1st Annual Imagine Little Tokyo Short Story Contest
As part of Little Tokyo Historical Society’s 130th Anniversary of Little Tokyo (1884-2014) celebratory activities throughout the year, Little Tokyo Historical Society held a fictional short story contest that awarded cash prizes to the top three. The fictional story had to depict the current, past, or future of Little Tokyo as part of the City of Los Angeles, California.
Winners
- First Place: “Doka B-100” by Ernest Nagamatsu.
- Second Place: “Carlos & Yuriko” by Rubén Guevara.
- Third Place: “Mr. K” by Satsuki Yamashita.
Some of the other Finalists:
- “Smiles Sonata” by Jeridel Banks
- “The Guardians” by Dimitri Ragano
- “A Little Piece of Home” by Kiyoshi Parker
- “A Wedding in Little Tokyo” by Avril Adams
- “Nihonmachi Serenade” by Chester Sakamoto
*Read stories from other Imagine Little Tokyo Short Story Contests:
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Stories from this series
Yuriko & Carlos
Oct. 20, 2014 • Rubén “Funkahuatl” Guevara
Little Tokyo, 1941 As I walked toward Little Tokyo over the First Street Bridge from Boyle Heights, I felt the bracing power of the fiery sunset embrace me with more love than my own family gave me. The sky and the air filled me with hope, filled me with big dreams. My father only filled me with anger. One day as I was leaving my job, I heard loud taiko drums and bamboo flutes wailing away outside a temple on First …
Doka B-100
Oct. 6, 2014 • Ernest Nagamatsu
I would slowly make my journey each day along First Street from the Sun Building and each curb was becoming more of a challenge, as my limp seemed to be getting worse each year. It was the fall of 1954 in Nihonmachi of Los Angeles. I would always end my walk at the cavernous opening of the Taul Building and there was always a boisterous greeting from “Horse” who had the shoeshine stand to the left. The “bookies” would be …