Discover Nikkei
@discovernikkei.bsky.social
A global community sharing the experiences of Nikkei around the world. Publishing daily stories by and about people of Japanese descent who have migrated and settled worldwide. English, 日本語, Español, Português. A project of @jamuseum.bsky.social
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Discover Nikkei Needs YOUR voice! We’re looking ahead to our next phase and we want YOU to be part of it! To help us keep growing our archive of Nikkei stories and global network into the future, please take 5 minutes to answer a few questions.
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In this week's "My Name is Neal" is... “It All Depends on Your Perspective (Five Views of Cartooning)” by Neal Yamamoto: discovernikkei.org/e...
#comic #cartoon
#comic #cartoon
Journal Entry # 5 POV's: "Differing Opinions..."
A weekly visual journal/cartoon about an easily-annoyed fourth generation American of Japanese descent. This week, “It All Depends on Your Perspective (Five Views of Cartooning)” Check back every weekend for subsequent entries. Click to enlarge
discovernikkei.org
February 7, 2026 at 4:39 PM
In this week's "My Name is Neal" is... “It All Depends on Your Perspective (Five Views of Cartooning)” by Neal Yamamoto: discovernikkei.org/e...
#comic #cartoon
#comic #cartoon
The Nikkei community remembers Marsha Aizumi, co-founder of San Gabriel Valley API PFLAG and founder of Okaeri, a program of @ltsc.org. Cody Uyeda shares how her love for her son inspired her LGBTQ+ advocacy, leaving a legacy of love and compassion.
Remembering Marsha Aizumi: A Pioneering Advocate for the Nikkei LGBTQ+ Community
Marsha Aizumi As we enter 2026, we pause to remember the life of Marsha Aizumi—founder of Okaeri, compassionate leader, selfless advocate, and dear friend. Marsha passed away peacefully on December 18, 2025 after a yearlong battle with leukemia. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Marsha earned her BA from California State University Los Angeles, majoring in American …
discovernikkei.org
February 6, 2026 at 5:00 PM
The Nikkei community remembers Marsha Aizumi, co-founder of San Gabriel Valley API PFLAG and founder of Okaeri, a program of @ltsc.org. Cody Uyeda shares how her love for her son inspired her LGBTQ+ advocacy, leaving a legacy of love and compassion.
Greg Robinson teams up with scholar Shushun Gao to research the life of writer Lin Yutang, who's mission to serve as a bridge between East and West earned him four nominations for the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Lin Yutang: A Bridge Between East and West
In 2014, a Chinese edition of Lin Yutang’s autobiography My Entire Life was published. It boldly announced on its cover that Lin was: “The first Chinese writer to achieve international renown writing in English.” Indeed, it is no exaggeration to say that Lin’s fame in the United States far surpassed that in China during his …
discovernikkei.org
February 5, 2026 at 5:00 PM
Greg Robinson teams up with scholar Shushun Gao to research the life of writer Lin Yutang, who's mission to serve as a bridge between East and West earned him four nominations for the Nobel Prize in Literature.
In part 4 of her interview with Norm Ibuki, Amy Gavagnin reflects on her family's historic ties to locations in Australia, Japan, and beyond.
Hafu Plus Hafu = Two: Japanese Australian Amy Gavagnin—Part 4
Amy at Helensburgh Beach, NSW Read Part 3 Japanese Australian Internment Camp in Orange NSW Norm Ibuki (NI): How much do you know about Australia’s WWII history, including the internment of Japanese and Italian Australians? Did you know about the internment camp at Orange in New South Wales? Amy Gavagnin (AG): I am not shocked …
discovernikkei.org
February 4, 2026 at 5:00 PM
In part 4 of her interview with Norm Ibuki, Amy Gavagnin reflects on her family's historic ties to locations in Australia, Japan, and beyond.
Dr. Satsuki Ina's book, The Poet and the Silk Girl, didn't start as a memoir. Find out how the preservation of her parents' letters became a personal creative endeavor and her hopes for the future.
