinawan community in America. Reprinted from US Frontline , a free Japanese weekly magazine read by Japanese people in the United States.
Stories from this series
Part 7: "Nuchigusui," a food that supports longevity, is being popularized in America
March 29, 2008 • Keiko Fukuda
Okinawa Prefecture Tourism and Commerce Department North American Commissioned Office Yoshihiro Toume / New Issei born in Okinawa In Okinawa, there is a word called "Nuchigusui." Tome Yoshihiro, who is commissioned by the prefecture to promote Okinawan ingredients to North America, explains, "This word is the Okinawan idea that what you eat is good for your health, and it is connected to the Chinese idea that food is medicine. Okinawan cuisine has long been known as health food." We asked …
Part 6: Combining Okinawan and mainland cultures to expand business in America
March 22, 2008 • Keiko Fukuda
Executive Vice President, FAMIMA! CORPORATION Goichi Itokazu / Okinawa-born expatriate Goichi Itokazu, the CEO of FAMIMA!, a Japanese-born convenience store chain that is expanding across the US, is a resident expatriate from Okinawa FamilyMart. When he joined Okinawa FamilyMart 19 years ago, the number of stores in the prefecture was 20, but he was recognized for his ability to expand it to 200. In January 2007, he was transferred to Los Angeles to launch FAMIMA! in the US. "About four …
Part 5: Okinawa's secret karate that captured the hearts of Americans
March 15, 2008 • Keiko Fukuda
Ryueiryu Pan American Chief Instructor Tomohiro Shinjo, a Shinsei born in Okinawa Ryuei-ryu is a leading style of Okinawan karate. Tomohiro Shinjo, the leading Ryuei-ryu karate instructor in the Americas, has taught thousands of Americans since 1979. When I visited the dojo at UC San Diego, six black belt disciples were gathered there. When entering the dojo, they use Japanese words such as "Osu" and when practicing, they use "Attention," "Seiza," and "Rei" (respect the sensei). Ofira Bergman, who has …
Part 4: Editing and publishing a newspaper to inform the activities of Uchinanchu around the world
March 1, 2008 • Keiko Fukuda
Takeo Kaneshiro Born in Hawaii, second generation Japanese Takeo Kinjo, the publisher of "The Five Continents," a newspaper that reports on the trends of Okinawan immigrants, is a Los Angeles-based editor. "The Five Continents" refers to the five continents of Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia, and America, and thus represents the world.The name of the newspaper comes from the words of Hawaiian immigrant pioneer Kyuzo Toyama, "Let's go, our home is the five continents." As these words indicate, people from Okinawa …
Part 3: Interviewing the new generation of Okinawans
Feb. 24, 2008 • Keiko Fukuda
Yuko Yamauchi (OAA Office Manager) Yuko Yamauchi, OAA's office manager, was born in Okinawa and raised in the United States. After studying abroad in Okinawa for one year as an Okinawa Prefecture scholarship student, she stayed there for another five years to absorb Okinawan culture. When she returned to the United States, she had acquired not only Okinawan culture, but also Japanese language skills that allowed her to translate, and a sense of self-awareness as a member of the new …
2nd Large-scale Prefectural Association with 3,000 People
Feb. 23, 2008 • Keiko Fukuda
Okinawa Association of America Chairman Ken Kamiya / Sansei born in Hawaii There are more than 20 Okinawa Kenjinkai in the United States. The second largest after Hawaii, which has the largest number of members by far, is the Okinawa Association of America (OAA), based in Gardena, California. As of November 2007, the number of members was approximately 3,000 people and 750 households. Ken Kamiya has been the association's president since 2006. The OAA owns three buildings along Western Avenue …
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