Stuff contributed by tnimura

Drumming for History: The Annual Minidoka Pilgrimage Day of Remembrance Taiko Fundraiser
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.

A Seasonal Guide to Seattle/Tacoma Area Japanese American Events
Tamiko Nimura
Happy New Year, everyone! 2018 marked a significant milestone for me—it’s been 20 years since I moved to Washington State from my home state of California. I wasn’t sure where to look for communities or events when I moved up here, and I felt pretty lonely for ...

The Artist’s Memory: Soichi Sunami and Japanese American Photography
Tamiko Nimura
I have the museum mostly to myself today.

Notes from a Hallway: Learning from the History of the Tacoma Buddhist Temple
Tamiko Nimura
You could say it really started with a hallway.

On "Giving Back"
Tamiko Nimura
On October 7th, I was asked to share a story on “what inspires me to give back” to a public event hosted by WILLO (Women’s Intergenerational Living Legacy Organization). WILLO is a Tacoma nonprofit organization devoted to sharing stories across generations and cultures, hoping to inspire the next generation ...

A Cup of Water: JA Generations and Practicing Sansei Hope From The Middle
Tamiko Nimura
My car radio, usually turned to a news station, has been tuned to a classical music station for months. I don’t avoid the news, but I have had to figure out when to listen to the news, and to protect myself carefully. For the first time in my life ...

On “Family Separation” in 2018: One Sansei Atlas of Displacement and Mass Incarceration
Tamiko Nimura
As a Sansei, I've been exploring the issue of “family separation,” given the multiple ways that families are being separated due to unjust border policy, travel bans, and mass incarceration. I'm currently writing a family memoir that responds to (and includes passages from) my Nisei father’s unpublished ...

Digging into Japanese American Farming History on Vashon Island, Washington
Tamiko Nimura
Like many Sansei, I have agricultural roots. My father’s family worked as sharecroppers during the Depression. My aunties have told stories of harvest time, of the youngest auntie running away to read a book in the orchards. As for me, I grew up in California’s Central Valley and ...

Beyond the Panama Hotel: More Sites Related to Japanese American History in Washington State
Tamiko Nimura
In the Pacific Northwest, there are a couple of famous sites related to Japanese American history, such as Seattle’s Panama Hotel (made famous by Jamie Ford’s novel Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet), where Japanese Americans stored their belongings during their mass incarceration. Locals from Seattle ...