Why do you feel it’s important to document the history and stories of Japanese Americans in Chicago? Are you working on any more Chicago Nikkei projects?

The Chicago Nikkei community is geographically dispersed and institutionally waning. My interest lies in leaving documentation behind for my children to know their place within this unique history. I mostly write about things I want to know, things that I haven’t read or seen anywhere else. Currently I am working on a map of the Uptown/Edgewater settlement from the 1940s to the 1970s.

What is the most meaningful thing that has happened as a result of your connection to Discover Nikkei?

So many! Having made new connections within the Chicago community; former Chicagoans having been inspired to send in their stories in after having long since moved elsewhere; being invited to speak on a Chicago NPR affiliate’s radio segment about local extinct Nikkei neighborhoods; collaborating on Chicago’s first historic Lakeview Japantown walking tour; speaking at the renown Newberry Library about postwar resettlement patterns in Chicago; and being interviewed on a YouTube live session by the one and only Naomi Hirahara! All of these are the result of DN’s openness in sharing stories.

How did you like being our featured guest on the Nima Voices episode?

It was a bit nerve wracking being live and recorded, but fun! The DN team really made everything seamless with excellent prep and advice on what to expect. Thanks Vicky, Yoko & Joy for the opportunity, and to Naomi for gently keeping me on topic as I rambled on and on and on. Although unable to catch them while remaining focused at the same time, I appreciated all the live stream comments and shout-outs by the viewers.

Read his stories >>

Watch Nima Voices: Episode 2 >>

What do you like about Discover Nikkei?

I love that DN connects me with Nikkei young and old, in the US and around the globe. Through the stories of family and community I find myself feeling connected to a truly global Nikkei community. As an academic I find the oral histories, stories, and articles enlightening. Yet, I most enjoy the creative writing and in particular the poetry in Nikkei Uncovered. The mastery of images, symbols, and power of language touch me deeply. Through these creative works I am able to feel the ways in which the writers live their lives and through them understand better my own experiences.

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What do you like about Discover Nikkei?

I love Discover Nikkei because it always has a “human interest” element that makes the topics and themes friendly and very engaging, weaving stories and topics that are special to our community. Discover Nikkei adds a personal, one-on-one dimension to our past and present history in a relatable, relevant way to preserve and archive our legacy.

The Japanese diaspora started over 150 years ago when massive immigration to Hawai‘i, Brazil, and the United States occurred due to economic and political changes in Japan. In the United States, the West Coast Japanese Americans were further scattered into the most remote corners of America due to the incarceration of our community during WWII. We have learned similar stories of such history that occurred in South America. I deeply appreciate that Discover Nikkei has served as our anchor and a haven where these histories and personal stories that are now three, four, and five generations deep are unearthed, retrieved, shared, and preserved in perpetuity for future generations to understand and enjoy.

Discover Nikkei gives all of us with Japanese heritage a place where our global experiences are shared. It is said that with technology the “world is flat”—we can communicate with each other across all continents very seamlessly and I love that Discover Nikkei is the rich repository to engage us as a world-wide community with each other.

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[EN]
What do you like about Discover Nikkei?

Discover Nikkei is a valuable source of media which informs people of the history of the Japanese who emigrated to America. I’m happy to see even a part of Nikkei history in Seattle included in the content. I still remember the words of a veteran who joined the military from the concentration camp during the war. “No-no boys and us, we both fought for our rights as Americans. We fought in different ways. I don’t want you to forget that the freedom you enjoy in your everyday life now is built on our hard work.”

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[JA]
Q. ディスカバーニッケイの好きなところは何ですか？

ディスカバーニッケイはアメリカに渡った日本人の歴史を知る上で貴重なメディアです。そこに少しでもシアトルの日系人の話を入れていただいて嬉しいです。戦時中に収容所に入れられ、そこから入隊した退役軍人の言葉が忘れられません。「僕たちも、No No ボーイもアメリカ人としての権利のために戦ったんだ。違ったやり方でね。僕たちが頑張ったから君たちが今自由な生活ができるということ、忘れないで欲しいね」。

ストーリーを読む >>

What do you like about Discover Nikkei?

Discover Nikkei is a valuable resource for connecting Nikkei throughout the Americas and around the globe. As a Sansei from LA, I especially enjoy reading the stories of Nikkei, both past and present. It’s fascinating to see how diverse and rich our Nikkei community is.

I was fortunate to be able to interview Nisei Frank Kikuchi in 2017. He was a DJ at Manzanar and shared some wonderful memories of Nisei dances in camp. Discover Nikkei included the interview in 2020. Recently I learned that this website began back in 2005—so great that it’s flourishing and going into its 16th year.

You have now contributed to three Nikkei Uncovered poetry columns. What have you enjoyed about sharing your poetry through Discover Nikkei?

