Nima-kai
Nima-kai Search
Volunteer for Discover Nikkei. Content creator on Twitch [twitch.tv/juniepat] & YouTube [youtube.com/c/JuniepatTV].
I’m a Yonsei, occasional artist and writer, and full-time Digital Program Manager at the Japanese American National Museum. I was born in Los Angeles and have lived in Southern California almost my entire life. I am fluent in English, can understand about 80% of conversational Japanese, and don’t know any Spanish or Portuguese (although after having worked on Discover Nikkei for so long, would like to learn someday). I love working in Little Tokyo and living in Gardena. Both areas give me wonderful access to Japanese/Nikkei food, community, and culture. I bowl in a Nikkei league once a week, and spend my free time eating, sleeping, playing on my phone and computer, rooting for the Dodgers, watching TV and reading, spending time with family and friends, and traveling. I love working on Discover Nikkei and learning about so many different Nikkei experiences around the world!
A Japanese who lives in Los Angeles. Project manager for the Discover Nikkei Web site at the Japanese American National Museum.
The largest museum in the United States dedicated to sharing the experience of Americans of Japanese ancestry as an integral part of U.S. history. Visit janm.org to learn more about our exhibitions, public programs, and projects.
Chris Komai is a freelance writer who has been involved in Little Tokyo for five decades. He was the Public Information Officer of the Japanese American National Museum for over 21 years, where he handled publicity for the organization’s special events, exhibitions and public programs. Prior to that, Komai worked for the Japanese-English newspaper The Rafu Shimpo for 18 years as a sports writer, sports editor and English editor. Komai also serves on the Little Tokyo Community Council Board, the Little Tokyo Public Safety Association Board and the Keiro Foundation Board. He has been a member of the Southern California Nisei Athletic Union Board for basketball and baseball for 40 years. Komai is one of the founders of the Nikkei Basketball Heritage Association (NBHA), which seeks to connect JA basketball history to the current players and their families. He earned a B.A. degree in English from the University of California at Riverside.
I'm Brazilian and forth generation nikkei (yonsei), journalist and blogger/vlogger (travel and Japanese culture). I've worked with the Japanese community and I think it's important to publish about the culture of the country where my family came from.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, California. Retired from both the U.S Air Force and local government. A Sansei whose parents were incarcerated at Heart Mountain, Wyoming (father) and Rohwer, Arkansas (mother).
I'm Kiyone (清音), and I'm very interested in the incarceration of Japanese Americans. I want to write about them because it's especially important to write about their experience, given what's happening in this country. We must never forget our history. I try to write about their experience, whether it's about the internment/incarceration camps or about their experiences before and after World War II, as my own mother's family was incarcerated, and their stories are close to my heart. Otherwise, I'm a mix of Japanese and Filipino descent, and I value my heritage. It informs my life experiences, and that's why I'm here writing this.
244 South San Pedro Street, Los Angeles CA 90012 info@jaccc.org | (213) 628-2725 | jaccc.org The Japanese American Cultural & Community Center weaves Japanese and Japanese American arts and culture into the fabric of our communities. JACCC remains firmly rooted in Little Tokyo, providing a vital place to build connections between people and cultures, locally and internationally. Through programs and authentic experiences, we continue our living traditions and nurture the next generation of innovative artists, culture-bearers, and thinkers.
Discover Nikkei’s administrator account. We share Discover Nikkei programs, events, and important site updates. If you have questions or are interested in becoming more involved, please reach out to us at Editor@DiscoverNikkei.org.
Konrad Aderer is a filmmaker based in New York. Much of Konrad’s independent work (lifeorliberty.org) has focused on communities targeted by anti-immigrant policies, including Resistance at Tule Lake, on the segregation camp for Japanese Americans who refused to affirm "loyalty" questions forced on them in detention, and Enemy Alien, a documentary on the fight to free a post-9/11 detainee, a struggle which compels Konrad to confront his own family history of World War II internment. Currently Konrad is directing They Took My Father Too, a film adaptation of a Japanese-language short story by Fujiwo Tanisaki, on a Little Tokyo family's struggle to preserve their values in the last days before the erasure of their community and culture. Konrad’s work has been supported by the Japanese American Confinement Sites grant program of the National Park Service, Center for Asian American Media, New York State Council of the Arts, the Fledgling Fund, and other funders. He holds a Masters in Sociology from Brooklyn College and a B.F.A. in Drama from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Konrad received his first video production training at Third World Newsreel and the rest on the job.
We are an organization that is committed to preserving, promoting and sharing Japanese and Japanese American culture and heritage. Mission To build and grow a central gathering place for sharing and promoting Japanese and Japanese American culture and heritage. Description To learn more about our programs and activities please visit our website at http://www.jcccw.org/ Like us on Facebook or follow us on Instagram!
