Rising Stars Youth Leadership Program

The development of youth leadership is a common need expressed by almost every community organization. To address this need, the Nikkei Federation Youth Development Programs team developed the Rising Stars Youth Leadership Program. Rising Stars is a leadership development & cultural education program for high school students. The goal of the program is to train leaders and to inspire youth involvement in the Japanese American community by presenting a series of active, engaging workshops on a variety of leadership topics. www.nikkeifederation.org/risingstars nikkeicommunity@yahoo.com

Aoyama Tree Designation Ceremony, July 17, 2008

On July 17, 2008, the Aoyama Tree in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, was designated Historic Cultural Monument No. 920 by the City of Los Angeles. In attendance at the ceremony were the city dignitaries, Koyasan Buddhist Temple members, and Little Tokyo community activists who campaigned for official recognition for the tree. The Aoyama Tree is the first living object to receive this designation from the city. The tree, a Moreton Bay Fig, stands at the former site of the Koyasan Buddhist Temple. It was planted in 1920 and is named for Koyasan mission's founder, Rev. Shutai Aoyama.

Frank Endo - Amache photos

These are photos of Amache from the albums of Frank Endo of Gardena, California. You can read an autobiographical essay of Frank's life on Discover Nikkei. click here to read the article

2008 National Conference Photo Guestbook

A laptop webcam was used to capture lo-res photos of some of the people who stopped by the Discover Nikkei table at the "Whose America? Who's American? Diversity, Civil Liberties, and Social Justice" National Conference presented by the Japanese American National Museum. We asked people to sign our "virtual guestbook" and leave a comment. The conference was held on July 3-6, 2008 at the Hyatt Regency in Denver, Colorado.

BA Family Collection

A few family pictures from the last century, some that we didn't know existed until the past couple of years. I will be adding pictures over time. I think there are several hundred to go through.

Moneta / Gardena Valley Baptist Church (pre-WWII)

Rev. Masahiko and Kuni Wada's family photo collection of their years at Moneta Baptist now Gardena Valley Baptist Church in Gardena, CA. Most of the photos are from around 1930 - 1940. Rev. Masahiko Wada came to Moneta Baptist of Gardena in 1931. Previously, he was the pastor at Garden Grove Baptist when he arrived from Japan. In 1928, Rev. Wada was sponsored as a missionary under the Los Angeles City Mission Society in California to minister to the farm workers in the Garden Grove and Pomona area

Masao Akiyama Collection (92.14.1)

Black & white amateur footage of K.M. Akiyama Co. located at 115 N. San Pedro Street in Little Tokyo and color footage of Akiyama family at home and playing in Los Angeles, California filmed by Mr. Noritake, ca. 1936 and 1941. Includes footage of exterior views of storefront, people unloading trucks, stocking shelves of family grocery store in preparation for New Year's sale, house flowers, individual family members, boy on bicycle, girl playing piano, kids playing and family house (10:20).

Setsuo Aratani Collection (2004.67)

Black & white silent amateur footage of family and business activities of Setsuo Aratani (1885-1940), filmed 1926-1940. DVD 3: Includes footage of a picnic at the beach, people playing guitars, dancing and singing, the Guadalupe Produce Co., footage from a family trip to Yosemite National Park, Setsuo Aratani's Buddhist funeral and motorcade, a large family or company picnic, children playing, a stage or bandstand presenting various activities, the Guadalupe Produce Co. and related produce activities such as packing crates, loading trucks, and footage of wide open croplands (60:31).

Lloyd Evans Collection (95.73.1)

Color amateur footage of activities at Heart Mountain concentration camp, Wyoming filmed by Reverend Stanley T. Evans who visited Rev. Donald Toriumi at Heart Mountain in 1945. Composed of home movie clips of the environment the Japanese Americans lived in during World War II in forced exclusion, including exterior views of the Community Christian Church Sunday School, Court house, Fire department, United States Postal Service, Hospital, barracks, guard house, trucks and tractors, and the U.S. flag.

Ben Fukuzaki Collection (2002.1)

Color silent amateur footage (1940's-early 1950's) taken by Terminal Island resident Ben Fukuzaki, primarily of the Japanese American community in and around Fish Harbor, Terminal Island, and San Pedro, California.

Naokichi Hashizume Collection (92.18.9)

Color amateur footage documenting life in Heart Mountain concentration camp, Wyoming by Naokichi Hashizume in February 1945. Composed of home movie clips of Japanese Americans engaged in a variety of activities, including people gathering at mess hall, laundry in industrial sinks, sewing and knitting, paper flower making for a wreath, mochitsuki from steaming rice to pounding into mochi to forming mochi, and a winter carnival.

Soshiro Kiyama Collection (2004.7.1)

Black & white footage of the Los Angeles 7th Street produce market, farming, festival at night, family life and a Catholic church service in Los Angeles, California, ca. 1930s. Includes footage of men packing and selling produce at open market, workers harvesting and tending fields, dog and puppies, blimp passing outside a Buddhist Church, taiko on parade float at a night festival with crowd in suits and kimono, brief shot of young woman in Japanese garden next to pond, family reading newspaper at home and attending a Catholic church (12:53).

Charles Palmerlee Collection (96.47.8)

Color footage shot at Tule Lake by teacher Charles Palmerlee, 1942-1945. Includes hand-made intertitle cards; panning shots of camp barracks; the guard tower at sunset; high school students, including a graduation; school administrators and office staff; Japanese dance performances; crafts, including bird and shell pins; the Tule Lake Union Church; Christian Youth Fellowship group; shots of families and children; and the transition to segregation camp with families leaving and others arriving (31:17).

Okinawan Festival 2007, Honolulu, Hawaii

From August 30 to September 2, 2007, the Hawaii United Okinawan Association celebrated their 25th annual Okinawan Festival at Kapiolani Park in Honolulu on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. The festival is a unique celebration of Okinawan food, arts, and culture in Hawaii that attracts over 50,000 visitors each year. The photos in this collection are courtesy of Pomai, who blogs about his culinary experiences in Oahu, Hawaii. For a full account of his trip to the 2007 Okinawan Festival, click here .

Rev. Sensho Sasaki Collection (96.150)

Films of Japanese American communities in Los Angeles, Stockton, and Tacoma, 1926-1933, by Buddhist minister, Rev. Sensho Sasaki. #9: 1) 2 little boys posing for camera; 2) Pan from temple to minister's house. People, lots of automobiles. Various shots of YBA people in front of temple; 3) People posing for photograph; 4) Fujinkai women making bento; 5) People setting up for group shot in front of temple. Long pan of people set up for panorama photograph; 6) 2 boys dressed in soldier outfits, complete with backpack and guns. Playing, shooting, etc. (7:34).