My own introduction to Discover Nikkei was through the Nikkei Uncovered poetry column in 2016. I had the honor of being featured with Nisei poet Hiroshi Kashiwagi. I’ve enjoyed learning about other Nikkei poets and reading their poems. Poetry is such a key part of Japanese culture and an art form which many Nikkei have continued, whether in English, Spanish, Portuguese. traci kato-kiriyama, who curates the column, is helping to share Nikkei poetry across generations and continents.

Read her poems and stories >>

[EN]
What do you like about Discover Nikkei?

What makes Discover Nikkei unique and the most special among many Nikkei media is that you publish articles in four languages: Japanese, English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Most of the Nikkei people in the world, including the Nikkei descendants in Asian countries, do not know that the descendants of Japanese overseas are so dispersed. If you visit JICA’s Japanese Overseas Migration Museum (海外移住資料館) in Yokohama, you can find some information in JA, EN, and PT.

I had attended PANA’s COPANI twice in the past as the editor of a Japanese Canadian community newspaper, and I was overwhelmed by the differences and the similarities. It was such fun to mingle with other Nikkeis singing Japanese songs together in karaoke and dancing bon odori together. At the same time, learning the differences of their histories of pre-war and post-war periods stimulated my interest so much; some of them were as poignant as that of Japanese Canadians. I hope that the Japanese people in our homeland will read Discover Nikkei more attentively and will recognize the presence of the world of Nikkei.

Read his stories >>

[JA]
Q. ディスカバーニッケイの好きなところは何ですか？

ディスカバー日系を多くの日系メディアの中でもっとも特別でユニークなものにしているのは、日本語、英語、スペイン語、そしてポルトガル語の４つの言語で発行しているということです。世界の日系人は、アジア諸国の日系人とその子孫を含めて、海外の日系人がこんなに巨大な広がりをもつ人々だとはご存知ないでしょう。わずかに、横浜の海外移住資料館を訪れると、日本語、英語、そしてブラジルなどのポルトガル語で情報が得られます。

以前に２度ほど、日系カナダ人コミュニティの編集者として汎アメリカン日系人大会に出席したことがありますが、日系社会の相違と相似に圧倒されたのを覚えています。また、一緒にカラオケで日本語の歌をうたい、盆踊りを踊ったりする交流はとても楽しかったです。同時に、彼らの戦前と戦後の歴史の違いを学び、とても興味をそそられました。もっとも、日系カナダ人と同じような辛い体験も含まれてはおりました。祖国日本の人たちが、もっと日系世界に注意を向けて、その存在を認識してくれることを期待しています。

彼のエッセイを読む ＞＞

Why is it important for you to volunteer for Discover Nikkei?

Before moving to Japan in 2008, I did not know very much Japanese. After four years of getting to know my Japanese roots and a lot of intense studying, I wanted to become a translator, and so started translating articles and content from Japanese to English for Discover Nikkei. I then started a career in tech instead of going into translation.

Sometime after, the software engineer who was originally on the Discover Nikkei project left, and my engineering skills became a lot more useful than my translation skills. I took on the role of a technical consultant for Discover Nikkei, and helped bring the site to a modern technical stack.

Volunteering for Discover Nikkei is important to me because it represents an intersection of my interests—getting to know my cultural heritage, my interest as a translator (DN provides content in four different languages!), and my skills in technology. While I’m probably not uniquely qualified to do this work, it’s a very good fit and extraordinarily fulfilling piece of volunteering work to take on.

What is the most meaningful thing that has happened as a result of your connection to Discover Nikkei?

Visiting Peru for Copani in 2017 and being on the organizing committee for Copani in 2019 were some of the most meaningful things that have happened in my life. While I had to step away from organizing due to moving to Japan, participating in Copani meant meeting Nikkei from dozens of countries, which changed my perspective on the relationship that Nikkei had across Panamerica, and made me hopeful for a more collaborative future.

Read his story >>

What do you like about Discover Nikkei?

I love how Discover Nikkei transcends both distance and generations. Anyone who goes to the website can view stories from all different types of people, from students to judges to filmmakers, ranging from many different generations and locations. I believe that everyone has a story to tell, and being able to see what people have to say from so many different locations, professions, and ages is truly amazing.

What is the most meaningful thing that has happened during your internship?

I have had many life changing experiences during this internship but one of the most meaningful would be getting the opportunity to meet with such inspirational and successful people. I have had the honor of meeting with attorneys, judges from the Superior court, and activists who have done so much for this community.

Being able to hear their stories has really sparked a passion for law and community work within me. I am truly grateful for all that this internship has given me and hope to pay it forward in the future!

Read her stories >>

What do you like about Discover Nikkei?

I really enjoy the scope of the platform. One moment, I can be reading about traditional Japanese food, and the next, I’m reading through someone’s intimate, personal journey. It’s also amazing to see how simultaneously collective and diverse the lived experiences of the Nikkei community are. While I might not be able to identify with each and every story on the site, I’m always able to pluck similarities that I see reflected in my own life. On Discover Nikkei, there’s a little something for everyone.

