community en

A Cultural and Community Center in Little Tokyo

In the 1970s, the debates around who and what the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center (JACCC) would represent demonstrated a generational rift between Nisei …

identity en ja es pt

Nikkei Chronicles #5—Nikkei-go: The Language of Family, Community, and Culture

Grasping Grandma’s Japanese Accent—My First Step in Discovering Nikkei-go

I live on a farm in the Imperial Valley, which is located in the southeastern corner of California. My Issei grandparents established our farm before …

community en

Growing Up at the Kokusai Theater

In mid-May, I reconnected with Elaine Kitamura and her younger brother, Darrell Kitamura, through a friend of a friend. The Kitamuras are the siblings that …

community en pt

An Endangered Custom

I am a Sansei Nikkei, 35 years old, born and raised in São Paulo. During childhood and adolescence, I did not have much contact with …

community en ja

Voices of the Volunteers: The Building Blocks of the Japanese American National Museum

Kenneth “Ken” Hamamura

Over the years, Ken Hamamura has assumed various roles at the Japanese American National Museum. As a donor, staff member, and volunteer, he learned the …

sports en

The Japanese American Basketball Connection - Part 2

Read Part 1 >> The establishment in 1947 of a Southern California NAU to oversee a basketball league was a very humble beginning. There were …

community en

Canadian Nikkei Series

Art Miki: Canadian Redress Leader and Human Rights Champion - Part 1

When it comes to our Canadian Nikkei heroes, Art Kazumi Miki, the National Association of Japanese Canadians (NAJC) president from 1984 to 1992 who led …

culture en

Canadian Nikkei Series

Toronto Taiko Master Kiyoshi Nagata - Part 2

Read Part 1 >> How did you join the Kodo drummers on Sadogashima? I first saw Kodo perform at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in Toronto in …

culture en

Canadian Nikkei Series

Toronto Taiko Master Kiyoshi Nagata - Part 1

Gary Kiyoshi Nagata, 46, the leader of Nagata Shachu, one of Canada’s premiere taiko groups, was born and raised in the Richmond Hill area of …

culture en

Paying Culture Forward: Passing on the Traditions of Japanese Art Swords

What separates a Japanese art sword from any manufactured metal-bladed weapon? An extraordinary level of craftsmanship, artistry, and specific techniques that are carefully passed along …