[EN] Discover Nikkei has been a great partner for The North American Post in sharing editorial content. This website has various topics, stories, and journals that are contributed to by experienced writers around the world, and The North American Post readers can enjoy articles they do not usually find in local media. We have found this website to be an important tool in understanding the legacy and present situation of the Nikkei community in each region. We are looking forward to working even more closely in this partnership with Discover Nikkei.

Read stories from The North American Post [Partially EN and JA] >>

[EN] I didn’t know Discover Nikkei existed, but when Yoko Nishimura wanted to republish my article on grandfather Isaburo’s charcoal kiln restoration project, I found a wonderful website! It was amazing to read stories about other Nikkei from other parts of the world. I especially enjoyed finding out that there were Nikkei living in Cuba! I travelled to South America and I heard that Sao Paulo had many Nikkei, as well as Peru to some extent. However, I didn’t realize that they were forced to relocate. I didn’t know that Peruvian Nikkei were sent to Texas and other states. I saw parallels with the Peruvian Nikkei when they weren’t welcomed back to Peru.

I have many pins and stories of the 442nd RCT, therefore, I really enjoyed the personal stories of these heroes. I watched the movie Go For Broke with Van Johnson back in the early 1950s. The more I read and saw a documentary about them, the more they were heroes of mine. I feel that I know so much more about the Nikkei history of the world. I hope to keep finding many more interesting stories in DN. Very educational for sure.

Read his stories [EN] >>

[EN] Discover Nikkei is a fantastic platform for all people with an interest in the unique culture and history of the broad Japanese diaspora; it is the first hub that I’ve experienced that draws “us” together with our South American “cousins”. We are a truly global family with many links in the traditions that many of us still practice at home (many without ever realizing that certain habits have old roots in Japan).

Read his stories [EN] >>

[EN] I was born and raised in the city of Hamamatsu, the place that’s known to have the highest population of Japanese Brazilians in Japan. I spent three years in Brazil taking part in JICA volunteer activities which has led me to write a column series on Discover Nikkei, an online project of the Japanese American National Museum. America is where my great-grandfather immigrated in the Meiji era and where my grandfather was born. I’ve been to the West coast about four times so far, and in every visit I felt a sense of excitement just to know that my family had their roots there.

It’s not just in America or Brazil, but Nikkei stories can be found in many places. It’s my great pleasure to be part of such a site that introduces Nikkei history, and I’m sure that my family members in heaven above are happy for me, too. I will keep learning on the site and give information about the Nikkei community from my own experience. Yoroshiku!

Read his stories [JA & PT] >>

[JA] 日本で最も日系ブラジル人が多く住む浜松市で生まれ育った私が、ブラジルでの３年間のJICAボランティア活動を行ったことがきっかけで、全米日系人博物館のサイトディスカバーニッケイでコラムを書かせていただいています。アメリカは、曾祖父が明治時代に移民として渡った地であり、祖父が生まれた地でもあります。私自身も４回ほど西海岸を訪問したことがありますが、家族のルーツがここにあるというだけでいつもわくわくします。

アメリカやブラジルだけでなく各地に日系人のストーリーがあります。そんな歴史を紹介するこのサイトに参加できたことは私にとって大きな喜びであり、天国にいる私の家族たちも喜んでいると思います。これからもこのサイトでいろいろな情報を吸収し、また自分が見てきた日系社会の情報を発信していきたいと思います。今後ともどうぞよろしく！

Read his stories [JA & PT] >>

[PT] Sou nascido e criado na cidade de Hamamatsu, onde se concentra o maior número de Nikkeis brasileiros no Japão; morei no Brasil durante três anos trabalhando como voluntário da JICA, fato que me levou a conhecer o Museu Nacional Nipo-Americano, em cujo site Discover Nikkei estou colaborando atualmente. Os Estados Unidos é a terra para onde imigrou o meu bisavô na Era Meiji, e também onde nasceu o meu avô. Eu mesmo já visitei a costa oeste dos Estados Unidos cerca de quatro vezes e, toda vez, fico emocionado ao pensar que as raízes de minha família estão nessa terra.

Não só nos Estados Unidos e Brasil, mas em vários lugares existem histórias de Nikkeis. Para mim é uma grande alegria poder participar de um site que divulga essa rica história e, ao mesmo tempo, acho que os meus familiares que partiram para a eternidade também estão felizes. Espero continuar assimilando informações diversas através do site, além de transmitir os conhecimentos que obtive em contato com a sociedade Nikkei. A todos, meus melhores cumprimentos!

Leia seus artigos [PT & JA] >>

[ES] Lo que más me gusta de Descubra a los Nikkei es la serie Crónicas Nikkei en donde tocaron el tema de la “familia nikkei”. Hay muchos recuerdos con los que he podido identificarme y que me trajeron a la memoria recuerdos demi infancia, cuando vivía junto con mi abuela. Revivir viejas costumbres que con el tiempo hemos olvidado, ha sido muy gratificante.

Lea sus artículos >>

[EN] What I have liked the most on Discover Nikkei is Nikkei Chronicles 4: Nikkei Family. There were many stories that I could identify with, that brought back memories from my childhood when I lived with my grandmother. It was very gratifying to revisit old customs that were almost forgotten over time.

