What do you like most about volunteering for Discover Nikkei?

My favorite thing about volunteering for Discover Nikkei is getting to learn about peoples’ life stories from around the world and help share those stories with others. As I’ve grown older, I’ve learned the importance of community and storytelling, especially in an increasingly individualistic society. I am grateful to have found the community of Discover Nikkei and am always excited to help expand and foster that community.

How do you connect to your Nikkei identity?
I often feel removed from my Japanese heritage and have had to find ways to connect with Japanese culture on my own, most often through my artwork. I’ve always loved the aesthetics of Japanese art, from textiles to old samurai films to koto music to anime and manga. I love exploring these art forms both in my own practice as well as learning about the history of them.

Whenever I visit my extended family in Hawai‘i, I love to be a little nosy and go through my grandparents’ Japanese trinkets and ask them about their stories and significance.

My grandmother has a lot of Japanese fabric from the fabric store she used to run, and I love going through the patterns and the clothes she made with her and learning about all the different sewing techniques she uses.

What do you like about Discover Nikkei?

As one Discover Nikkei contributor who wuz born and raise in Hawai‘i, I stay in one position for talk story with lotta really interesting Hawai‘i Japanese/Okinawan folks and it's kinda cool how I get for help introduce these amazing Local people to da world.

And I not exaggerating when I say da world, cuz Discover Nikkei get one onreal reach. I love it when da people I profile report back for tell me how so many readers from so many places said dey read their interview!

Why is it important to share your Much Mahalos series on Discover Nikkei?

People get lotta stereotypes about Hawai‘i. Dey tink everybody in Hawai‘i does hula and surfs all day long. I like for tink that my Much Mahalos column helps for eju-ma-cate people and show off da full spectrum of talented kine peoples we get living ova hea. So far I wen interview one poet, stand-up comedian, actor, sanshin player, storyteller, Pidgin linguist, muralist, comic strip artist, crafter, Okinawan language activist, graphic designer, clothing designer, with planny more occupations yet for come!

What do you like most about Discover Nikkei?

I love how Discover Nikkei creates a platform that emphasizes the diversity of our community. It is easy to believe that Japanese Americans are all one sort of homogenous person with the same background, but Discover Nikkei creates an opportunity for diaspora voices to tell their stories. The mere fact that Discover Nikkei publishes in English, Portuguese, Spanish, and Japanese shows me how much our amazing staff gives us the chance to tell our stories on our terms. I really wish I had found out about it earlier, particularly because being a multiracial Japanese American can be challenging, and I often felt alone growing up. Seeing more stories like mine on Discover Nikkei helps me feel at home, and shows me that our community has room for everyone!

What has been the most meaningful aspect of your internship?

The opportunity to connect with my community and engage with individuals who come from many different backgrounds! Growing up as a yonsei multiracial Japanese American in a predominantly white part of Los Angeles, I had not realized how many people have the opportunity to connect with their culture from a young age, particularly through opportunities such as Japanese American basketball and Buddhist churches. Being able to spend time with people who are so integrated into Japanese culture has given me an entirely new outlook on my identity and strengthened my bonds to the community. Thank you, Nikkei Community Internship!

What is your favorite thing about interviewing families for The Power of Irei series?

There’s something about the reverence that families bring to Ireicho that is truly humbling. It’s as if a sacred spirit is hovering in the Ireicho room breathing perpetual life into our ancestors’ stories. In a culture built on the gaman of silent suffering, it’s beautiful to hear descendants pay tribute to those ancestors who bore their suffering in silence by wanting to speak out about those who could/would not speak themselves.

What is the most meaningful thing that has happened as a result of your connection to Discover Nikkei?

It’s been expansive to find a place to write not only about the incarceration experience but also to share stories of determination, strength, and beauty in a culture that has lots of that to offer. When I wrote about a personal hero, Alan Nishio, as he continues to live an abundant life while facing death, I’ve learned valuable lessons in my rapidly approaching old age about what living and giving back are all about.

Read her stories >>