Ayako Mie

Ayako Mie is originally from Tokyo, Japan, where she worked as a television reporter for one of the networks. One of her first assignments was covering Sept. 11 in New York City, which led her to pursue international reporting. In 2005, she served as a Washington, D.C. correspondent for her network.

In 2008, she started her master in journalism UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism with a Fulbright grant.

Ayako graduated from Cal in May 2010. She currently works for Patch.com, a hyperlocal news organizatin funded by AOL. She also contributes her columns for The Wall Street Journal Japanese edition.

Updtaed September 2010

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Uchinanchu Journalism - Part 3

  • Por Ayako Mie
  • 15 Set 2010

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While Higa and Kaneshiro’s Uchinanchu journalism is aimed at Uchinanchu outside of Okinawa, Sadao Tome writes stories to send a message to Uchinanchu in Okinawa. “With my writing, I want to connect America and Okinawa,” said the 68-year-old Tome, whose smiling and bespectacled eyes show unparalleled determination. Though he failed often early on, he pursued his dream of becoming a journalist for nearly three decades before finding success. It took him almost 30 years to become a successful writer.

Born in Motobucho, a town located in the middle of Okinawa, Tome went to Tokyo to attend ...

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Uchinanchu Journalism - Part 2

  • Por Ayako Mie
  • 8 Set 2010

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Higa is not the earliest pioneer of Uchinanchu journalism in America.

That would probably be Takeo Kaneshiro, a journalist based in Los Angeles, who has no computer and does not know how to type. “What is the Internet?” inquired the 88-year-old Kaneshiro when asked to create an online version of the newspaper he publishes.

His meticulous handwriting is legible enough for people who subscribe to Godaishu, Kaneshiro’s handwritten newspaper that he has been publishing for 46 years. Godaishu reports on the activities of Uchinanchu all around the world and helps connect them.

Kaneshiro named his publication ...

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Uchinanchu Journalism - Part 1

  • Por Ayako Mie
  • 2 Set 2010

Chogi Higa basked in his backyard in Gardena, California. It was in full bloom with white orchids and the orange and cherry blossom trees he had brought from his birthplace: Okinawa, Japan. It is a weekly ritual for Higa, a 69-year-old radio DJ, to meditate on what he is going to talk about on his radio program, Haisai Okinawa. His weekly program focuses on news germane to the Japanese and Okinawan communities in Los Angeles.

“I get excited whenever I think about what I am going to talk about on the program this week,” said Higa.

Once a week, Higa ...

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