Read her stories >>

[JA] 1998年に日本語教師を始めてから、ずっと日系人を対象に教えてきて、彼らとの関わりは随分長くなりました。メキシコ、アメリカ、ブラジル、どの国でもそこの社会にしっかり根付いて生きているたくましい彼らを、同じ日本人として誇らしく思います。しかし日本では、日系人を知る機会は残念ながら多いとは言えません。ここに投稿するコラムを通して、少しでも多くの方に、日系人のことを知っていただけると嬉しく思います。

彼女のエッセイを読む ＞＞

[EN] Since I started working as a Japanese language teacher in 1998, I've taught many Nikkei people and learned much about their lives. As someone of the same descent, I have much respect for the resilient Nikkei people, who have established their own way of life whether they are in Mexico, America, or Brazil. In Japan, people rarely get a chance to learn about the Nikkei. I hope to share their stories through my posts here as much as possible.

Read her stories here >> (Japanese only)

[ES] Como profesor e investigador de la emigración japonesa a América, la plataforma de Discover Nikkei se ha convertido en una herramienta de investigación y de consulta permanente. Los artículos publicados, además de ser interesantes, se encuentran siempre muy bien ilustrados e informados. No dejo de recomendarla a mis alumnos y a las personas que se interesan en la historia de la comunidad nikkei.

Read his stories here >>

[ES] Lo que más me gusta de Discover Nikkei son las historias referidas a la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Me interesa conocer cómo la guerra afectó la vida de los descendientes de japoneses en América, las deportaciones, su vida en los campos de internamiento y después de ser liberados. Me gustan las historias individuales, con nombres, con rostros, con voces que nos conmueven.

Lea sus artículos >>

[EN] I'm interested in learning about how the war affected the lives of Japanese descendants in America—the deportations, life in the internment camps, and after they were released. I like the personal stories, with names, faces, and voices that are emotionally moving.

Read his stories here >>

Nikkei Chronicles #3: Nikkei Names: Taro, John, Juan, João? is one of my favorite series because I am fascinated by name culture in Japan and among Nikkei. I recently read on Discover Nikkei about a Peruvian artist named Eduardo Tokeshi. He may be distantly related to a former Imperial Valley Nisei I knew named Edward Tokeshi. Another feature of Discover Nikkei that I greatly enjoy is the book reviews. Although it is not necessarily good for my wallet because every time I read a review, I end up having to buy another book!

Read TKA's stories here >>

[JA] 「多文化化の著しい日本について学校の授業でどう教えればよいか」について考えるときに，「アメリカで日系人はどう教えられているか」について調べることにした頃，Discover Nikkeiの企画が持ち上がっていました。今なお全米日系人博物館で売られている日本語のブックレット，『日系アメリカ人の歴史 ― アメリカに渡った日系移民の歩み ― Japanese American Historical Overview』を共同で執筆する機会もいただきました。

中学生の時に加藤秀俊の『ホノルルの街かどから』に魅了されて，ハワイに住んでこのようなエッセイが書けたらいいなあと思い続けていたら，ハワイに二度にわたり住むことになり，現地の日系社会に深く引きずり込まれることになりました。そして，そこで見聞きしたことをエッセイにまとめるチャンスが訪れたのです。日本人とハワイの日系人を見比べながら，日本文化と日系文化についてお伝えできたらと思っています。

skawa2440kuhioのストーリーを読む >>

[EN] When I was thinking about how to teach schoolchildren about Japan so rapidly becoming multicultural, I decided to do some research on how Nikkei children are taught in America. It was around the same time that the idea for Discover Nikkei was brought up. I was given a chance to co-write the Japanese-language booklet Japanese American Historical Overview: The Life of Nikkei Immigrants Who Moved to America, which is sold at the Japanese American National Museum to this day.

When I was in middle school, I was greatly inspired by Hidetoshi Kato’s “From the Street Corner in Honolulu,” and kept wishing I could live in Hawaii and write an essay like that. The wish became a reality, and I have lived in Hawaii twice while immersing myself deeply in the local Nikkei community. Discover Nikkei gave me an outlet where I could finally write about my own experiences there. I hope to share more stories about Japanese culture and Nikkei culture as I compare Japanese natives with Nikkei in Hawaii.

Read skawa2440kuhio’s stories here (in Japanese only) >>

[PT] Apesar de estar envolvido com associações nikkeis desde a infância só me interessei pela comunidade nikkei após minha bolsa de um ano no Japão em 1994/1995. Lá conheci nikkeis de diversos países e conversando com eles vi que nossas histórias tinham muito em comum e isto me fez interessar pelo assunto. Logo após o retorno ao Brasil, através da internet, conheci o Japanese American National Museum e consequentemente o Discover Nikkei desde sua criação. Sempre fui somente um leitor mas em 2014 em um workshop no Bunkyo (Sociedade Brasileira de Cultura Japonesa e de Assistência Social) fui incentivados a escrever para as Crônicas Nikkeis. Não sou um bom escritor, mas me divirto escrevendo os textos, registrando um pouco da minha história e de minha família.

Leia seus artigos >>

[EN] Despite being involved with Nikkei associations since I was a child, I only became interested in the Nikkei community after living in Japan on a scholarship from 1994 to 1995. There, I met and spoke with Nikkei from different countries, which made me realize that our stories had much in common. Soon after returning to Brazil, I found the Japanese American National Museum through a web search, and so I knew about Discover Nikkei since its inception. I was only a reader at first, but in a 2014 workshop at Bunkyo (the Brazilian Society of Japanese Culture), I was encouraged to submit to Nikkei Chronicles. I’m not a good writer, but I’m having fun writing the texts—recording some of my own history and that of my family.

Read sampei’s stories here >>

[EN] My favorite thing about Discover Nikkei is the Journal. As a volunteer I’ve been editing articles and reading amazing stories from all over the world. I know how hard Discover Nikkei and the Japanese American National Museum work to connect people, embrace diversity, and to help us explore our heritage and culture. I’m grateful for the experiences I’ve been able to be a part of while volunteering.