Uncovering Secret Letters and Intergenerational Trauma—Satsuki Ina’s Memoir of Resistance—Part 2
Read Part 1 Discover Nikkei (DN): When did you realize, looking through all of these letters and sources, that this memoir should include your own reflections as well? Satsuki Ina (SI): So that’s another sign of some of what I call trauma neurosis. My first plan was to put them all together translated into English, preserved …
discovernikkei.org
February 2, 2026 at 5:01 PM
Dr. Satsuki Ina's book, The Poet and the Silk Girl, didn't start as a memoir. Find out how the preservation of her parents' letters became a personal creative endeavor and her hopes for the future.
Dr. Satsuki Ina's memoir, The Poet and the Silk Girl, is built on the back of nearly 200 letters between her parents. Learn about how she navigated family trauma, coded messages, and translations from Japanese in Part 1 of her interview.
Uncovering Secret Letters and Intergenerational Trauma—Satsuki Ina’s Memoir of Resistance—Part 1
Satsuki Ina is a Sansei activist, psychotherapist, and filmmaker born in Tule Lake Segregation Center in Northern California where her parents and brother were imprisoned during WWII. Her family memoir, The Poet and the Silk Girl: A Memoir of Love, Imprisonment, and Protest, reveals the story of her parents’ struggle to navigate through unconstitutional imprisonment …
discovernikkei.org
February 1, 2026 at 5:59 PM
Dr. Satsuki Ina's memoir, The Poet and the Silk Girl, is built on the back of nearly 200 letters between her parents. Learn about how she navigated family trauma, coded messages, and translations from Japanese in Part 1 of her interview.
In this week's "My Name is Neal" is... “Sleep Aids I Use” by Neal Yamamoto: discovernikkei.org/e...
#comic #cartoon
#comic #cartoon
Journal Entry # 5 Methods: "Useless to Me..."
A weekly visual journal/cartoon about an easily-annoyed fourth generation American of Japanese descent. This week, “Sleep Aids I Use” Check back every weekend for subsequent entries. Click to enlarge
discovernikkei.org
January 31, 2026 at 5:00 PM
In this week's "My Name is Neal" is... “Sleep Aids I Use” by Neal Yamamoto: discovernikkei.org/e...
#comic #cartoon
#comic #cartoon
In Part 2 of Edna Horiuchi talks about how Mine Okubo found her voice and struck a chord in her readers when she published her legendary graphic memoir, "Citizen 13660."
See "Pictures of Belonging" at the Monterey Museum of Art, Feb 5 – Apr 19, 2026. @jamuseum.bsky.social
See "Pictures of Belonging" at the Monterey Museum of Art, Feb 5 – Apr 19, 2026. @jamuseum.bsky.social
Mine Okubo: From Camp to Finding Her Voice—Part 2
Read Part 1 Mine sketching, circa 1945 (Japanese American National Museum, Gift of Miné Okubo Estate [2007.62.557_7]) Okubo finally found a New York apartment at 17 East Ninth Street. She requested her artist supplies which were stored in San Francisco. In an August 22, 1944 letter, the War Relocation Center (WRA) in San Francisco said they …
discovernikkei.org
January 30, 2026 at 5:00 PM
In Part 2 of Edna Horiuchi talks about how Mine Okubo found her voice and struck a chord in her readers when she published her legendary graphic memoir, "Citizen 13660."
See "Pictures of Belonging" at the Monterey Museum of Art, Feb 5 – Apr 19, 2026. @jamuseum.bsky.social
See "Pictures of Belonging" at the Monterey Museum of Art, Feb 5 – Apr 19, 2026. @jamuseum.bsky.social
Meet Diego Yumi, the graphic designer behind the Third Spaces project at Peru's Nikkei Young Art Salon. Learn about Diego's background, inspirations, and what it truly means to be Nikkei in his eyes.
The young Yonsei of the third identity
The Yonsei artist's work revolves around his family, who taught him to be proud of his Nikkei identity. Photo: Diego Yumi's personal archive. The third space (uchi) is the title of the work with which the graphic designer Diego Yumi participated in the Nikkei Young Art Salon 2025, a meeting of young people of Japanese …
discovernikkei.org
January 29, 2026 at 5:00 PM
Meet Diego Yumi, the graphic designer behind the Third Spaces project at Peru's Nikkei Young Art Salon. Learn about Diego's background, inspirations, and what it truly means to be Nikkei in his eyes.
