community en

Coming Out, Coming Home

I am a Japanese American, and I am a gay man. For most of my life, the intersection between those two identities has been claustrophobically ...

identity en

What is it to be a Black Japanese American? What should I tell you? What should you know?

Every story has a point, a narrative, and a conclusion, but when I sat down to write this I couldn’t come up with any ...

business en ja

Ryohei Ito: Rakkan Ramen owner who came to the US in 2017

6-Year Moving Preparations Opening up its first restaurant in downtown Los Angeles in July 2017, Rakkan Ramen expanded with a location at Redondo Beach in ...

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Kizuna 2020: Nikkei Kindness and Solidarity During the COVID-19 Pandemic

How Little Tokyo, Los Angeles is approaching community-led recovery through arts and culture

Longtime residents will tell you that Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo almost died in the 1990s. Lasting physical and psychological scars lingered from unjust incarceration during ...

community en ja

Grassroots “9066 Meetings”

On a past Thursday afternoon, about 20 people from all walks of life gathered for an early dinner at the lovely home of Akimi Ching ...

identity en

Some Recollections & Thoughts about Uncle Tachi - Part 2

Read Part 1 >> In the 1950’s Tachi and May had their first daughter, Ruth Ann. Soon after, Hiro and Aiko had Linda, born in ...

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Living in South Los Angeles: Today as a Japanese American

Earlier in the year, it was nearly impossible to miss the mentions of rapper Nipsey Hussle and filmmaker John Singleton in the news. Both celebrities ...

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Nikkei Chronicles #8 — Nikkei Heroes: Trailblazers, Role Models, and Inspirations

A Full Immersion in Today’s LA (Area) Japanese American Community

Being of only Japanese ancestry and growing up in the South Bay (Torrance) I have never questioned whether or not I belonged to the Japanese ...

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Little Tokyo - Coming Full Circle: Tsutomu Maehara and his family, Jo Ann and Chef Akira Hirose, embody the Little Tokyo spirit

Community control over land in Little Tokyo is one of the few strategies that will help prevent displacement of legacy small businesses. The Little Tokyo ...

business en ja

King of “Ikejime”—Seiichi Yokota

“To spread ‘Ikejime’ not only in the States, but throughout the world is my big dream,” says Shin-Issei Seiichi Yokota. The 43-year-old from Toyama prefecture ...