THE JAPANESE AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM’S DISCOVER NIKKEI PROJECT ANNOUNCES “WHAT IS NIKKEI FOOD?” PROGRAM

LOS ANGELES - Discover Nikkei, a web-based project of The Japanese American National Museum (JANM) focused on promoting connections and understanding among the global Japanese diaspora partners with Junior Chamber International (JCI) Brazil-Japan and Nikkei Australia for a free virtual program, “What is Nikkei Food?,” that will explore Nikkei food and the role that it plays in families and communities around the world on February 26 at 3pm PST.

The Nikkei food program will feature a presentation by Shigeru Kojima. Gil Asakawa will moderate the program and discussions to explore cultural significance and how it brings people together. Participants will have the opportunity to participate in facilitated small group discussions about the various topics around Nikkei food.

The program will be offered on Saturday, February 26 via Zoom. Presentations will be in English with simultaneous translations available in Spanish and Portuguese. Small group sessions will be led by facilitators in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. In addition to the breakout sessions, the virtual rooms will remain open for an hour following the end of the program for further informal discussions or networking opportunities.

The program is free, but registration is required. For more information and to register, please go to 5dn.org/dn-programs.

Gil Asakawa is a journalist, editor, author and blogger who covers Japan, Japanese American and Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) culture and social justice issues in blogs, articles and social media. He is a nationally-known speaker, panelist and expert on Japanese American and Asian American history and identity. He’s the author of Being Japanese American (Stone Bridge Press) and his next book, Tabemasho! Let’s Eat! (Stone Bridge Press), a history of Japanese food in America which will be published in 2022. His blog: nikkeiview.com.

Shigeru Kojima taught at Tokyo Gakugei University and helped establish the JICA Yokohama Japanese Overseas Migration Museum. He is a researcher (on call) at the Advanced Research Center for Human Sciences at the Waseda University. Some of his publications include Nikkei community no shorai to matsuri (The Future of Nikkei Community and Matsuri) in The Nanboku America no Nikkei bunka (Nikkei Culture in North and South America); “Nihonjin imin no rekishi kara zainichi nikkeijin wo kangaeru - Brazil ijyu 100 shunen to nikkei no shosou (Thinking about the Nikkei in Japan from the History of Japanese Immigrants – the 100th Anniversary of Immigration to Brazil and the Nikkei Lives). Kojima graduated from Sophia University and received a Master’s degree in history from the Federal University of Paraná, Brazil.

JCI Brazil-Japan is a local São Paulo, Brazil chapter of Junior Chamber International (JCI), a non-profit organization of young active citizens, aged 18 to 40, who are committed and involved in making an impact in their communities. JCI members are active citizens from all sectors of society who embrace new ideas, collaboration, and diversity, and are concerned about the future of our world.

Nikkei Australia promotes research, study, arts and cultural practices, and community information exchange about the Nikkei diaspora in Australia. Nikkei Australia was created in 2013 by a group of interested researchers who came together to facilitate the Civilian Internee Project.

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About Discover Nikkei
DiscoverNikkei.org is a major online resource that brings together the voices and experiences of Nikkei (Japanese emigrants and their descendants), who have created communities throughout the world. The multilingual website—available in English, Japanese, Spanish, and Portuguese—documents Nikkei history and culture and provides learning and networking tools for Nikkei around the world. At the same time, it seeks to explore the diverse and ever-changing meaning of the term Nikkei. The site’s rich multimedia content includes excerpts from life history interviews, first-person stories and essays, journalistic profiles, research papers, opinion pieces, short fiction, lesson plans, and listings for events worldwide. After 16 years, Discover Nikkei has published articles by over 1,000 writers worldwide and presented excerpts from nearly 200 video life history interviews. The content currently represents 15 countries, and it continues to grow.

About the Japanese American National Museum (JANM)
Established in 1985, JANM promotes understanding and appreciation of America’s ethnic and cultural diversity by sharing the Japanese American experience. Located in the historic Little Tokyo district of downtown Los Angeles, JANM is a hybrid institution that straddles traditional museum categories and strives to provide a voice for Japanese Americans as well as a forum that enables all people to explore their own heritage and culture. Since opening to the public in 1992, JANM has presented over 70 exhibitions onsite while traveling 17 exhibits to venues such as the Smithsonian Institution and the Ellis Island Museum in the United States, and to several leading cultural museums in Japan and South America. For more information, visit janm.org or follow us on social media @jamuseum.