When I was younger, my Japanese middle name was a source of shame, especially since I was surrounded by kids with American names. Now, I've learned how our names are innately tied to our culture.
Read Article >>Join me on my quest to find the origins of the rainbow Jell-O - a fixture at many community events and parties.
Read Article >>This month as we celebrate our heritage, we have assigned you a mission: find out more about your ancestors. We can take advantage of this time to share stories about our families and reconnect with relatives.
Read Article >>Vegetable superheroes, snake liquor, and fried doughnuts are just some of the things that make Okinawan culture amazing. To learn more about some of the things that make Okinawa's culture so rich and vibrant, read on.
Read Article >>More young Japanese Americans are getting their family mon, or crest, tattooed on their bodies today. In a Q&A with Portland-based artist Jun Osaki, we learn more about how tattoos can connect people to their culture.
Read Article >>The Sansei dances that many Japanese American parents in Southern California enjoy today hark back to a period in the 1960s and 1970s known as the Los Angeles Asian American dance scene.
Read Article >>We've collected and listed 20 of the most commonly mentioned Japanese American antiques and heirlooms that families have found in their cupboards, shelves, kitchens, and attics.
Read Article >>This past June, Okaeri LA hosted the first ever Queer Obon (we think), or a festival designed to bring LGBTQ+ people together in community for this important Buddhist holiday.
Yo! Camp 2023 was one for the ages. Read on.
If I really think about it I know there were many people who thought that my mix of backgrounds was cool throughout my childhood; however, I can’t help but focus on those in my life that made me feel like I didn’t belong.
I’m here to guide you through the unbearable and excruciating… I mean, FUN AND ACTION-PACKED opportunity of being dragged…BROUGHT to a bases of ball game.
When I got cancer, I thought that would be my biggest problem. I was very wrong.
For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, the Intercollegiate Taiko Invitational (ITI) was held at UC Davis, co-hosted by Davis’ Bakuhatsu Taiko Dan and UC Berkeley’s Cal Raijin Taiko. But what’s the big fuss, and why should the community care?
Now that the summer, graduation, and the prospect of the future are inching closer, I thought this might be the perfect time to assuage some of the growing fears around the job search and career transition, especially for our college-aged readers.