Keiko Fukuda
@fukudaKeiko Fukuda was born in Oita, Japan. After graduating from International Christian University, she worked for a publishing company. Fukuda moved to the United States in 1992 where she became the chief editor of a Japanese community magazine. In 2003, Fukuda started working as a freelance writer. She currently writes articles for both Japanese and U.S. magazines with a focus on interviews. Fukuda is the co-author of Nihon ni umarete (“Born in Japan”) published by Hankyu Communications. Website: https://angeleno.net
Updated July 2020
Stories from This Author
Yoshihiko Masuda, who lived in Canada and the United States as a resident
March 18, 2022 • Keiko Fukuda
After deciding to become a permanent resident of Canada... Yoshihiko Masuda was stationed in California until 2014 and served as the president of the Japan Business Association (JBA). About five years after he returned to Tokyo from California, Masuda was to serve as a special lecturer at a newly established university in Japan, and I interviewed him to write an introductory article for students. From the very beginning, I had a vivid impression of Masuda. When I requested an interview …
Seiko Iso moved to the United States in 1995 and runs a nursing home in San Diego.
March 4, 2022 • Keiko Fukuda
Divorce in my late 30s was a turning point The news of the sale of Keiro, a nursing home in Los Angeles, attracted a lot of attention a few years ago. Japanese-Americans and Japanese retirees applied to live there as their final resting place, and there were many names on the waiting list. The secret to its popularity was that Japanese food was served, classes on Japanese culture were held within the facility, and above all, Japanese-speaking residents could interact …
No. 10: TV FAN, a magazine that fosters Japanese culture, published from 1975 to 2010
Jan. 10, 2022 • Keiko Fukuda
Introducing Japanese TV programs I first started working as a freelance writer in 2003, and the magazine I wrote for was TV FAN. I continued to write for the magazine until its last publisher, Hiroshi Takeuchi, stopped publication in 2010. After it went out of publication, when I went to Japanese events, readers would often ask me, "Is TV FAN no longer being published?" It's been 11 years since then, and I don't get asked that question anymore, but when …
No. 9: Established in 2000, "ViViNavi" is an online media with 33 locations across the US and worldwide operations
Dec. 27, 2021 • Keiko Fukuda
Participatory media So far, this series has interviewed editors of print media such as newspapers and magazines published all over the United States. However, in today's Internet society, in addition to print media, we should also focus on "Japanese media" that operate only online. "Discover Nikkei," where I am writing this article, is itself an online media. The advantages of online media are that they can be viewed from anywhere in the world, that corrections can be made immediately when …
Hiromi Ashmore: After living in several countries, she moved to Australia
Dec. 13, 2021 • Keiko Fukuda
Japan for the first time in 32 years Born This Way is an Emmy Award-winning reality TV show that depicts the real-life lives of young people with Down Syndrome. Hiromi Ashmore, whose eldest daughter was one of the main cast members and who also appeared in the show, returned to Japan in 2019 from Los Angeles where she had lived for 17 years. However, she is not making Japan her final home and is planning to move to Australia with …
No.8: The Daily Sun, published in 1984 - A newspaper supported by core readers in LA
Nov. 22, 2021 • Keiko Fukuda
The Nomo whirlwind for the Dodgers marks a turning point When I first started living in Los Angeles in 1992, the Japanese newspaper Nikkan Sun was a paid publication. Later, it became free, and then with the appearance of Los Angeles Dodgers player Nomo, who created a tornado of a sensation, I remember the paper suddenly becoming a familiar presence in the mid-1990s, when getting information from the Internet was still not common. Current publisher Toyama Toshimasa, who took over …
Part 7: The Rafu Shimpo, first published in 1903 - a paid Japanese newspaper in Los Angeles
Nov. 8, 2021 • Keiko Fukuda
Both English and Japanese The Rafu Shimpo, first published in 1903, is still published four days a week as a paid paper (three days a week during the pandemic). Since the days before free papers, the paper has provided local news, Japanese news, and lifestyle information for the Japanese community in Los Angeles, and I have been relying on it since I moved to the United States. In this place where you can't go anywhere without a car, an acquaintance …
No.6 "Iroha" launched in 1990 - A monthly newspaper closely tied to the Japanese community in Dallas
Oct. 25, 2021 • Keiko Fukuda
Collaboration with local Japanese organizations I have often heard of the free Japanese newspaper "Iroha" published in Dallas. However, as a California resident, I have never had the opportunity to learn about what kind of publication it is or what it contains. The publisher, Makoto Ueda, told me that this is because the paper is closely tied to the local Japanese community and does not disseminate information outside the region. As of August 2021, the paper does not publish an …
5th issue: "US FrontLine" launched in 1992 - a magazine covering the entire United States
Oct. 11, 2021 • Keiko Fukuda
A vast area and a wide range of readers The Japanese media we have introduced so far have focused on one or more specific areas: Los Angeles, Seattle, New York, and San Francisco, but the free Japanese magazine we will introduce this time, USFrontLine, is distributed to many areas across the United States where there are Japanese communities. "The three areas with the highest distribution are Los Angeles in California, the San Francisco area, and New York, but we also …
No. 4: Weekly Bayspo, first published in 1999 — A beloved weekly newspaper in the Bay Area
Sept. 27, 2021 • Keiko Fukuda
A pioneer of free SF media Recently, I often check out the Facebook community "Japanese in America." A common post I see in this community is, "I'm moving to the XX area. Can you recommend some local Japanese information magazines?" As a Southern California resident, I can immediately write a recommendation for a publication in Los Angeles, but to be honest, I'm not familiar with the Japanese media situation in the Bay Area, which is also in California. So, although …