*Sansei *Born in Toronto *Grandparents are from Shiga and Kumamoto kens* Families were interned in Kaslo, Bayfarm and on a Manitoba beet farm * Lived in Sendai, Japan from 1994 to 2004 * Teacher in Brampton, ON * Aikidoka * Writer for the Nikkei Voice for close to 20 years * Writer of "Canadian Nikkei series" which aims at preserving Canadian Nikkei stories. Future of the community? It depends on how successful we are in engaging our youth. The University of Victoria's (BC) Landscapes of Injustice project is a good one.... gambatte kudasai!
Steering committee of Washin Kai (Friends of Classical Japanese at University of Washington)
Luci Júdice Yizima, Journalist and Photographer, Teaches Brazilian Gastronomy (homemade food and typical food) for Orientals, Oriente-se Portal, Volunteer Photographer in Oriental charitable entities, Works at Editora União Nikkey Ltda (Nikkey Shimbun and Jornal Nippak newspapers and collaborator of Jornal da Liberdade (Newspaper of the Liberdade neighborhood in São Paulo - Brazil).
I was born in Tokyo. I work as a tour guide for Brazilian and Portuguese customers. I love flowers, especially the beautiful Jacaranda flowers. My dream is to go to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Of course, I'll be rooting for Samurai Japan!
Docent at the Japanese American National Museum since 2010, The Gamble House in Pasadena, and The Shoya House of The Huntington Library. Jazz Musian / The Jazz Compass Band San Jose State University / Advertising Major / worked in Advertising agencies
Born in São Paulo, Brazil, Edson A. Kodama is Architect graduated at Mackenzie University and held scholarship at Kagoshima University at the prefecture of his ancestors. Alumni of AOTS-Association of Overseas Technical Scholarship, Kodama worked at Nikken Sekkei LTD in Osaka as architect before returning to his home town to join as partner at an architectural project and construction office, Sekkei Arquitetura e Construção Ltda. Former member of Brazil Baseball National Team, in 1993 he was elected president of JCI Brazil-Japan in São Paulo, he then held several positions at JCI-Junior Chamber International World Headquarters in Chesterfield, St. Louis County, Missouri, USA, holding the position of the Secretary General of the worldwide organization from 2004 until 2013. Kodama is member of the Board of Directors of St. Louis Japanese Language School and member of International Council at University of Missouri, St. Louis. Former Counselor of International Development at Saraya Co. Ltd and worked in the expansion of the group through Latin America and the group relations with WHO-World Health Organization, United Nations and its agencies. He lives in White Plains, New York, USA with his wife Cristina (Brazilian Nikkey Sansei) and have a daughter Naomi who lives in Brooklyn, NY (Nikkey, born in Miami, FL, USA). Currently he is the representative of SARAYA Co. Ltd/Japan for Brazil and Director of 3JP Solutions in São Paulo, Brazil.
Nima of the Month
Learn about some of our favorite Nima and what they like about Discover Nikkei.
Matthew Sueda is a Yonsei based in Hawaiʻi. Matt began volunteering for Discover Nikkei in late 2024 and has written stories about Issei photographer George Masa, an exhibition about ceramicist and educator Minnie Negoro, and Amy “Emiko” Hever, the Executive Director of the Major League Baseball Players Trust.
Matt works in tourism management with a focus on destination stewardship. He holds degrees from the University of Tokyo and from Swarthmore College, where he majored in Japanese. He also volunteers with the Hawaiʻi Japanese Center, supporting its archival and exhibition efforts.
What do you like most about Discover Nikkei?
Discover Nikkei provides a thoughtful space for voices from across the global Nikkei community. I appreciate the platform’s attention to context and the way it highlights both shared heritage and individual journeys. Interviewing people from different walks of life and learning from their stories has been a privilege, and I look forward to contributing more in the future.
How do you connect to your Nikkei identity?
I connect to my Nikkei identity through language and the community histories around me. Volunteering with the Hawaiʻi Japanese Center has given me a chance to work with documents and artifacts that reflect the everyday lives of Hawaiʻi’s Nikkei families. Many of these materials are in Japanese, and engaging with them has helped me better understand the challenges and hopes of earlier generations. It’s been a grounding experience and a reminder that our stories are interconnected.
Are you a Nima*?
*The term “Nima” comes from combining Nikkei and nakama (Japanese for “colleagues”, or “fellows”, or “circle”).
Discover Nikkei Updates
Guest host Tamlyn Tomita chatted with actor Christopher Sean in the latest episode of Nima Voices about his background, acting, and community involvement.
WATCH NOW!
Tuesday, December 9
Hosted by traci kato-kiriyama. Featuring Aaron Caycedo-Kimura, Erica Isomura, and Syd Westley