A record of my mother, born in Manchuria, who returned to Japan after the war

Part 1: Life in Manchuria

Keiko Fukuda

"Maybe he was a Japanese orphan." When I was in high school, people called "Chinese orphans" came to Japan and held a press conference. They called out in tearful Chinese to their parents who may be living somewhere in Japan, saying "I want to see you." They looked Chinese no …

Masato Aso, working to popularize shochu in the American market

Keiko Fukuda

Putting shochu on a par with distilled spirits around the world There are many different types of Japanese shochu available in the Japanese market in the U.S. One of them, Iichiko from Oita Prefecture, is a very famous brand in Japan, but it is still difficult to say that it …

Mikal Payne moved to the US in 2016, overcame the death of her husband and found a new purpose

Keiko Fukuda

Japan points out differences between people, America allows freedom I met Kei Mikal Payne when I interviewed her about the business she started in 2021 after the death of her husband. Kei's husband was diagnosed with cancer in January 2020 and passed away in March of the same year. After …

Nikkei Chronicles #11—Itadakimasu 3! Nikkei Food, Family, and Community

Intercultural Communication Through Sushi

Keiko Fukuda

A Variety of Sushi Chefs

Yamato Miura moved to the US in 2001 and became a stunt and kickboxer before running five restaurants in LA.

Keiko Fukuda

Aim for Hollywood Arcadia, a suburb of Los Angeles, is a little far from both the South Bay and downtown, and is an area that I am not very familiar with. I know that there is Santa Anita Racecourse and a huge shopping mall nearby, but I didn't know that …

Thoughts on Japan's refusal to recognize multiple citizenship: Interviews with people living in the U.S. and France

Keiko Fukuda

"If we don't revise it, our descendants will suffer." If one or both parents are Japanese, and a child is born overseas, the child can acquire Japanese nationality if the birth notification is submitted to the local embassy within the deadline. Also, if the child is born in a country …

Tetsuya Hirahara continues to research Japanese radio broadcasts overseas

Keiko Fukuda

From Beijing Radio and Moscow Radio to radio broadcasts in Latin America The author recalls that more than 40 years ago, after late-night Japanese broadcasts had ended, a Japanese radio program called "Beijing Broadcasting" was broadcast in the early hours of the morning. Tetsuya Hirahara, who lives in Japan and …

Choices for Japanese People Living in America

Makoto Shirasawa, who moved to the U.S. in 1963 and returned to Japan in 2018, plans to return to the U.S.

Keiko Fukuda

The reason for going to America was to "see everything" In the past, Makoto Shirasawa was actively involved in the activities of the Southern California Gardeners Association, whose headquarters are in downtown Los Angeles. He taught vegetable gardening classes organized by the association for seven years and wrote a column …

Kunimitsu Nagatori, who moved to the U.S. in 1960 and has been running a farm in Oxnard since 1965, runs Nagatori Farms.

Keiko Fukuda

Returned to the U.S. after a short period of agricultural labor So far, we have interviewed the owners of farms that grow Japanese vegetables in America, but this time we will introduce Nagatoshi, who runs the vast Nagatoshi Farm in Oxnard, California, and also owns Nagatoshi Produce, a vegetable and …

Choices for Japanese People Living in America

Michio Shimizu, who came to the United States in 2011, popularized Yakult across the country, and returned to Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic

Keiko Fukuda

"Be a businessman" Michio Shimizu, president of Yakult USA, popularized Yakult, a health drink that was previously unfamiliar to people of Asian descent, in 49 of the 50 states. In 2011, Shimizu was transferred from his previous post in Singapore to Los Angeles, where he spent 10 years. In 2020, …