Amy Gavagnin reflects on being a mixed-race child and the awkwardness of embracing two completely different cultures.
Hafu Plus Hafu = Two: Japanese Australian Amy Gavagnin—Part 3
Read Part 3 Growing Up Mixed Race Norm Ibuki (NI): What was it like growing up as a mixed-race kid? Amy with her family as a child Amy Gavagnin (AG): Where does one start? I feel as though being mixed allowed me to be accepted by almost everybody, but always to a certain extent. Although …
discovernikkei.org
January 28, 2026 at 5:01 PM
Amy Gavagnin reflects on being a mixed-race child and the awkwardness of embracing two completely different cultures.
The history of Little Tokyo's Tomio Building spans nearly 100 years. Naomi Hirahara explores it all, with the help of historic postcards.
Changing Little Tokyo: New Tomio Building
Tomio Building No. 2. What inspired me to tell Japanese American history through postcards was the purchase of this particular one two years ago from eBay. I’m not quite sure how I stumbled across it. It may be related to the description on the address side: “The only Japanese Office Building in ‘Little Tokyo’—the NEW …
discovernikkei.org
January 27, 2026 at 5:01 PM
The history of Little Tokyo's Tomio Building spans nearly 100 years. Naomi Hirahara explores it all, with the help of historic postcards.
Peek into the mind and family history of graphic novelist Adrian Tomine, son of Dr. Satsuki Ina. Tomine and Ina will be at @jamuseum.bsky.social 's Democracy Center to discuss Ina's memoir, The Poet and the Silk Girl, on Feb. 7.
Of Activism, Artistry, and Family
Graphic novelist Adrian Tomine talks about his career in cartooning and his mother, activist Satsuki Ina. Adrian Tomine Graphic novelist Adrian Tomine is a master of capturing the emotion of a single moment in a pen stroke. He began drawing comics in 1994 as a teen, with his self-published Optic Nerve. His graphic novel Shortcomings …
discovernikkei.org
January 26, 2026 at 10:07 PM
Peek into the mind and family history of graphic novelist Adrian Tomine, son of Dr. Satsuki Ina. Tomine and Ina will be at @jamuseum.bsky.social 's Democracy Center to discuss Ina's memoir, The Poet and the Silk Girl, on Feb. 7.
Anne Molnar recounts the life and legacy of her great-aunt through the memory of a beloved, handcrafted chair, passed from Nisei to Sansei to herself, a Yonsei.
Aunt Sumie’s Chair
After we threw Aunt Sumie’s chair away, the guilt and regret were immediate. We were moving, again, one of many times in a handful of years that saw my husband, kids, and me root (and uproot) ourselves between Japan, the U.S., and Canada. This time, I knew the chair would not make the trip. The …
discovernikkei.org
January 26, 2026 at 5:01 PM
Anne Molnar recounts the life and legacy of her great-aunt through the memory of a beloved, handcrafted chair, passed from Nisei to Sansei to herself, a Yonsei.
In this week's "Shin Issei Journey" by Arisa Nakamura, Yoko learns something new at a restaurant.
discovernikkei.org/e...
#comic #cartoon
discovernikkei.org/e...
#comic #cartoon
Episode 14: On the House
A semi-monthly comic that explores the experiences of contemporary Japanese immigrants in the U.S. This week, “On the House” Check back twice a month for subsequent entries. Click to enlarge
discovernikkei.org
January 26, 2026 at 12:09 AM
In this week's "Shin Issei Journey" by Arisa Nakamura, Yoko learns something new at a restaurant.
discovernikkei.org/e...
#comic #cartoon
discovernikkei.org/e...
#comic #cartoon
In this week's "My Name is Neal" is... "To-Do Lists" by Neal Yamamoto: discovernikkei.org/e...
#comic #cartoon
#comic #cartoon
Journal Entry # 100's of Things to Do: "Check it Off..."
A weekly visual journal/cartoon about an easily-annoyed fourth generation American of Japanese descent. This week, “To-Do Lists.” Check back every weekend for subsequent entries. Click to enlarge
discovernikkei.org
January 24, 2026 at 5:01 PM
In this week's "My Name is Neal" is... "To-Do Lists" by Neal Yamamoto: discovernikkei.org/e...
