Keiko Fukuda
@fukudaKeiko Fukuda was born in Oita, Japan. After graduating from International Christian University, she worked for a publishing company. Fukuda moved to the United States in 1992 where she became the chief editor of a Japanese community magazine. In 2003, Fukuda started working as a freelance writer. She currently writes articles for both Japanese and U.S. magazines with a focus on interviews. Fukuda is the co-author of Nihon ni umarete (“Born in Japan”) published by Hankyu Communications. Website: https://angeleno.net
Updated July 2020
Stories from This Author
After many twists and turns, Naoya Fujita became a regional airline captain
Feb. 9, 2021 • Keiko Fukuda
Studying abroad by air with my family before turning 30 "If I hadn't made that decision then, I would still be looking up at the planes flying in the Japanese sky and muttering to myself, 'If I'd done it then, I might have been there by now...'" says Naoya Fujita, a captain at SkyWest Airlines, a regional airline in the United States. Seniority is the standard for personnel decisions at American airlines, and Fujita's seniority at the company is 1,451st …
Vegan restaurant owner Akira Nakao's efforts under ever-changing business restrictions
Jan. 6, 2021 • Keiko Fukuda
"Just do the same thing as before" Huntington Beach, Orange County. Vegan restaurant VegiLicious is located in a secluded corner of an inconspicuous shopping mall, quite far from the freeway. The restaurant's owner and chef, Akira Nakao, serves Japanese dishes such as curry, ramen, and Kobe yakiniku donburi. As it is a vegan restaurant, all the ingredients are naturally plant-based and organic. The healthy dishes, which Nakao himself makes with love, have earned a reputation, and despite the restaurant's less …
Why people who remain in America don't return to Japan
Dec. 2, 2020 • Keiko Fukuda
Presence of children, medical care, language We spoke to people who emigrated to the United States and then returned to Japan, as well as people who had returned to Japan but then returned to the United States, and we also spoke to people who had decided to make the United States their final home, about their decision. Mr. T, a man in his 70s who has lived in the US for 50 years, said he studied languages in the US …
Kinue Tokudome, who re-acquired permanent resident status after returning to Japan from 31 years in the United States
Nov. 20, 2020 • Keiko Fukuda
Obtaining permanent residency for the future of children As I listened to the stories of Shin-Issei who returned to Japan after living in the United States for various reasons, or chose to remain in the United States, I also wanted to hear the stories of those who returned to the United States after returning to Japan. At that time, I remembered Tokudome Kinue, whom I met by chance at a seminar held in Irvine, Orange County in the summer of …
Tsunehisa Nakajima: 18 Years Since Winning Permanent Residency
Nov. 4, 2020 • Keiko Fukuda
Starting His American Life with a Wage of $7 Per Hour I came to know Tsunehisa Nakajima, COO of an IT company in the outskirts of San Francisco, through an interview for the newsletter of a certain Nikkei business association. I looked up his name after the interview in order to put together his profile. I had been certain that he was an expat from Japan, but I discovered that he actually won his green card lottery shortly after the …
Why people decide to move back to Japan, instead of living out their life in America
Oct. 2, 2020 • Keiko Fukuda
Married couple who moved back to Japan after 48 years living in America An increasing number of people around me are moving back to Japan. I’m also nearing that turning point myself. I feel at ease because my eldest son works in Japan and lives with my parents, but as their only child, I must return to Japan to take care of them when they require more elderly care. While there are Shin-Issei like me who return to Japan in …
Toyota USA’s Christopher Yang, a Nisei Born in Southern California
Aug. 21, 2020 • Keiko Fukuda
Motivation to Study Japanese The reason why Nisei children who were born in the U.S. go to Japanese-language schools or hoshūkō is that their parents hope that they will acquire the language of the land where their roots lie. That was also the case for my two children. Every Saturday morning, I would hurry them along to Japanese school, with not a bit of enthusiasm on their part. This is the point where children diverge. Some will rebel against having …
Ryohei Ito: Rakkan Ramen owner who came to the US in 2017
June 17, 2020 • Keiko Fukuda
6-Year Moving Preparations Opening up its first restaurant in downtown Los Angeles in July 2017, Rakkan Ramen expanded with a location at Redondo Beach in the South Bay and then another in Santa Monica, CA. CEO of Rakkan USA, Ryohei Ito, moved to the United States by using his ramen as a foothold. He has now set his sights on branching further out from his base in Los Angeles across the United States and Europe. Ito’s desire to live overseas …
Hiroaki Takamatsu continues to spread messages about the coronavirus pandemic
May 11, 2020 • Keiko Fukuda
I want Japan to notice me Hiroaki Takamatsu is a development manager at Tableau Software, an IT company headquartered in the suburbs of Seattle, who also serves as an outside director for several other companies and has even published a book called "Rules for Raising Children at Global Standards." I've interviewed the multifaceted Takamatsu several times in the past and have been connected with him on Facebook. I think it was around mid-March that Takamatsu's posts started to focus on …
Los Angeles' Japanese Community During the COVID-19 Pandemic
April 27, 2020 • Keiko Fukuda
"There's no option to quit" As I write this article in mid-April 2020, Los Angeles is in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. The Governor of California has announced an extension of the stay-at-home order, and the stay-at-home order will continue until May 15th. Of course, there is no guarantee that the stay-at-home order will be lifted. Dr. Anthony Fauci, a member of the Trump Administration's coronavirus task force, has sounded a warning about President Trump's haste to reopen businesses …
