Nikkei Rising

Hajime Hotta 🎵 .me 🎵 ARTSY AUGUST

Join our host Robbie in conversation with Hajime Hotta as they discuss their passion for all things music. You can learn more about Hajime Hotta in their interview posted on the Nikkei Rising YouTube Channel! 🎵

Our final interview of Artsy August is available now on YouTube! 🎶

Join our host Robbie in conversation with Hajime Hotta (.me). He talks about his love of making music. Make sure to follow for more highlights from Hajime Hotta and look out for our artists’ panel coming next week. Visit the link in bio to watch now!

Artsy August is made possible by

Our next interview of Artsy August is available now on YouTube! 🎶

Join our host Robbie in conversation with Yasna Vismale ( ). Yasna talks about what it’s like making music and composing pieces for specific media like film. Make sure to follow for more highlights from Yasna and look out for more upcoming artists’ interviews and at the end of the month a panel discussion. Visit the link in bio to watch now!

Artsy August is made possible by

Our next interview of Artsy August is available now on YouTube! 🌸 (CW: tattoo needles and active tattooing in this post)

Join our host Robbie in conversation with Ava Chiru Kvapil ( / ). Ava discusses her passion and work on hajichi, a traditional Ryūkūan form of tattooing. Make sure to follow for more highlights from Ava and look out for more upcoming artists’ interviews and at the end of the month a panel discussion. Visit the link in bio to watch now!

Artsy August is made possible by

Our next interview of Artsy August is available now on YouTube! 🌸

Join our host Robbie in conversation with Ava Chiru Kvapil ( / ). Ava discusses her passion and work on hajichi, a traditional Ryūkūan form of tattooing. Make sure to follow for more highlights from Ava and look out for more upcoming artists’ interviews and at the end of the month a panel discussion. Visit the link in bio to watch now!

Artsy August is made possible by

Takuma Okada🌟 🌟 ARTSY AUGUST

Nikkei Rising is super excited for our first featured artist of Artsy August!! Check out some of Takuma’s artwork in this post and learn more about how they got into art as well as their most recent art project in their interview posted on the Nikkei Rising YouTube Channel!
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Takuma will be on the Artsy August discussion panel with our other featured artists that will premiere on YouTube later this month! Follow us to stay updated for more info.
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Our first interview of Artsy August is available now on YouTube! 🎮🕹️

Join our host Robbie in conversation with Takuma Okada (aka No Road Home). They discuss their passion for game design, the process behind their work, and how it intersects with their nikkei identity. Make sure to follow for more highlights from Takuma and look out for more upcoming artists’ interviews and at the end of the month a panel discussion. Visit the link in bio to watch now!

Artsy August is made possible by

Obon season is almost over! 🏮🍜🍧👘

Whether it’s your first or your fiftieth time attending an obon, there are still plenty of chances to enjoy shaved ice and show off your yukatas and happi coats!

Here are some more Obons that are happening around the US this month where you can do all that and more!

Let us know in the comments if there are any Obons happening near you.

Maybe we’ll see you there 👋

Posted • Registration for JAMP’s pilgrimage to Topaz is open! Be sure to register before August 5th and check out the updated programming coming to the pilgrimage.

Registration link in JAMP’s bio!

The Paris Olympics are underway and already Nikkei Olympians are competing and even some winning medals. Congratulations to .deguchi on winning gold for Team Canada in Judo.🥇Here are some other Nikkei Olympians to root for representing countries across the world from USA, UK, and Japan to name a few. Let us know who you are rooting for this Olympics and give a shoutout to other Nikkei Olympians in this year’s games we might have missed!

Today is the start of the 2024 Paris Olympics! As we cheer on our favorite teams and athletes, here is a look at some Nikkei Olympians who represented Team USA. Let us know your favorite Nikkei Olympian in the comments. Be on the lookout for a post coming soon about Nikkei Olympians competing this year to cheer on!

For more than a century, baseball has been a significant part of the Japanese American community.
Bringing together people as both players and spectators, baseball has become more than just a pastime.

Let’s take a look at the history of baseball between the US and Japan, the impact it had during the WWII incarceration and the representative figures of the sport in the Japanese American and Japanese communities.

Did you catch this year’s MLB All-Star Game? Check out our previous post to see how many notable Japanese and Japanese American players you know in the MLB! ⚾️

Play Ball! ⚾️

In honor of today’s Major League Baseball All-Star Game, we’re highlighting Nikkei who’ve excelled in the sport professionally. Take a look at notable Japanese and Japanese American players in the MLB, view the schedule for past & upcoming Japanese Heritage Nights, and learn more about the Baseball’s Bridge Across the Pacific exhibit that was featured at the 2023 MLB All-Star Game.

In our next post, we’ll dive deeper into the history of baseball in Japanese American and Japanese communities.

