“Kuma,” A Short Story, Part 2 of 3

Koji Steven Sakai

Read Part 1 >> Eddy was a Nisei, which means second generation Japanese. In other words, his parents were born in Japan, but he was born in America and was therefore a citizen. Because he had never visited his parent’s homeland and since he couldn’t speak a word of their …

“Kuma,” A Short Story, Part 1 of 3

Koji Steven Sakai

Eddy Murakami’s 10th birthday was on July 4, 1941 and he knew he wanted a dog. He even had a name picked out already. The dog’s name was going to be Kuma, which in Japanese means, “bear.”

“Kuma,” A Short Story, Part 3 of 3

Koji Steven Sakai

Read Part 2 >> Eddy’s life changed right away. He stopped going to school and his family wasn’t allowed to leave the house at night. Eddy spent the first couple of days playing with Kuma and with Julia once she got back from school.

Book Review: “How Much Do You Love Me?” by Paul Mark Tag

Koji Steven Sakai

How Much Do You Love Me? by Paul Mark Tag is the kind of novel I usually hate.

Koji's Column

A Response To Roger Lotchins’ “There Were No Concentration Camps In America” Article

Koji Steven Sakai

The first lesson I want to teach my son is that there are idiots in the world. Lots of them. And just because you teach a class in college or you have a degree does not mean you are not an idiot. Don’t get me wrong, this is not to …

Koji's Column

Top 10 Iconic Japanese American Photos

Koji Steven Sakai

Walt Disney once said, “Of all of our inventions for mass communication, pictures still speak the most universally understood language.” Pictures tell a story that even the best writer’s words could never fully describe. That’s saying a lot coming from a writer.

APA Spotlight

Kendee Yamaguchi, Executive Director, Washington State Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs

Koji Steven Sakai

Kendee Yamaguchi is the Executive Director of the Washington State Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs. She was a director in the Office of Management and Administration at the White House. Prior to her appointment to the Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs, she worked in the Office of Public …

APA Spotlight

Marilyn Tokuda, Co-Chair, Asian Pacific American Media Coalition

Koji Steven Sakai

Marilyn Tokuda has been working for East West Players (EWP) since 2002 and is the organizations first Arts Education Director. She was one of the founding members of COLD TOFU, the first Asian American comedy group and served as its Artistic Director for six years. Marilyn also works with Oku …

APA Spotlight

Lucy Walker, Director of The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom

Koji Steven Sakai

Being that my mother is from Japan, I feel a connection to that country that many Japanese Americans do not. So when the earthquake/tsunami/nuclear disaster hit in March, I felt it in my gut. I was worried not only about my relatives but also friends and strangers alike. At home, …

APA Spotlight

Frank Abe of Conscience and the Constitution

Koji Steven Sakai

The generally accepted Japanese American narrative goes something like this: We came to this country. There was discrimination. Then Pearl Harbor happened. We went peacefully to the concentration camps and then while there we remained docile and peaceful. Some fought bravely in Europe and helped win the respect of the …