What do you like most about volunteering for Discover Nikkei?

My favorite part of volunteering for Discover Nikkei has been listening to the life stories of other people of Japanese descent. It has been inspiring for me to hear their perspectives and recognize not only their successes but also their tremendous resilience in the face of adversity. Through these stories, I have learned so much more about my culture and the people in my community. I am very grateful to be a part of the Discover Nikkei project and to contribute to this space of remembrance of grief, tragedy, love, and human connection. It has been a gift being able to hear the voices of my community and an honor to help preserve their echoes.

How do you connect to your Nikkei identity?

In addition to being a part of the Discover Nikkei community, I have remained connected to my Nikkei identity in personal ways. Ever since I was born, my family has always celebrated Oshogatsu together with my Japanese grandparents where we enjoy each other’s company with traditional New Year’s food. I also love visiting Little Tokyo and attending events at the Japanese American National Museum. Through my academic studies, my connection to my culture has evolved to include a growing critical awareness of my cultural history and how it relates to the present. Educating myself on past and current injustices as well as the Japanese American community’s resilience has helped me to understand my cultural heritage as part of my Nikkei identity.

What do you like most about Discover Nikkei?

What I like the most about Discover Nikkei is all the opportunities I am given to explore the diversity of the Nikkei community. From writing chronicles to interviewing fellow Peruvian Nikkei people, I believe all these different stories have taught me different things about myself and my community and have made me closer to it. Even though I feel like I haven’t been here for too long, I believe that Discover Nikkei has made me experience writing in a different way, which makes me feel more fulfilled. For a few articles I’ve written, I’ve reconnected with people I hadn’t reached out to in years, and I’ve also met new people whose life stories have made me see a wider scope of the history of both Japanese immigration and the Nikkei community worldwide.

How do you connect to your Nikkei identity?

Responding to this question used to be something that I struggled with. Despite being heavily connected to the community from having Nikkei friends, studying in Nikkei schools, and participating in events, I often didn’t feel as connected as others. This is something I’ve heard a few other people my age say they have experienced, since the further we get from the initial immigration generation, the more some traditions get lost. However, now I’ve realized that I connect to my identity in different ways. The shared experiences I have with others from my generation might not be similar to the ones our parents or grandparents had, but we still have a lot in common and that makes us feel connected. I also feel connected with my identity by learning more about other people’s life stories, because they often make me realize I’m not the only one with some experiences.

What do you like most about Discover Nikkei?

Throughout my time with Discover Nikkei, I have been able to dip my toes into the wide breadth of knowledge and cultural understanding that comes with interviewing many incredible artists and their works and stories from the overseas Japanese community! It has been a great privilege to learn more about those with similar backgrounds and how they each choose to uniquely embrace their identities, as well as more about the local culture and history of Japanese Americans and other overseas Japanese. I grew up with my attention mainly turned to mainstream media, which was not usually Japanese, so being able to discover and share with others the talented individuals who make media catered to spreading Japanese American culture or just generally can be there to serve as role models in the Japanese American and Asian American community is a very lovely feeling!

How do you connect to your Nikkei identity?

Aside from connecting to my Nikkei identity through speaking with my family about their experiences being Japanese American, I also have recently begun to explore Japanese food a lot more! I personally believe that food is the key to culture, and it has been dozens of fun getting to try out Japanese places with friends and try a bunch of different foods I’ve never had before. I’ve also joined the Japanese Student Association at my school, so from there I’ve met some really wonderful people who are very much more well-versed in Japanese culture than I am and are willing to help me navigate that part of my identity (especially through food).

What do you like most about volunteering for Discover Nikkei?

My favorite thing about volunteering for Discover Nikkei is getting to learn about peoples’ life stories from around the world and help share those stories with others. As I’ve grown older, I’ve learned the importance of community and storytelling, especially in an increasingly individualistic society. I am grateful to have found the community of Discover Nikkei and am always excited to help expand and foster that community.

How do you connect to your Nikkei identity?
I often feel removed from my Japanese heritage and have had to find ways to connect with Japanese culture on my own, most often through my artwork. I’ve always loved the aesthetics of Japanese art, from textiles to old samurai films to koto music to anime and manga. I love exploring these art forms both in my own practice as well as learning about the history of them.

Whenever I visit my extended family in Hawai‘i, I love to be a little nosy and go through my grandparents’ Japanese trinkets and ask them about their stories and significance.

My grandmother has a lot of Japanese fabric from the fabric store she used to run, and I love going through the patterns and the clothes she made with her and learning about all the different sewing techniques she uses.