Vicky K. Murakami-Tsuda

Welcome to another special edition of Nikkei Uncovered: a poetry column. Two staff I work closely with at the Japanese American National Museum, public programs extraordinaire Joy Yamaguchi and digital guru Vicky Murakami-Tsuda, allowed me to facilitate a process with them to write poetry grounded in this particular era of Covid-19, lockdowns, missing and finding family, and the overall unknown of now. They took a risk, trusted the process, and ran with it and crafted some really lovely work. We thought it would be fun to try something new, especially since the day this publishes we will also have our ...

Last March marked the 10th anniversary of Discover Nikkei’s public launch. Yoko Nishimura, Discover Nikkei’s Project Manager, asked me to write an article commemorating the occasion. I have struggled and procrastinated for over a year to write something. Now that we’re about to end our year-long celebration, I’m forced to quit putting it off.

At first, I had planned to write something straightforward about the project’s history and accomplishments. But that didn’t really go anywhere. As I thought about how to write about a project that has been like a child to me, it ...

When my mother was pregnant with me…in the time before ultrasounds…Dr. Shigekawa (many Los Angeles area Japanese Americans of several generations were delivered by her) told her that I would be a boy. So, my parents had decided to name me Richard Murakami.

When I came out…surprise! It’s a girl! I’ve never asked why, but my mother decided to name me after a soap opera character—Victoria from One Life to Live. However, they didn’t name me “Victoria”—my legal name is “Vicky.” The character’s nickname is Vikki (who also suffers from multiple ...

Steve Nguyen is the director/producer of the animated film, HIBAKUSHA which re-creates the real-life experiences of Kaz Suyeishi, a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Since the release of the film, he has produced a short documentary that he filmed with the nonprofit campaign Global Zero of his visit to the city of Hiroshima. We recently asked him some questions about the projects.

What about Kaz’s story inspired you to first make the animated film, and then to visit Hiroshima?

The focus on Kaz as a person was more important to me than her heritage or her ...

There have been and will be other Japanese American senators, but to me, he will always be “the Senator.” I’ve worked at the Japanese American National Museum for over 17 years now. With affection, among staff, we know that when referring to “the Senator,” we are talking about Senator Daniel K. Inouye.

I watched the video of the ceremony at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda when they brought the Senator to lie in state, an honor bestowed upon only 31 other individuals since the 1800s, primarily reserved for presidents.

I also watched the memorial service at the Washington National ...