In the meantime, don’t forget to catch the 2024 MLB All-Star Game today at 5:00pm PDT! ⚾

Obon season is here! 🏮🍧🍙🪭

Break out the kachi kachi and geta, and brush up on your taiko skills. Then feast on some gyudon, somen, and ice cream!

Here are some more Obons that are happening around the US this month where you can do all that and more!

Let us know in the comments if there are any Obons happening near you.

Maybe we’ll see you there 👋

“The fact of the matter is LGBT equality and liberation is essentially the liberation of all society.” - Mia Yamamoto

🌟While we should celebrate Pride every day, we want to recognize and honor some Nikkei members of the LGBTQ+ community as Pride Month comes to a close. These five individuals are prime examples of courage, resiliency, and authenticity. This post also includes a resource list of organizations dedicated towards equality and advocacy for Asian Americans in the LGBTQ+ community.🌟

Here’s to creating a better world where all people are free and respected.

Happy International Day of Nikkei! Haven’t heard of it? Well read up on a bit of history about this relatively new day and learn some more Nikkei related facts. Also be sure to tell us what being Nikkei means to you in the comments!

Obon isn’t the only thing happening this summer! There’s plenty of summertime activities to be found! 🍙🍧🍥🪭

Matsuris, bazaars, and much more are happening all summer long. We’re sharing more events for you hit up in your area or find one that you might never heard of! So be sure to grab a friend or your family and enjoy the weather with good community, fun, and food!

Hope to see you at a festival or two this summer! And don’t forget to let us know about any we missed! We’ll be working on the July list next. ✌️

Obon season is here! 🏮👘🍧🍡

Break out the yukatas and fans, and brush up on your bon odori dances. Then feast on some teriyaki chicken, shave ice, and spam musubi!

Here are some Obons that are happening around the US this month where you can do all that and more!

Let us know in the comments if there are any Obons happening near you.

Maybe we’ll see you there 👋

Today is Memorial Day, where we honor and remember service members who were killed in action. During World War II, thousands of Japanese Americans volunteered or served in the US Army. Roughly 800 of them would be killed, trying to prove themselves as loyal Americans. Today we honor and remember the Nisei soldiers and their sacrifice.

In our last post, we highlighted several Nikkei writers and their works. We have composed discussion questions for a few of those books here. Please leave your answers in the comments or any other feedback you have about these books!

For AANHPI Heritage Month, Nikkei Rising wants to highlight books written by Nikkei about Nikkeis. These stories range from Japanese American incarceration history to nikkei identity to nikkei being the main leads in their own story. There are so many nikkei stories to read so we have created a living booklist that will be periodically updated, check it out in our linktree. Feel free to also drop in the comments your favorite nikkei stories and nikkei authors and it may be added to the list! Happy reading everyone!

We are excited to announce the retrun to our YouTube channel with our first ever Nikkei Rising Cook-Off! It will be Robbie Vs. Ryan in who can make the best Oyako-Donburi. Tune in on Sunday, 5/5 on the Nikkei Rising YouTube channel and comment below on who you think is going to win! 👀

Happy Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month! Let us know in the comments what you are looking forward to this month. Also, remember today and every day to celebrate the contributions of AANHPI leaders both within our community and beyond.

Did you know that the first cherry blossom trees arrived in the United States in 1912? They were a symbol of friendship between Japan and the United States. Besides Washington D.C., cherry blossoms are blooming across the nation. Here are some more fun historical facts about these beautiful blossoms and some places to enjoy them! 🌸🌸🌸

Continuing with the enthusiasm for pilgrimage season here are some tips for those attending their first pilgrimage or who need a refresher. For our veteran pilgrimage goers in the comments drop some of your helpful tips, we would love to hear them! The best pilgrimage experiences are with the community and it's important to share the knowledge. Also don't forget to check out our last post listing dates for this year's pilgrimages (this is tip #2!).

This month is the start of pilgrimage season! Let us know in the comments which pilgrimage you will be attending or planning to attend this year, we hope to see you there!

Got any plans for spring yet? 📆
If you haven’t heard, the cherry blossoms are blooming! 🌸
Here are some Cherry Blossom Festivals with FREE attendance happening in the upcoming weeks!
Let us know in the comment of any events happening near you!
Maybe we’ll see you there 👋

Today is Day of Remembrance, recognizing that 82 years ago, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, leading to the mass incarceration of 125,000 Japanese Americans. It is important for all of us to remember this history, today and everyday.

In honor of Day of Remembrance we’ve created a short list of places, exhibits, and more that people can visit to learn and remember Japanese American history and the WWII incarceration experience. Please share more in the comments of any places or exhibits we missed.

Haven't made plans yet for Day of Remembrance this year? 📆
Here are some events that are still open for registration or have FREE attendance in the upcoming weeks!
Let us know in the comments of any events happening near you!
We hope to see you there! 👋