Exploring the Nikkei experience theme by theme...story by story
Nikkei Chronicles is a series of annual theme-based writing projects with the overall goal of promoting a more profound understanding of the complex histories and insights of multicultural, multiracial, and multinational people of Japanese descent around the world.
Each year, we will solicit articles around central themes such as Nikkei food culture, Mixed Nikkei identity, etc. The personal stories, essays, academic papers, books reviews, and other prose genres that meet each year’s theme will be published together as a series in Discover Nikkei’s Journal section.
Nikkei Chronicles #11—Itadakimasu 3! Nikkei Food, Family, and Community
The theme of the 11th edition of Nikkei Chronicles—Itadakimasu 3! Nikkei Food, Family, and Community—takes a look at several questions, such as: How does the food you eat connect your Nikkei community? What kinds of Nikkei recipes have been passed down from generation to generation? What is your favorite Japanese and/or Nikkei dish? Discover Nikkei solicited stories related to Nikkei food from May to September 2022. Voting closed on October 31, 2022. We received 15 stories (8 English; 1 Japanese; 6 Spanish; and 1 Portuguese) from Brazil, Canada, Peru, and …
Read more
Nikkei Chronicles #10—Nikkei Generations: Connecting Families & Communities
The theme of the 10th edition of Nikkei Chronicles—Nikkei Generations: Connecting Families & Communities—takes a look at intergenerational relationships in Nikkei communities around the world, with a particular focus on the emerging younger generations of Nikkei and how they connect (or don’t) with their roots and with older generations. Discover Nikkei solicited stories related to Nikkei Generations from May to September 2021. Voting closed on November 8, 2021. We received 31 stories (21 English; 2 Japanese; 3 Spanish; and 7 Portuguese) from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Peru, and the US, with …
Read more
Nikkei Chronicles #9—More Than a Game: Nikkei Sports
What makes Nikkei sports more than just a game for you? Perhaps you’d like to write about your Nikkei sports hero or the impact of Japanese athletes on your Nikkei identity. Did your parents meet through a Nikkei basketball or bowling league? Are you intrigued by an important chapter of Nikkei sports history, like the prewar Issei and Nisei baseball teams? For the ninth edition of Nikkei Chronicles, Discover Nikkei solicited stories related to Nikkei sports from June to October of 2020. Voting closed on November 30, 2020. We received …
Read more
Nikkei Chronicles #8—Nikkei Heroes: Trailblazers, Role Models, and Inspirations
The word “hero” can mean different things to different people. For this series, we have explored the idea of a Nikkei hero and what it means to a variety of people. Who is your hero? What is their story? How have they influenced your Nikkei identity or your connection to your Nikkei heritage? We solicited stories from May to September of 2019, and voting closed on November 15, 2019. We received 32 stories (16 English; 2 Japanese; 11 Spanish; and 3 Portuguese) from individuals in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, …
Read more
Nikkei Chronicles #7—Nikkei Roots: Digging into Our Cultural Heritage
Stories in the Nikkei Chronicles series have explored many of the ways that Nikkei express their unique culture, whether through food, language, family, or tradition. For this edition, we are digging deeper—all the way down to our roots! We solicited stories from May to September of 2018 and received 35 stories (22 English; 1 Japanese; 8 Spanish; and 4 Portuguese) from individuals in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Cuba, Japan, Mexico, Peru, and the United States. For this series, we asked our Nima-kai community to vote for their favorite stories and an …
Read more
Nikkei Chronicles #6—Itadakimasu 2! Another Taste of Nikkei Culture
How does the food you eat express your identity? How does food help to connect your community and bring people together? What kinds of recipes have been passed down from generation to generation in your family? Itadakimasu 2! Another Taste of Nikkei Culture revisited the role of food in Nikkei culture. For this series, we asked our Nima-kai community to vote for their favorite stories and an editorial committee to pick their favorites. In total, four favorite stories were selected. Here are the selected favorite stories. Editorial Committee’s Selections: …
Read more
Nikkei Chronicles #5—Nikkei-go: The Language of Family, Community, and Culture
Arigato, baka, sushi, benjo, and shoyu—how often have you used these words? In an informal survey conducted in 2010, we found that these were the most frequently used Japanese words among Japanese Americans living in Southern California. In Nikkei communities around the world, the Japanese language symbolizes the culture of one’s ancestors, or the culture that was left behind. Japanese words often get mixed in with the language of the adopted country, creating a fluid, hybrid way of communicating. For this series, we asked our Nima-kai community to vote for …
Read more
Nikkei Chronicles #4—Nikkei Family: Memories, Traditions, and Values
Nikkei family roles and traditions are unique because they have evolved over many generations, based on various social, political, and cultural experiences in the country they migrated to. Discover Nikkei collected stories from around the world related to the topic of Nikkei Family, including the stories that tell how your family has influenced who you are, and allow us to understand your perspectives on what family is. This series introduces these stories. For this series, we asked our Nima-kai to vote for their favorite stories and our editorial committee to …
Read more
Nikkei Chronicles #3—Nikkei Names: Taro, John, Juan, João?
What’s in a name? This series introduces stories exploring the meanings, origins, and the untold stories behind personal Nikkei names. This can include family names, given names, and even nicknames! For this project, we asked our Nima-kai to vote for their favorite stories and our editorial committee to pick their favorites. Here are the selected favorite stories. Editorial Committee’s selections: ENGLISH:Re-Discovering My Name Between Two CulturesBy Jayme Tsutsuse JAPANESE:What it means to have a Nikkei name in BrazilBy Satomi Takano Kitahara SPANISH:A Discordant Name MatchBy Jimmy Seiji Amemiya …
Read more
Nikkei Chronicles #2—Nikkei+: Stories of Mixed Language, Traditions, Generations & Race
Being Nikkei is inherently a state of mixed traditions and cultures. For many Nikkei communities and families around the world, it is common to use both chopsticks and forks; mix Japanese words with Spanish; or celebrate the New Year’s Eve countdown with champagne and Oshogatsu with ozoni and other Japanese traditions. This series introduces stories explore how Nikkei around the world perceive and experience being multiracial, multinational, multilingual, and multigenerational. Each piece submitted to the Nikkei+ anthology was eligible for selection as our readers’ favorites. Here are their favorite stories …
Read more
Nikkei Chronicles #1—ITADAKIMASU! A Taste of Nikkei Culture
For many Nikkei around the world, food is often the strongest and most lasting connection they have with their culture. Across generations, language and traditions are often lost, but their connections to food remain. Discover Nikkei collected stories from around the world related to the topic of Nikkei food culture and its impact on Nikkei identity and communities. This series introduces these stories. Our Editorial Committee selected their favorite stories in each language. Here are their favorites: ENGLISH: Authentic By Barbara Nishimoto JAPANESE: Grandma’s Pickles Story: Sharing Grandma’s Rakkyo with …
Read more
