Strings of Resilience: A Life Shaped by Music, History and Purpose
In a quiet neighborhood in North Seattle, Mari Horita picked up a violin at age six not because she loved it, but because her best friend did. The friend quit within months. She didn’t. Decades later, Mari — now a senior vice president for the National Hockey League’s Seattle Kraken —still plays. Not for a […]
The Manago Hotel: A Legacy Built on Issei Values and Pork Chops
The legacy of the Manago Hotel goes far beyond the nostalgia of “Old Hawai’i” and their world famous pork chops. Ask any of the Manago family members who manage the hotel or their employees. It’s the values of the Issei (first generation) immigrants and the aloha spirit that have kept the doors open for over […]
Joe Aihara: Empathy and Excellence in the Classroom and on the Court
The influence of Japanese language teacher Joe Aihara reaches far beyond the classroom, extending to hands-on, immersive experiences of cultural exchange and even to the basketball court. Born in Princeton, New Jersey and raised in Orange County, California, Joe has taught Japanese and coached basketball, primarily in the Anaheim Union High School District, for thirty […]
Deidre Tegarden: Compassionate Leadership at Nisei Veterans Memorial Center
The remarkable legacy of Nisei soldiers is embodied by the busy calendar of events at the Nisei Veteran Memorial Center (NVMC), located on Go For Broke Way in Kahului, Maui. NVMC is a vital community gathering space serving the many communities of Maui. On any given day there are exhibitions, cultural workshops, movie nights and […]
Otomisan: Making History in Boyle Heights
About two miles east of Little Tokyo in the community of Boyle Heights, a tiny café embodies the concept that small can be beautiful and even delicious.
Otomisan restaurant at 2506½ East 1st Street commences its 69th year of continuous operating with a new owner, Jeff Ige, and a Historic-Cultural Monument designation from the City of Los Angeles.
Efforts to secure the designation were spearheaded by Otomisan’s previous owner Yayoi Watanabe in collaboration with the Los Angeles Conservancy and Boyle Heights Community Partners president and CEO Vivian Escalante. Then, in January 2022, following months of documentation and advocacy, the L.A. City Council unanimously approved the designation.
Nancy Uyemura: A Life of Love Connected to Others
When people describe Nancy Uyemura, the word they use is “humble”. She doesn’t brag, she’s especially generous and she always goes out of her way to reach out to others. Her artwork spreads across Little Tokyo, yet what she’s truly known for in the community is her character. Wishing to bring greater recognition to her […]
Remembering the L.A. Retail Fish Association
Sixty years ago to this day, twenty-one fishmen posed with their trucks along the wharf of San Pedro Harbor for a dramatic, panoramic photo, captured by Jack Iwata. The men were members of the Los Angeles Retail Fish Association, a.k.a. the Los Angeles Japanese Fish Peddlers Association, an important but little-known organization formed in the […]
Reina Asami: Balancing the Scales of Tradition and Innovation Through Tattoos
In a private tattoo studio in Los Angeles, Reina Asami is bringing to life her admiration and appreciation of her Japanese heritage by modifying calligraphy and other artistic traditions into wearable, livable art. The home base for this second-generation Japanese-American is Bear w/Me, located in Atwater Village, where she works alongside a wide variety of […]
Dani and Mary Iwami: Molding the Resilience and Persistence of Heritage into a Multi-Generational Artistic Vision
“She’s graceful, resilient, and passionate.” The very traits that ceramicist Dani Iwami admires in the people around her are abundantly evident in her own life story and the dynamism of her artistic pursuits. Her work as an artist is a tribute to the women who have come before, who walk in stride beside her, and […]
David Yamahata: From Studying Dentistry to Being the First Japanese American Fire Captain
In the eyes of many Nisei parents, being “successful” in life meant their Sansei children had to become a lawyer or doctor or someone in the medical profession. “My uncle was a dentist,” said David Yamahata, “so I studied pre-dental at UCLA.” This was back in the early 1970s when Sansei like Yamahata were under […]