Nima-kai
Nima-kai Search
Jun Cura-Bongolan is a Filipino yonsei born and raised in Toronto, Canada. His late grandmother was a war-displaced Japanese Filipina that had been separated from her prewar Issei father following the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during World War II. His family's tragic history encouraged him to pursue Anthropology with a Certificate in Refugee and Forced Migration Studies at York University, and continues to influence his work in community organizing around social justice issues. Currently, he is the founder and President of the Filipino-Japanese Descendants Association in Canada.
Antonio Kotaro Hayata is Nissei who was born in São Paulo and graduated in Law for São Paulo Catholic University (PUC-SP), MBA in Finance (FIA/USP). Today, he is in Japan, working at Kyodai Remittance responsible for the Brazilian market and the Nikkei Network, and in parallel as a legal translator and interpreter. He is a Lawyer from graduation, but finance executive by choice, where he led a career almost entirely focused on financial institutions, always connected with Japan. Crazy for sports in general, especially running and soccer. After the Covid-19 Pandemic, he discovered a new passion in road bike.
I was born in Argentina and I am 64 years old. My father was Japanese and my mother was Paraguayan. I live in the United States of America.
Hello! My name is Drew Yamamura and I'm currently an undergraduate student at Cal State Fullerton. As of Summer 2023, I am serving as the JANM (Japanese American National Museum) and JABA (Japanese American Bar Association) Intern. I hope to learn more all about other Nima-kai!
Yonsei Generation. Japanese,Canadian mother / Mexican father.
Lauren (Ren) Markle is the Human Resources and Finance Assistant for the Japanese American National Museum. Ren is from the island of O’ahu and relocated to Los Angeles in Spring 2023. They are a mixed Native Hawaiian, 5th generation Nikkei, and 3rd generation Taiwanese diaspora.
Husband of sansei woman. We met in college Japanese language class and married
Hi! I'm Roxsy a Latinx author/illustrator. I grew up in Merida, a tiny little town in Venezuela. My grandpa, his faithful Dachshund dog, and I enjoyed going to the Farmers Market almost every day. The endless colors of the market amazed my little girl’s heart, and I remember using my crayons until there was nothing but a chubby stump as I kept trying to sprinkle my drawings with the shops’ vibrancy. I live and breathe Children's Books because I believe they can foster community, empathy, and compassion, bringing light to the most challenging times. You can visit me at: www.roxsylin.com @roxsylin
- senior citizen - born and raised in San Francisco, CA - San Francisco State College & University of Southern California - enjoy most sporting events, landscapes/horticulture...
I am a Seattle based, hafu Shin Issei with a strong interest in JA history and literature.
Nima of the Month
Learn about some of our favorite Nima and what they like about Discover Nikkei.
David Perley is a Yonsei dentist practicing in Long Beach, California. He has been involved in the Vashon Japanese Presence Project since 2015, which examines the history of the Japanese population on Vashon situated in the Puget Sound of Washington, including their arrival, community integration, exile, and incarceration during World War II, and subsequent return to Vashon and other locations. He takes pleasure in researching family history, gardening, traveling, and watching the Dodgers.
David started sharing stories about the Nikkei community in Varshon on Discover Nikkei earlier this year, with more to come!
How did you become interested in studying the Japanese residents of Vashon Island?
My grandmother grew up on Vashon Island, and my grandparents had a farm there, so I became interested in learning about the history of the Japanese residents. I knew my grandparents, my aunt, and mother were imprisoned at Tule Lake Segregation Center and HeartMountain “Relocation Center,” but I didn’t know much else about what happened to them. I researched their lives before, during, and after their imprisonment in concentration camps and was amazed by the range of their accomplishments and the hardships they encountered. I addressed this subject in my piece “Recollections of My Grandparents”. As a result, I became interested in the stories of the other Japanese residents on Vashon. I’ve been able to connect with a few Vashon Japanese descendants in order to share my discoveries and learn more about their families.
What do you like most about Discover Nikkei?
In my opinion, Discover Nikkei’s most notable feature is its exceptional platform for individuals to share their personal experiences about their families and other Japanese cultural and historical events. I have conducted research on various subjects, including the history of the Mukai Farm & Garden, the hardships and resilience of Japanese residents on Vashon Island, Washington, during World War II, the story of my grandparents, and the alleged domestic abuse and divorce of a Japanese immigrant woman. Discover Nikkei has already published some of these topics, and more are on the horizon. Discover Nikkei is a distinctive platform that enables the compilation and appreciation of narratives from more than a thousand global authors that pertain to our Japanese heritage.
Are you a Nima*?
*The term “Nima” comes from combining Nikkei and nakama (Japanese for “colleagues”, or “fellows”, or “circle”).
Discover Nikkei Updates
Tuesday, December 9
Hosted by traci kato-kiriyama
Featuring Aaron Caycedo-Kimura, Erica Isomura, and Syd Westley