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
‘Working With Communities And The People’: A Conversation With Yonsei Pastor Karen Yokota Love
March 3, 2020 • Tamiko Nimura
For a layperson, picturing a call into ministry might look like a voice from on high, literally calling someone to their service. It wasn’t like that for Reverend Karen Yokota Love, who is a Yonsei pastor serving the Blaine Memorial United Methodist Church in Seattle, Washington. In 2019 she was appointed the church’s first woman senior pastor in its 116-year history. “[Going into ministry for me] was also about doing justice work,” Reverend Karen says now. “If we think about …
Giving with Gratitude: The Nisei Student Relocation Commemorative Fund
Dec. 5, 2019 • Tamiko Nimura
“They were at a picnic in New Hampshire,” says Jean Hibino. Her Nisei parents were UC Berkeley students during World War II, and though they were imprisoned at Tanforan and then Topaz, their time in camp was brief. Thanks to the National Japanese American Student Relocation Council, which operated from 1942 to 1946, Hibino’s parents and close to 3600 other Nisei college students were able to leave camp in order to finish their college education, many in the Midwest and …
The Way of the Nisei Artist: A Tribute to My Uncle, Hiroshi Kashiwagi
Nov. 12, 2019 • Tamiko Nimura
In 1993, I was at long choir rehearsal in college. My friend Marcy was taking Asian American Literature that semester, and during one of the breaks I glanced over at what she was studying. The book was thick with small print, and was the first of its kind that I’d ever seen: an anthology of Asian American literature, called The Big Aiiieeeee! At the top of one side of the page was a title: “Laughter and False Teeth.” At the …
“A Pacific Ocean For The Entire World”—The Panama Canal and Its Nikkei Ties to the Pacific Northwest
Oct. 21, 2019 • Tamiko Nimura
“The little package of questions for which your parents don’t have answers,” says Mizu Sugimura, “they will give to you.” Sugimura is a visual artist and writer from Fife, Washington. She came of age in the 1970s, graduating from the University of Washington and going on to volunteer with the Asian Pacific Women’s Caucus and the redress campaign. Though many members on both sides of her Japanese American family were incarcerated during World War II, they never discussed their experience. …
Vashon Island's Japan Festival
Sept. 10, 2019 • Tamiko Nimura
August 2019 marks the sixth year that I’ve been writing regularly for Discover Nikkei, and it’s wonderful to see the ongoing work of people, places, and events that I’ve written about before. For example, the City of Auburn, recently updated its efforts to commemorate the Pioneer Cemetery (which I wrote about here), where many Japanese American families are buried. Building on its successful restoration and dedication of the Hori Bathhouse (which I wrote about here), the Neely Mansion Association recently …
An Open Letter In Support of the Tule Lake Resisters, 2019
Aug. 2, 2019 • Tamiko Nimura
In July-August 2019, the National Convention of JACL (Japanese American Citizens League) will be meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah. Up for consideration is Resolution 3, “A Resolution of the National Council of the Japanese American Citizens League Relating To Recognition and Apology to Tule Lake Resisters.” An earlier draft of this letter was sent to the National JACL Offices and the authors of the resolution. Dear members of JACL, I am a Sansei writing in support of Resolution 3, …
History, Unmoored: For Yasuko-san and Keiko-San
July 11, 2019 • Tamiko Nimura
“Oh, this photo is evaporating. It needs to be copied right away,” says my friend Michael Sullivan. We’re looking through a black and white photo album together, owner unknown. A mutual friend and antique collector has given us the album and asked us to look for the right place for it. Our friend bought it from a swap meet in Tacoma; the previous owner at the swap meet said that he found it at a Goodwill in Tacoma. (I would …
Twenty Thousand Cranes And More: Stories Behind Washington State's Tsuru For Solidarity and Crystal City, Texas
April 23, 2019 • Tamiko Nimura
Twenty thousand, and more. As I type, twenty-five thousand origami cranes are being gathered in Austin, Texas. They’re going to be coming from approximately 150 locations all over: cranes have been shipped from California, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Missouri. Some are coming from overseas. And at least 12,000 are coming from Washington State, where I am writing. In late March 2019, close to a hundred Japanese American activists will also be traveling from all over the United States. In conjunction …
“Tidying Up” My Family’s Camp Dresser
March 7, 2019 • Tamiko Nimura
“If there is joy, it is a painful joy.” —Karen Tei Yamashita, “Konmarimasu” I call it the camp dresser because it was made in camp. As far as we know, anyway. The camp dresser was in my Auntie Sadako’s house in a closet for years. She and my uncle are downsizing, preparing for a move. Thanks to the help of some friends with a truck, the dresser’s now been moved from the San Francisco Bay Area to our house in …
Drumming for History: The Annual Minidoka Pilgrimage Day of Remembrance Taiko Fundraiser
Feb. 14, 2019 • Tamiko Nimura
Around the country, Japanese American Days of Remembrance are commemorated with keynote speakers, with candle lighting, with marches, and even (this year) with bystander training for allies with Densho. At Seattle University, thanks to the efforts of a few Seattle-based volunteers, an auditorium resonates each year to the sounds of taiko drumming. Proceeds of the concert go towards scholarships for the Minidoka Pilgrimage. Several taiko groups, including RTG (Regional Taiko Group), Seattle Kokon Taiko, and Seattle University’s youth group Hidaka …
