Dan Nakasone

Dan Nakasone is a Sansei Uchinanchu from Wahiawā. He is a marketing and advertising professional and was a producer/researcher for PBS’ award-winning food and culture series, Family Ingredients, which is based in Hawai‘i and hosted by Chef Ed Kenney.

Updated November 2022

Stories from This Author

An Unsung Humanitarian - Battle of Okinawa

March 15, 2024 • Dan Nakasone

Morimasa Kaneshiro was born and raised in Hilo where his family ran a barbershop. After graduating from Hilo High School in 1944 Kaneshiro volunteered for the Army. He was stationed at Schofield Barracks on Oʽahu after completing his infantry basic training on the mainland. He did not attend the Military Intelligence Service Language School (MISLS), but he developed Japanese language skills while growing up with Japanese speaking parents. Because of those skills he was assigned as an interpreter to the …

Battle of Okinawa Hawai'i Military Intelligence Service Okinawans Uchinanchu United States World War II Yoshino Nakasone

Broken Promise—A Hawaii World War II Incarceration Story

Feb. 13, 2024 • Dan Nakasone

Back in 2018, I walked the somber halls of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. Prior to my visit, I had read stories and viewed survivors’ interviews, documentaries, and films on the atrocities of the Holocaust. Still, walking through the exhibits with horrific stories and haunting images along with seeing personal items of victims young and old deeply disturbed me. The history of the inhumane treatment and genocide of Jewish people illuminates the darkest side of humanity. …

Buddhism California clergy concentration camps death education Gyokuei Matsuura Hawai'i Hawai'i Island imprisonment incarceration Kilauea (Hawaii) Kilauea Military Detention Camp loyalty questionnaire Masuye Matsuura religions Religious leaders shikata ga nai (phrase) suicide teachers teaching Tule Lake concentration camp United States World War II camps

Sakura of Wahiawā

April 24, 2023 • Dan Nakasone

I vividly recalled a chilly spring day in Shinjuku, Tökyö, back in 2013. It was a feast for the senses wandering through a park with trees flushed with sakura (cherry blossoms). Sakura is symbolic of spring in Japan, and it was at the peak of its bloom. The sights and sounds provided an immersive backdrop for a cultural encounter. It was a festive affair with families and friends sitting under sakura trees in a spectacular setting. I was envious of …

cherry blossoms hanami (flower viewing) Hawai'i Oahu United States Wahiawa

History—Okinawan Clubs of Hawaii

Nov. 15, 2022 • Dan Nakasone

Preserving a Way of Life of Their Native Land My curiosity was piqued by a video interview by Barbara Kawakami, author of the book Picture Bride Stories. It featured my aunty Matsue Shimabukuro who is originally from Wahiawä. She reflected on her shimpai (arranged) marriage with Uncle Takeo Shimabukuro from ‘Aiea. That arrangement was made by their Issei parents who were members of the Aza Yogi Doshi Kai. How my parents met was a question that lingered in the back …