What do you like most about volunteering for Discover Nikkei>

Before volunteering, I had relatively little writing experience and even less experience with interviewing. I was an A student in my high school English class and an editor for my school’s yearbook—but nothing could have prepared me for everything I was about to learn while volunteering. So, as both a student and a novice writer, I’m incredibly grateful that Discover Nikkei has become such a wonderful learning opportunity. And, along the way, I’ve met some really remarkable people who have just as remarkable stories to tell.

Read her stories >>

What do you like about Discover Nikkei?

I love the breadth of coverage that Discover Nikkei provides. Through this website, I’ve read about Japanese Christians in Chicago; I’ve watched an interview with Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, the author of the seminal Farewell to Manzanar; and I’ve learned what life was like in post-war Japan from the first-hand accounts of Sansei Robert Kono. All this makes me realize the sheer vastness and complexity of our tapestry of Nikkei experiences.

Your background is in writing non-fiction in very technical topics. What made you decide to write fiction about the Nikkei experience?

My Nisei mother had nine siblings and, with the recent death of my dear Uncle Yuki last June, that generation of my mother’s family is all deceased. It’s dawned on me that, as a Sansei, I am now part of the elder generation and, as such, I feel a great responsibility to try to preserve the stories of my Issei grandparents’ immigration to Hawaii and my Nisei parents’ struggles to provide their children with the opportunities in the U.S. that they didn’t have. In writing short stories and novels, I hope to capture certain essential truths of the Nikkei experience—the resilience of the Issei and Nisei to overcome the hardships they faced, especially during World War II, and the many values they passed on to the Sansei and Yonsei generations.

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[EN]
What do you like about Discover Nikkei?

My first contact with Discover Nikkei happened after a good friend introduced me to the website while we were talking about how to exchange more experiences among Nikkeis around the world. Despite that all of us are Nikkei, we carry many different characteristics in terms of cultural, social, and historical background and it is necessary to share these between us. Discover Nikkei can be this kind of tool that I was trying to find. In the website, we can access many interesting articles about lots of topics and can spend a nice time reading. And I am very grateful to connect with Discover Nikkei and can have the possibility to know about other Nikkeis from many countries and can tell them more about Japanese Brazilians.

What made you decide to volunteer for Discover Nikkei?

Since I was introduced to Discover Nikkei and understand their proposal to create more fans for Japanese cultural and spread it, I thought to try to help Discover Nikkei in many ways to improve the site and increase access in order for more and more people to have the chance to know more about Japan. I feel very comfortable to talk with Discover Nikkei people who are very kind and provoke me to think more about what it means to be Nikkei and its importance, and having a chance for helping and developing the project. I am very honored to be part of this project. Thank you!

Read his stories (English & Portuguese only) >>

[PT]
O que você mais gosta no Discover Nikkei?

Meu primeiro contato com o Discover Nikkei foi quando eu e meu grande amigo estávamos discutindo sobre como trocar mais informações e experiências com outros nikkeis pelo mundo e ele me falou do site. Embora todos sejamos nikkeis, temos diferentes características em termos culturais, sociais e históricos e seria muito bom se todos pudessem compartilhá-las. E o Discover Nikkei poderia ser este tipo de ferramenta que estava procurando. Dentro do website, temos acesso a vários artigos interessantes sobre os mais diversos tópicos, que proporcionam um momento muito prazeroso de leitura. Estou muito contente por estar em contato com o Discover Nikkei e ter a possibilidade de conhecer mais sobre outros nikkeis de diversos países e contar um pouco sobre os nikkeis brasileiros.

O que o fez decidir ser voluntário no Discover Nikkei?

[POR] Desde que tive contato com o Discover Nikkei e entendi melhor o seu propósito de criar mais fãs da cultura japonesa e espalhar isso, pensei em tentar ajudar o Discover Nikkei de várias formas para melhorar o site e fazer crescer o número de acessos, pois assim, mais pessoas têm a chance de obter mais conhecimento sobre o Japão. Fico muito confortável em conversar com o time do Discover Nikkei, pois são muito legais e sempre me provocam para pensar mais sobre ser nikkei e sua importância, tendo a chance de ajudar e desenvolver este projeto. Sinto-me orgulhoso por fazer parte deste projeto. Obrigado!

Leia suas histórias (Inglês e português apenas) >>

[EN]
What do you like about Discover Nikkei?

I like that Discover Nikkei publishes a wide range of topics from a variety of authors and in different languages, too. It is so interesting to read about other people’s family stories and to learn about little known topics.

What made you decide to volunteer for Discover Nikkei?

I enjoy writing and thought it would be fun to be assigned different stories. Since I recently retired, I now have the time to do this.

Read her stories >>