Marvel at the amazing and creative ways that writers can imagine Little Tokyo and expand the fictional boundaries of the Japanese American experience at the 12th Imagine Little Tokyo Short Story Contest Awards Ceremony!
Each year, the Imagine Little Tokyo Short Story Contest heightens awareness of Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo by challenging both new and experienced writers to write a story that captures the spirit and essence of Little Tokyo and the people in it.
Ji-young Yoo, Rosie Narasaki, and Toshiji Takeshima will provide dramatic readings of the winning short stories in the English Adult, Youth, and Japanese categories. The celebration will be emceed by actor Christopher Sean. Winners and Honorable Mentions will be revealed at the celebration. Each category winner is awarded a cash prize, and their story will be published in The Rafu Shimpo, on Discover Nikkei, and on the Little Tokyo Historical Society website.
The contest is presented by Little Tokyo Historical Society in partnership with JANM’s Discover Nikkei project.
Marvel at the amazing and creative ways that writers can imagine Little Tokyo and expand the fictional boundaries of the Japanese American experience at the 12th Imagine Little Tokyo Short Story Contest Awards Ceremony!
Each year, the Imagine Little Tokyo Short Story Contest heightens awareness of Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo by challenging both new and experienced writers to write a story that captures the spirit and essence of Little Tokyo and the people in it.
Ji-young Yoo, Rosie Narasaki, and Toshiji Takeshima will provide dramatic readings of the winning short stories in the English Adult, Youth, and Japanese categories. The celebration will be emceed by actor Christopher Sean. Winners and Honorable Mentions will be revealed at the celebration. Each category winner is awarded a cash prize, and their story will be published in The Rafu Shimpo, on Discover Nikkei, and on the Little Tokyo Historical Society website.
The contest is presented by Little Tokyo Historical Society in partnership with JANM’s Discover Nikkei project.
This FREE event will be presented in person and virtually.
Virtual Tickets
Registration required to receive Zoom link.
Bios
Emcee: Christopher Sean
Christopher Sean is a versatile actor known for his captivating performances on the big and small screens. He has appeared in popular television shows like Hawaii Five-O, You, NCIS LA, and Days of Our Lives, where he played the role of Paul Narita with over 340 episodes. He is also making his mark on the performance capture world, appearing as DC's Nightwing in Gotham Knights and Kazuda Xiono in Star Wars Resistance. His most recent work is on Netflix’s feature film Ultraman: Rising as Ultraman Ken Sato.
English Adult Narrator: JI-YOUNG YOO
Ji-young Yoo is an American actress who works in film and television. She has appeared in Moxie, The Sky Is Everywhere, and the 2024 Amazon Prime Video original miniseries Expats, for which she earned an Outstanding Performance in a Limited Series nomination at the Gotham Awards. In 2025, Yoo portrayed Megan, one of the main characters in the horror film Until Dawn, and various critics praised her character and performance.
Youth Narrator: ROSIE NARASAKI
Rosie Narasaki is a second generation actor and playwright. Her recent performance highlights include This is Not a True Story and Two Mile Hollow with Artists at Play and Little Women with Playwright’s Arena. She has also appeared in Shameless, Wisdom of the Crowd, and Insecure.
Her play Unrivaled recently had its world premiere with the Boston Court Pasadena and Playwright’s Arena, prior to which it was workshopped with EST/LA, Artists at Play, the Road Theatre Company, and won the 2022 LA New Play Project Award.
Japanese Narrator: TOSHIJI TAKESHIMA
Toshiji Takashima is a Japanese-born actor based in Los Angeles. His film work includes Sniper G.R.I.T., Yakuza Princess, and We Said No No. On television, he played Inspector Kento Mori in NCIS: Hawai‘i, yakuza boss Nozawa in SWAT, and appeared in MacGyver, Hawaii Five-O, and True Blood. His theater credits include A Streetcar Named Desire, The King and I, and The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. A trained martial artist, he specializes in Iaidō (real sword kata), tate (Japanese sword choreography), and hand-to-hand combat. He performs his own stunts and brings athleticism and precision to his craft. Fluent in English and Japanese, Toshiji continues to build a diverse career in film, television, and theater.