@TKA
I am a sansei with an unusual surname from the Imperial Valley in the southeastern corner of California. I have always been a history buff so I became the coordinator of a permanent Japanese American exhibition in the Imperial Valley Pioneers Museum. Consequently,the Nikkei history of the Imperial Valley is my area of focus. My grandparents emigrated from Kagoshima Prefecture so I am also interested in the history of Kagoshima and the experiences of Kagoshima immigrants around the world, but particularly in the United States.
Nikkei Interests
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Masani Nagata: The Farmer Who Discovered a Comet
By July of 1931 the melon season was winding down in Southern California’s Imperial Valley. With …
July 26, 2021
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Nikkei Chronicles #9—More Than a Game: Nikkei Sports
George Taniguchi: The Nisei Who Took Horse Racing by Storm - Part 2
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A wall in George’s home is adorned with three large, framed collages, each one high…
Aug. 11, 2020
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Nikkei Chronicles #9—More Than a Game: Nikkei Sports
George Taniguchi: The Nisei Who Took Horse Racing by Storm - Part 1
Strength is not just a tool for winning, it is necessary for survival. Jockey Johnny Longden was …
Aug. 10, 2020
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The Issei Lexicon
For years I wanted to compile a list of Japanese American words and phrases. I am beginning a list …
June 20, 2017
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Japanese American Name Culture - Part 2
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Cultural Heritage and Assimilation
The names that immigrant parents select for the…
May 12, 2017
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Japanese American Name Culture - Part 1
Is it Eisenhauer or Eisenhower? Gonzalez or Gonzales? Yasuzo or Yasudo? Whether they are misspellin…
May 11, 2017
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Coming to Terms with Tenchosetsu
On the front page of the English section of the December 24, 2016, issue of The Rafu Shimpo, there …
April 10, 2017
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What Made Them Such Good Farmers?
During the early days of agricultural development in California’s Imperial Valley, most of the cott…
March 7, 2017
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Inaka: Moving from Scorn to Pride
I sometimes refer to the Imperial Valley as my little inaka corner of the world. Literally translat…
Feb. 10, 2017
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Come Out First – Imperial Valley’s Winter Harvest
To create the farming oasis called the Imperial Valley, in 1901 water from the Colorado River was d…
Jan. 10, 2017
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