Janice D. Tanaka
Janice D. Tanaka is a communications specialist, a filmmaker and educator who has written and produced several acclaimed documentaries including the award winning When You’re Smiling, the story of the Sansei suicides during the 1970s. She continues to produce for clients such as the Keiro Senior Healthcare, the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, and the USC Asian Pacific Alumni Association. Her latest documentary Growing Success, documents the history and contributions to the agricultural industry of a Japanese American farm family in Oxnard, California.
Updated August 2012
Stories from This Author
Irene Hirano Inouye: A Personal Reflection
July 22, 2020 • Janice D. Tanaka
On April 7, 2020, I heard that Irene Hirano Inouye, a member of Delta Phi Kappa in the mid-60s, passed away. I was saddened by her passing because she was a person who made a great impact on my life. I thought I would share my story about how our lives have intersected over the years. I first met Irene Yasutake in the summer of 1970. I was an awkward tom-boyish 14-year-old who was unwillingly thrust into being a bridesmaid …
Elsie Kikuchi’s J-Town
Aug. 29, 2012 • Janice D. Tanaka
I’ve been driven by food all my life. My chubbiness, which I’ve never been able to shake all my life, can be attributed to the fact that I love food and have eaten considerably more than what a 4'9" girl should. In fact, in many of the candid photos I have from my childhood, you’ll likely see me with food clutched in my hand. Alan Kunihiro, one of my Maryknoll classmates sent me a great shot of a group of …