#comic #cartoon
#comic #cartoon
In Part 1, Edna Horiuchi describes how Mine Okubo left the Topaz concentration camp in 1944 to begin a life with new challenges in New York City.
See Mine Okubo’s work in "Pictures of Belonging" at the Monterey Museum of Art, February 5–April 19, 2026. @jamuseum.bsky.social
See Mine Okubo’s work in "Pictures of Belonging" at the Monterey Museum of Art, February 5–April 19, 2026. @jamuseum.bsky.social
Mine Okubo: From Camp to Finding Her Voice—Part 1
Artist Mine Okubo is best known for documenting her struggles and daily life during WWII incarceration in her illustrated book Citizen 13660. She and her younger brother, Toku, were sent to Tanforan Assembly Center near San Francisco in 1942. Later that year, they were sent to the Central Utah Relocation Camp in Topaz, where she …
discovernikkei.org
January 23, 2026 at 5:02 PM
In Part 1, Edna Horiuchi describes how Mine Okubo left the Topaz concentration camp in 1944 to begin a life with new challenges in New York City.
See Mine Okubo’s work in "Pictures of Belonging" at the Monterey Museum of Art, February 5–April 19, 2026. @jamuseum.bsky.social
See Mine Okubo’s work in "Pictures of Belonging" at the Monterey Museum of Art, February 5–April 19, 2026. @jamuseum.bsky.social
Discover the ups, downs, and broken ground Iwao Ishino saw in his long academic career, from cultural restoration to paleoanthropology.
Catching the Wave: Michigan State University Highlights, 1956–1991
Read Part 3 (“Climbing the Ivory Tower”) “I was overwhelmed by the size and the beauty of the campus.” —Iwao Ishino, 2001 When Iwao Ishino first visited MSU’s expansive campus, it was separated from the small university town of East Lansing by one main street. It stood as a liberal and global oasis—the first major …
discovernikkei.org
January 22, 2026 at 5:00 PM
Discover the ups, downs, and broken ground Iwao Ishino saw in his long academic career, from cultural restoration to paleoanthropology.
In Part 2 of Japanese-Australian Amy Gavagnin's interview, she discusses staying in touch with Japanese culture abroad and the importance of finding identity within, rather than the labels thrust upon her.
Hafu Plus Hafu = Two: Japanese Australian Amy Gavagnin—Part 2
Read Part 1 Evolving as a Japanese Australian Norm Ibuki (NI): Is it difficult to keep that Japanese connection in Australia? Amy eating a typical Australian breakfast Amy Gavagnin (AG): Not for me. Language fell off the barrel a bit. I never wanted to leave Japan, so when we moved and it finally hit that we …
discovernikkei.org
January 21, 2026 at 5:00 PM
In Part 2 of Japanese-Australian Amy Gavagnin's interview, she discusses staying in touch with Japanese culture abroad and the importance of finding identity within, rather than the labels thrust upon her.
Being a mixed Nikkei doesn't always mean ethnicity adds up like math. Author Miguel Ángel Vallejo Sameshima explains that being Japanese and Peruvian doesn't mean being half and half: "We are something else, a new identity."
A journey through identity with That of being Ainoko
Every book is a journey, but in Eso de ser ainoko (Maquinaciones, 2025) the route is traced by a dramatic work that blends autofiction, documentary theater, and physical theater. For the pilot, writer and playwright Miguel Ángel Vallejo Sameshima (Lima, 1983), the starting point was a workshop at the Áyax Project of the Pontifical Catholic …
discovernikkei.org
January 20, 2026 at 5:01 PM
Being a mixed Nikkei doesn't always mean ethnicity adds up like math. Author Miguel Ángel Vallejo Sameshima explains that being Japanese and Peruvian doesn't mean being half and half: "We are something else, a new identity."
Learn about the life and legacy of Frank Chuman, a Nisei, attorney, and pillar of the JACL. Even as he approached 100, JACL legend Frank Chuman still wrote a memoir, aided the Nikkei community, and readily shared his decades of wisdom and stories.
