Nikkei Chronicles #10—Nikkei Generations: Connecting Families & Communities
The theme of the 10th edition of Nikkei Chronicles—Nikkei Generations: Connecting Families & Communities—takes a look at intergenerational relationships in Nikkei communities around the world, with a particular focus on the emerging younger generations of Nikkei and how they connect (or don’t) with their roots and with older generations.
Discover Nikkei solicited stories related to Nikkei Generations from May to September 2021. Voting closed on November 8, 2021. We received 31 stories (21 English; 2 Japanese; 3 Spanish; and 7 Portuguese) from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Peru, and the US, with a few submitted in multiple languages.
An editorial committee chose a favorite story in each language. In addition, a Nima-kai favorite was determined by online community voting. Here are the selections! (*Translations of the selected stories are currently in progress.)
Editorial Committee’s Favorites
- ENGLISH:
Oh, Bachan, How Your Garden Grows
By Kyra Karatsu - JAPANESE:
Happy to Be of Help—My Japanese-learning Classes
By Kazue Ishii - SPANISH:
An Unfortunate Break
By José Yoshida Sherikawa - PORTUGUESE:
Ojiichans
By Ana Shitara
Nima-kai Favorite:
- 43 Stars
The Spirit of Giving
By Troy Miyazato
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* This series is presented in partnership with:
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*Logo design by Jay Horinouchi
Stories from this series
Ojiichans
Sept. 14, 2021 • Ana Shitara
There was a time when we drank soft drinks out of glass bottles. Before the reckless use of disposable plastic, you went to the beverage supplier with a crate filled with empty containers and exchanged them for full bottles. My grandfather always bought the individual green bottles of guarana, leaving them in the fridge while waiting for the visit of his grandchildren. The hissing sound of the carbonation as the bottle opener removed the cap still takes me back to …
What Nobody Can Take Away
Sept. 10, 2021 • Alden M. Hayashi
My Nisei mother was an attractive woman but she wasn’t materialistic. In fact, she was almost fervently anti-materialistic. She would spend money on stylish clothes only when she absolutely had to, for instance, to look her best for an upcoming family wedding. And I don’t think she ever bought a single piece of jewelry for herself. Anything really nice that she owned was given to her either by her family or other relatives. And even then she wouldn’t allow herself …
Our Old Family Albums
Sept. 9, 2021 • Mary Sunada
Since my mother’s diagnosis of Alzheimer dementia and her passing, I have been looking through some old family albums with pictures glued onto the pages or fitted inside photo corners. I was amazed to see so many baby photos of myself with Mom, Grandmother, and my cousins, but only a few of Dad. No one ever talked about Dad to me. He was just a ghost in my family album. My eyes happened to focus on a page without pictures, …
The first second generation Brazilian
Sept. 8, 2021 • Maximiliano Shigeki Matsumura
I woke up early, which was unusual for me, and was taking my blood pressure on the sofa when the phone rang. Since calls early in the morning are always announcements of funerals, I picked up the receiver with trepidation. "Oh my, were you still asleep?" The person in question was Michio Miki, a fellow passenger on the Sakura Maru who lives in Atibaia. "Don't be surprised when you hear that!" That unique intonation that shocks people. Who is the …
Legacy
Sept. 3, 2021 • Thoshio Katsurayama
I have just reached the age of 78. To tell the truth, I never thought I could live for so long, but life has been a brief flash and now what I get is just a bunch of memories. A lot of memories. Some are good, some others not so much. I recall and greatly miss the time of my childhood, where my parents had been learning how to harvest a small coffee farm. It was a hard and distressing …
Grammy-nominated Flutist Ron Korb on his Journey to Japan
Sept. 1, 2021 • Kyra Karatsu
There’s a glint of pure excitement in the eyes of Grammy-nominated flutist and composer Ron Korb as he begins to open up about his experiences in Japan. “Every single day, there was some new thing, some exciting little thing,” he reminisces, “It was never boring. I just loved every minute of it.” From the good, to the bad, and to the beautiful, Korb recalls the events that have made the country worth visiting 21 times. Korb’s journey to Japan began …