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Mitch Homma @mhomma

My name is Mitch Homma. I’m a sansei who grew up and still resides in Southern California. In addition to working as a software and aerospace engineer for a small Chantilly, Virginia based company, my interests include Japanese history and Christianity in Japan. In my spare time, I work on publishing some family items that I believe are important to history and hope it inspires other to do the same. I contribute to three different Discover Nikkei albums which are based on my family’s photo albums, documents, and stories. My current albums contain items from Amache and Heart Mountain Internment Camps as well as Gardena Valley Baptist Church, which 4 generations of family attended. The Amache and Heart Mountain albums are being updated as I come across related photos while still searching through hundreds of photos in boxes. I am also working on two other albums which may be published in the future. Both albums are based on recently uncovered photos and documents. One collection is based on Christianity in Japan (1890-1930) and the pre-WWII Southern California Japanese Christian Federation of churches. The second documents my 2008 trip back to Japan and Amache to see my family history first hand. This album includes pre-WWII and today’s photos of my family’s sites, Japan relatives, and finally my father and his sibling’s emotional closure when visiting Amache during JANM’s Enduring Communities Conference field trip.

Torrance, California, United States of America Nima since 2006 last login 4 weeks ago
Nima of the Month Learn about some of our favorite Nima and what they like about Discover Nikkei.
Will Scott @corinadelfuego

Will Scott is a young filmmaker in Los Angeles, California. Will was born and raised in Los Angeles by two hapa parents from Hawai‘i. He studied film at the New School in Manhattan before returning to California to pursue a career in film and music. Will enjoys biking, camping, playing ping pong, and going to jazz shows.

Will began volunteering with Discover Nikkei this past summer as a video editor. He’s already edited a number of videos to help promote our current initiatives, including for our Pass the Food project and Nikkei Names 2 series. We’re so thankful to Will for all his great work!

What do you like most about volunteering for Discover Nikkei?

My favorite thing about volunteering for Discover Nikkei is getting to learn about peoples’ life stories from around the world and help share those stories with others. As I’ve grown older, I’ve learned the importance of community and storytelling, especially in an increasingly individualistic society. I am grateful to have found the community of Discover Nikkei and am always excited to help expand and foster that community.

How do you connect to your Nikkei identity?
I often feel removed from my Japanese heritage and have had to find ways to connect with Japanese culture on my own, most often through my artwork. I’ve always loved the aesthetics of Japanese art, from textiles to old samurai films to koto music to anime and manga. I love exploring these art forms both in my own practice as well as learning about the history of them.

Whenever I visit my extended family in Hawai‘i, I love to be a little nosy and go through my grandparents’ Japanese trinkets and ask them about their stories and significance.

My grandmother has a lot of Japanese fabric from the fabric store she used to run, and I love going through the patterns and the clothes she made with her and learning about all the different sewing techniques she uses.

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Discover Nikkei Updates

NIKKEI NAMES 2
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NIMA VOICES
Episode 17
November 12
5pm PDT | 7pm PET
Featured Nima:
Graciela Nakachi
Guest Host:
Enrique Higa

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