Frank Chuman: The Grand Old Man of the JACL—Part 1
Recently, an announcement appeared on the website of a funeral home in Los Angeles, stating that the distinguished Nisei attorney Frank Chuman had died in mid-2022 at the age of 105 years. Although three years out of date, this was the first public news of his passing, and it was followed soon after by an …
discovernikkei.org
January 19, 2026 at 8:15 PM
Learn about the life and legacy of Frank Chuman, a Nisei, attorney, and pillar of the JACL. Even as he approached 100, JACL legend Frank Chuman still wrote a memoir, aided the Nikkei community, and readily shared his decades of wisdom and stories.
In this week's "My Name is Neal," Neal reveals his many faces as he creates cartoons... by Neal Yamamoto: discovernikkei.org/e...
#comic #cartoon #cartoonists
#comic #cartoon #cartoonists
Journal Entry # 5 Faces of Mine: "'Toon Time..."
A weekly visual journal/cartoon about an easily-annoyed fourth generation American of Japanese descent. This week, Neal reveals his many faces as he creates cartoons... Check back every weekend for subsequent entries. Click to enlarge
discovernikkei.org
January 17, 2026 at 5:00 PM
In this week's "My Name is Neal," Neal reveals his many faces as he creates cartoons... by Neal Yamamoto: discovernikkei.org/e...
#comic #cartoon #cartoonists
#comic #cartoon #cartoonists
In the first Nikkei Uncovered of 2026, traci kato-kiriyama brings us the poetry of California-based poet and community organizer, Micah Tasaka. They help remind us of the inevitability of seasons, the need for pause and ritual, the desire for reflection and movement forward.
Seasons / rituals / shedding
Happy New 2026, everyone. As we are already off to a harsh turning of time with all the uncertainty and damage throughout the world, let us take a few moments to breathe with a ritual of reading, taking in three poems here by Micah Tasaka. They help remind us of the inevitability of seasons, the …
discovernikkei.org
January 15, 2026 at 5:00 PM
In the first Nikkei Uncovered of 2026, traci kato-kiriyama brings us the poetry of California-based poet and community organizer, Micah Tasaka. They help remind us of the inevitability of seasons, the need for pause and ritual, the desire for reflection and movement forward.
Experience being a mixed Nikkei through the eyes of Japanese-Australian Amy Gavagnin in her interview with Norm Ibuki.
Hafu Plus Hafu = Two: Japanese Australian Amy Gavagnin—Part 1
Amy with her family “I think for mixed kids in particular, we’re always told we are 50% something and 50% something else, as if we’re always lacking in some way. Personally, I feel that if my mum is 100% and my dad is 100%, then I am 200%, so I can operate at a 200% …
discovernikkei.org
January 14, 2026 at 5:00 PM
Experience being a mixed Nikkei through the eyes of Japanese-Australian Amy Gavagnin in her interview with Norm Ibuki.
Discover Nikkei Needs YOUR voice! We’re looking ahead to our next phase and we want YOU to be part of it! To help us keep growing our archive of Nikkei stories and global network into the future, please take 5 minutes to answer a few questions.
Take the Survey: www.surveymonkey.com...
Take the Survey: www.surveymonkey.com...
January 13, 2026 at 10:30 PM
Discover Nikkei Needs YOUR voice! We’re looking ahead to our next phase and we want YOU to be part of it! To help us keep growing our archive of Nikkei stories and global network into the future, please take 5 minutes to answer a few questions.
Take the Survey: www.surveymonkey.com...
Take the Survey: www.surveymonkey.com...
Gosei Naomi Miranda Kusunoki navigates the complexity of not feeling "Nikkei enough" through her art, her family, and the community around her.
The gosei who built her Nikkei identity through her great-grandfather
José Kusunoki was born in 1920 in the Madre de Dios department, in the jungle of Peru. His father was a Japanese immigrant who disappeared (he is believed to have drowned in a river) when his mother, a Peruvian woman, was seven or eight months pregnant. He was a child when he migrated to Lima …
discovernikkei.org
January 13, 2026 at 5:01 PM
Gosei Naomi Miranda Kusunoki navigates the complexity of not feeling "Nikkei enough" through her art, her family, and the community around her.