11th Annual Imagine Little Tokyo Short Story Contest

June 3, 2024 - July 8, 2024

Each year, the Little Tokyo Historical Society’s Imagine Little Tokyo Short Story Contest heightens awareness of Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo by challenging both new and experienced writers to write a story that captures the spirit and essence of Little Tokyo and the people in it. Writers from three categories, Adult, Youth, and Japanese language, weave fictional stories set in the past, present, or future. This year is the 11th anniversary of the Imagine Little Tokyo Short Story Contest. On June 1, 2024 in a celebration moderated by Sean Miura, noted actors—Ayumi Ito, Kurt Kanazawa, and Chloe Madriaga—performed dramatic readings of each winning entry.

Winners

Adult Category:
“When Next We Meet” by Brandon Tadashi Chung
　Honorable mention

“Sustain” by Monique Hayes

Youth Category:
“Little Things” by Madeline Thach
　Honorable mention

“Dreaming in Lil' Tokyo” by Pablo Matias Hernandez Martinez

Japanese Language Category:
“New Otani Wedding” by DC ＆ Satsuki Palter
　Honorable mention

“Am I a Stranger or a Foreigner?” by Koh Hirano

*Read stories from other Imagine Little Tokyo Short Story Contests:

Stories from this series

When Next We Meet

July 8, 2024 • Brandon Tadashi Chung

When I was young, there were three certainties in life. Saturday cartoons, ice cream after dinner, and my grandmother. Baa-baa, we called her then. My parents did their best to teach me to address her properly when I was young, but it never stuck. “Baa-chan,” they enunciated over and over again. “‘Grandmother.’ Baa-chan.” Maybe they should have known better than to try and teach pronunciation to a three-year old with a tongue blunter than the back of a butter knife. “Baa-baa,” …

California concentration camps families ghosts grandmothers grandparents Imagine Little Tokyo Short Story Contest (series) Japanese American National Museum (organization) Little Tokyo Los Angeles origami paper cranes parents tsuru United States World War II camps

Am I a Stranger or a Foreigner?

July 1, 2024 • Koh Hirano

It has been about 20 years since people in Japan became familiar with American Major League Baseball. One after another, Japanese professional baseball players flew out of Narita Airport to play for teams based in stadiums near Los Angeles. When the players were asked to say a greeting in English during a press conference at Narita, they smiled shyly and used grammar at the level of a junior high school student in Japan, and were met with praise. Their performances …

California fiction identity Imagine Little Tokyo Short Story Contest (series) Little Tokyo Los Angeles United States

Dreaming in Lil' Tokyo

June 24, 2024 • Pablo Matias Hernandez Martinez

There was nobody left to tell us what they meant; the mysterious signs, with those bold ink strokes against red banners, which came to life with the spirits that blew the vigorous air in the West. The flags and ornaments, setting the neighborhood ablaze with their imminent presence, seemed to actively seek out to communicate something, to us, the newcomers. At least that’s how we saw it, those coming into the unknown land. My late grandmother used to say: In …

Bronzeville California fiction ghosts Imagine Little Tokyo Short Story Contest (series) Little Tokyo Little Tokyo Historical Society Los Angeles Manzanar concentration camp United States

Little Things

June 17, 2024 • Madeline Thach

We sat, laughing, on a patio bench in the Japanese Village Plaza. On the way, we’d bought a box of rainbow dango from Fugetsu-do. I had already eaten more than my share, but Bachan didn’t mind. A flower-printed yellow umbrella shaded us from the sun as red and white lanterns danced in the breeze over the heads of happy shoppers. It was spring: the time when the air is filled with birdsong and the sweet perfume of sakura. I could’ve …

California families fiction grandmothers grandparents Imagine Little Tokyo Short Story Contest (series) Little Tokyo Los Angeles parents short stories United States

