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
Miyuki Sohara, a film director, producer, actress, and freelance announcer who moved to the United States in 1999
April 6, 2020 • Keiko Fukuda
Bringing our hometown Miyazaki beef to the world Miyuki Sohara, a Los Angeles resident, is the director and producer of the films "Hannari" and "Origami Crane." "Hannari" depicts the Japanese spirit of hospitality, and "Origami Crane" introduces Japanese consideration to the world through film. She is currently working on a new film on the theme of "Return Dolls," a return gift to the blue-eyed dolls sent by America to Japan as a token of friendship. I had interviewed Sohara when …
Connecting Japan and the United States - Irene Hirano Inouye, U.S.-Japan Council President
Feb. 19, 2020 • Keiko Fukuda
“It will be too late if I don’t start now” Irene Hirano Inouye was the President and CEO of the Japanese American National Museum (JANM) at the time of its founding and served in that role for 20 years. In 2009, she established the U.S. Japan Council (USJC) whose purpose was to strengthen relations between the United States and Japan. Last year marked the 10th anniversary of the USJC. During this milestone, I had the fortune of conducting an in-person …
Yoshiki Nagahama of One Okinawa - Media connecting Okinawan people
Jan. 6, 2020 • Keiko Fukuda
Colonia Okinawa The web magazine One Okinawa opened on October 30, 2019 as “a web media connecting Okinawan people (Uchinanchu) in the world.” (Note: October 30 is World Uchinanchu Day.) The same medium includes an interview with uchinanchu in Hawaii and a report of the fire that burned down Shuri Castle. The founder, Yoshiki Nagahama, is a former newspaper reporter of the Ryuku Shimpo and lives in Okinawa. “I had the idea of launching this web magazine for several years. …
Eden Kai, a musician and actor who was featured in Terrace House
Dec. 20, 2019 • Keiko Fukuda
A high school student in Hawaii who speaks Japanese beautifully I started watching Terrace House at the recommendation of my daughter, who is a high school student. It is a reality TV program that tracks romance, conflict, and the pursuit of dreams as young men and women live together in the same house. The opening narration declares that “There is no script.” The real lives of six men and women resonate with viewers, and since 2017 the show has been …
A tour of the Japanese community in Los Angeles with a Japanese social studies teacher
Nov. 4, 2019 • Keiko Fukuda
Japanese people don't know about Japanese people I have been in America for 28 years. During that time, I have interviewed many Japanese Americans as a writer. I am also interested in why people in the same situation as me decided to come to America and what pushed them to make it happen, so I have spoken to many Shin-Issei living in America. And I always think that people from Japan don't know much about Japanese Americans. That Japanese Americans …
The Okinawan Association of North America celebrates its 110th anniversary — People from all over the United States and Okinawa gather together
Oct. 7, 2019 • Keiko Fukuda
The pride of Okinawans On August 31, 2019, the first day of the Labor Day holiday, the Okinawa Association of North America (OAA) held a grand 110th anniversary ceremony at the Ken Nakaoka Community Center in Gardena, with about 200 participants. This ceremony was originally intended as a prelude to the performance of Okinawan band BEGIN, which was scheduled to be held the following September 1 at the Performing Arts Center in neighboring Redondo Beach. Unfortunately, the visas did not …
Minami, an authentic soba restaurant and Okinawan restaurant currently thriving in Orange County
Aug. 5, 2019 • Keiko Fukuda
The reason why he decided to start a business after leaving a beer company and open a soba restaurant In recent years, the map of Japanese food in Southern California has become increasingly dense. Sushi arrived in the 1960s, followed by tempura and shabu-shabu, and more recently izakaya, ramen, udon, and yakitori - the types of Japanese food known to Americans are becoming more and more diverse. And then there's soba. About 20 years ago, a soba restaurant called Otafuku …
Yayoi Sato of the Los Angeles Dodgers moved to the US after the September 11 attacks
July 19, 2019 • Keiko Fukuda
Hello Kitty project draws new fans to the stadium Since the debut of pitcher Hideo Nomo, who paved the way for Japanese players, the success of the next generation of players in the major leagues has been remarkable. From 2016 to the current 2019 season, pitcher Kenta Maeda was on the Los Angeles Dodgers team. Between Nomo and Maeda, pitchers Kazuhisa Ishii, Masao Kida, Takashi Saito, and Hiroki Kuroda all played at Dodger Stadium, and Yu Darvish, who is currently …
Actor Naoyuki Ikeda: From moving to the US to winning the Actors Award
April 22, 2019 • Keiko Fukuda
After 13 years as an English teacher in Japan, I moved to America where I can thrive In March 2019, I was intrigued by a man who was hosting a samurai show at an event in Beverly Hills. He told me that he had been a school teacher in Japan. He told me that he came to America 10 years ago to become an actor. His name is Naoyuki Ikeda. In 2019, he won the Actors Award for Best Supporting …
Bringing authentic takoyaki culture to America — Takeo Shibatani of TaNoTa
April 5, 2019 • Keiko Fukuda
Frozen takoyaki production for izakayas and ramen shops When talking about "home cooking" with people from Kansai, I often hear them say, "We had a takoyaki maker at home since we were kids." As someone from Kyushu, I have the image that takoyaki is not something you eat at home, but something you buy at a food stall. Whether you eat it at home or buy it at a food stall, there is surely no Japanese person who doesn't know …
