Karen Kawaguchi
@karenkawa7Karen Kawaguchi is a writer based in New York City. She was born in Tokyo to a Japanese mother and a Nisei father from Seattle. He served in the U.S. Army’s Military Intelligence Service while his family was incarcerated at Minidoka. Karen and her family moved to the U.S. in the late 1950’s, living mostly in the Chicago area. In 1967, they moved to Okinawa where she went to Kubasaki High School. She subsequently attended Wesleyan University (CT) and later lived in Washington, D.C., Dallas, and Seattle. She recently retired as an editor in educational publishing, having worked for Heinemann, Pearson, and other leading publishers. She volunteers for organizations such as Literacy Partners (adult ESL) and enjoys going to Japan Society, art museums, and botanical gardens. She feels fortunate to be able to draw deeply from the three cultures in her life: Japanese, American, and Japanese-American.
Updated June 2022
Stories from This Author
Stephanie Ajifu, Shibuchoo, Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko LA—Reflects on her Okinawan Cultural Heritage
March 6, 2024 • Karen Kawaguchi
On March 9, 2024, Discover Nikkei will host “Yeisaa nu Chimu-Don-Don: Exploring Cultural Identity through Okinawan Drumming,” a multilingual virtual program that will feature tutorials and conversations with members of contemporary eisa groups around the world. (Eisa is a traditional Okinawan folk dance and musical performance to honor the spirit of Okinawan ancestors.) Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko Los Angeles Branch (RMDLA) will be one of the groups participating in this program. Discover Nikkei recently chatted with Stephanie Ajifu, the current Shibucho …
Susan Miyagi McCormac Leads JapanCulture•NYC: Sharing Her Passion for Japanese Culture and Japanese Life in New York City
Aug. 21, 2023 • Karen Kawaguchi
As the founder and editor-in-chief of JapanCulture•NYC, an English-language resource for Japanese culture and life in New York City, Susan Miyagi McCormac is busy attending Japanese cultural events, trying Japanese restaurants and shops, and participating in Japanese organizations, while also fully engaged with her work as a freelance graphics operator for live, televised sporting events with the YES network and other television networks. (A graphics operator organizes and operates computer-driven, on-screen graphics during live shows and events.) Personal Geography: An Early …
Shizuka Anderson, Canadian Japanese Actor, TV Presenter, “Japan by Food” Host, and Singer: The Evolution of Her Hafu/Nikkei Identity
July 18, 2023 • Karen Kawaguchi
Readers were introduced to byFood.com, “Japan’s One-stop Food Platform,” in Discover Nikkei in January 2023. Shizuka Anderson, host of byFood’s YouTube channel, “Japan by Food,” shared her story about her experiences as a Canadian Japanese actor and performer living in Japan. A Journey in Progress: From Rural Canada to Tokyo Having grown up in rural Canada and Edmonton, Alberta, Anderson made a momentous decision to move to Japan when she was 18 years old. “I was born in a very …
Takeshi Furumoto: Challenges, Achievements, Helping Others
July 5, 2023 • Karen Kawaguchi
Takeshi Furumoto is an activist in Japanese American organizations and communities, a Vietnam War veteran awarded the Bronze Star, and a successful businessman. His upbringing, family background, and life experiences have added up to a complex identity as a self-described "Kibei Nisei and a half," a full-fledged Nikkei, and an American. Born in 1944 in Tule Lake War Relocation Center, he moved to Hiroshima, Japan with his parents after the war and attended Japanese schools. In 1956, he and some …
ByFood.com: A Cornucopia of Information for Planning Food Adventures and More in Japan — Part 2
Jan. 18, 2023 • Karen Kawaguchi
Read part 1 >> Who is Serkan Toso? As I explored byFood.com, I started wondering who is the mastermind behind this site? The “About Us” states that in 2018, Serkan Toso started Tokyo by Food, a booking platform for food experiences in Tokyo. With a lifelong interest in solving social issues, Toso developed a donation system giving ten school lunches to children in Cambodia for each person who booked a food experience. This was an integral part of his business …
ByFood.com: A Cornucopia of Information for Planning Food Adventures and More in Japan — Part 1
Jan. 17, 2023 • Karen Kawaguchi
As a Nikkei New Yorker who is planning a trip to Japan in the next year or two, I recently discovered byFood.com, self-described as “Japan’s One-stop Food Platform.” This site is a useful tool to explore and book food experiences, reserve restaurants, and buy gourmet products from local businesses in Japan. The information is presented in excellent English, so I won’t have to rely on my meager command of the Japanese language to figure things out. Also all byFood local …
Karen Tengan Okuda: Exploring and Expressing Her Uchinānchu / Okinawan Identity
Oct. 17, 2022 • Karen Kawaguchi
As a second-generation Uchinānchu (Okinawan immigrant), Karen Tengan Okuda lives and works on the unceded lands of the Eora and Dharug peoples (Sydney, Australia). Okuda works as a Social Media Community Specialist for Special Broadcasting Service Australia. She is also a founding member and an editor of a magazine, Shimanchu Nu Kwii (meaning “voices of Shimanchu” in Uchināguchi). “The magazine was born out of a desire to create a space where Shimanchu (island people) all over the world can connect with …
Mitch Homma: Preserving and Sharing Family History
Aug. 9, 2022 • Karen Kawaguchi
Mitch Homma, a 3rd generation Japanese American, grew up and still lives in Southern California. He has long been interested in Japanese and Japanese American history. His family’s association with the American Baptist organization began four generations ago when his great-grandfather, Rev. Masahiko Wada, graduated from Yokohama Baptist Seminary and started a Baptist church in Japan around 1910. Homma has sought to organize, preserve, and share his family’s photo and document collection, which covers their missionary work in Japan, Manchuria, …
Documentary Photographer and Journalist Kayla Isomura Explores Nikkei Culture and Identity
June 27, 2022 • Karen Kawaguchi
Kayla Isomura may be best known for their work on The Suitcase Project (2018), a multimedia exhibition which explored themes of home, sudden dislocation, and discrimination experienced by fourth- and fifth-generation Japanese Canadians and Americans. As a fourth-generation Japanese and Chinese Canadian storyteller, artist, documentary photographer, and journalist, Isomura (them/they) has delved into creative projects and community work to explore Nikkei culture and identity. The Suitcase Project To create this project, Isomura asked fourth- and fifth-generation Japanese Canadians and Japanese Americans …