Sustain

June 10, 2024 • Monique Hayes

A day after the building manager removed the kanji from the furniture store window, I saw the letters still trying to live. The faint announcements were less loud but I could still spy the outline of them over the English word “dye.” Faded Japanese characters about discounts remained visible if you cocked your head just right under the streetlights of East First Street. Maybe only artists notice these things, or a grieving son clinging to his father’s last clarinet note. …

Bronzeville California fiction Imagine Little Tokyo Short Story Contest (series) Little Tokyo Los Angeles United States

New Otani Wedding

June 3, 2024 • DC Palter , Satsuki Palter

When Saburo finally arrived at the hotel, a bellboy shouted “Irasshaimase!” as the taxi pulled up in front of the lobby. Opening the door, he said with a deep bow, “Welcome to the New Otani Los Angeles.” Rolling a cart over to the trunk, he was surprised to find only an overnight bag. “Is this all your luggage, sir?” Saburo only planned to stay one night, long enough to stop the wedding and bring Yayoi home to Japan. He grabbed …

California families fiction Imagine Little Tokyo Short Story Contest (series) Japanese Village Plaza Little Tokyo Little Tokyo Historical Society Los Angeles marriages New Otani Hotel & Garden okonomiyaki United States weddings

Authors in This Series

Brandon Tadashi Chung

Brandon Tadashi Chung is a Los Angeles native and has been part of the Little Tokyo community all his life. He graduated from USC in 2020 with a dual degree in Communication and English, and currently works at ABC7 Eyewitness News as a News Assistant and Videojournalist. When he's not filming new restaurants or delivering scripts to David Ono and Rob Fukuzaki, he can be found on the hiking trails of LA with his friends.

Updated July 2024

Monique Hayes

Monique Hayes is a fiction author, poet, and screenwriter from Maryland. A Pushcart Prize nominee, Brooklyn Poets Fellow, and Hurston-Wright Fellow, she's currently working on a Revolutionary War novel.

Updated June 2024

Koh Hirano

Koh Hirano attended the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies before her departure from the program. She was also a research fellow at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. Hirano currently engages in several part-time opportunities, including prep school instructor, translator, and caregiver.

Updated July 2024

Pablo Matias Hernandez Martinez

Pablo Matias Hernandez Martinez is a passionate Mexican visual artist and fiction writer. He is currently an 11th grade student who enjoys reading and hopes to study creative writing in college. He is a curious historian who shares immigrant stories and always finds ways to learn about new cultures.

Updated June 2024

DC Palter

DC Palter is a tech entrepreneur and investor. He is the author of the Tuttle language guide, Colloquial Kansai Japanese and editor of Japonica, a journal of Japanese culture. His first novel, To Kill a Unicorn, set in San Jose’s Nihonmachi, was a 2023 American Fiction Awards finalist for best mystery and best debut novel. The sequel, Countdown to Decryption, will be published later this month. worked for many years as a computer programmer. DC lives in Mar Vista, a neighborhood of Los Angeles, CA.

Updated May 2024

Satsuki Palter

Satsuki Palter is an ikebana artist and tea ceremony teacher. She is president of the LA chapter of Ohara Ikebana and the Ikebana Teachers Association. She was born and raised in Kobe before moving to Los Angeles. She has a degree in mathematics from Tokyo University of Science, and worked for many years as a computer programmer. Satsuki lives in Mar Vista, a neighborhood of Los Angeles, CA.

(Updated June 2024)

Madeline Thach

Madeline Thach is a 14-year-old homeschooler from Texas. Her awards include first place in the international Saugus Halloween Ghost Story Contest and two first prizes in the National Association of Teachers of Singing regional competition. She is also a recipient of the national American Hero history scholarship from the Rush & Kathryn Adams Limbaugh Family Foundation.

Madeline is passionate about using social media to spread her love of learning. She creates educational and entertaining stories, videos, and articles for people of all ages! Visit BluestockingOnline.com to explore her content and subscribe to her free weekly newsletter.

Updated June 2024

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