Tamiko Nimura
@tnimuraTamiko Nimura is an Asian American writer living in Tacoma, Washington. Her training in literature and American ethnic studies (MA, PhD, University of Washington) prepared her to research, document, and tell the stories of people of color. She has been writing for Discover Nikkei since 2008.
Tamiko just published her first book, Rosa Franklin: A Life in Health Care, Public Service, and Social Justice (Washington State Legislature Oral History Program, 2020). Her second book is a co-written graphic novel, titled We Hereby Refuse: Japanese American Resistance to Wartime Incarceration (Chin Music Press/Wing Luke Asian Museum). She is working on a memoir called PILGRIMAGE.
Updated November 2020
Stories from This Author
Of No-No Boy and No-No Boys: At the Seattle 2013 JANM Conference
Sept. 12, 2013 • Tamiko Nimura
“How do you as a storyteller account for traces of the erased, the denied or that flat out vanished?”—Junot Díaz From Twitter: July 15, 2013, 12:35PM: @Tulelakenps: Today, 70 years ago in 1943, Tule Lake was declared a Segregation Center, incarcerating all Japanese Americans deemed “disloyal”. “Your name?” I’m picking up my registration packet for the Japanese American National Museum conference, held in Seattle a few weeks ago. “Nimura, N-I-M…” I begin, and start to spell out my last name for …
For a Sister Getting Married: Senbazuru—1000 Cranes
June 28, 2013 • Tamiko Nimura
“What are those?”I’m staying overnight with my daughter and her friends on a field trip. My daughter’s best friend is looking at the ziploc bag of paper, sitting on the hotel bedside table. “They’re origami cranes. You remember the story of Sadako that you read in your class this year? If you fold a thousand, you get a wish?” “Yeah. Can I look at one?” When I nod she takes one out of the bag, carefully. “They’re cool.” “I’m trying …
My Log Cabin Sukiyaki Song*
Oct. 16, 2012 • Tamiko Nimura
1.The comment on my blog begins, “I have found you and your sister at last.” The commenter describes herself as a childhood/young-adulthood friend of my dad’s. As far as I know, we’ve never met. But she knows my sister’s and my name, two fairly unusual names even in Japanese America. She knows that I grew up in Roseville, California. She says that she has memories of my father that she wants to share with me. I’m slightly creeped out at …
Why Ichiro’s Departure Makes This Nikkei Girl Sad
Aug. 2, 2012 • Tamiko Nimura
We arrived in Seattle at about the same time, and we’re the same age. We’ve both got family ties to Japan. When he arrived, he made just about as much as I did—that is, if you didn’t count the word “million” in his salary and “hundred” in mine. But none of this explains why Ichiro Suzuki’s sudden departure from the Mariners has hit me this hard. ***** When I arrived in Seattle in the late 1990s, I was scared, and …
