Discover Nikkei is JANM’s international community-based web project sharing stories and the experiences of Nikkei around the world. “Nima” are members of the Discover Nikkei online community. Hailing from all around the world, they each bring unique experiences and perspectives to the site’s rich archive of stories. 

“Nima Voices” is an interview series where we uplift our Nima through brief, but enlightening, interviews! In the second episode, hear from Discover Nikkei contributor Erik Matsunaga as he is interviewed by our guest host, award-winning author Naomi Hirahara.

In addition to sharing his stories on Discover Nikkei, Erik Matsunaga’s investigations into the history of Chicago’s Japanese American community have been featured by the Japanese American National Museum, Alphawood Gallery, WBEZ Radio, and the Newberry Library. Born in Chicago, a descendant of WWII-era Nikkei resettlers from California, he curates @windycitynikkei—“Bite-sized Glimpses of Japanese American Chicago”—on Instagram. Read Erik’s work here before tuning in for this live interview and Q&A on the Discover Nikkei YouTube channel.

Naomi Hirahara is the author of the Edgar Award-winning Mas Arai mystery series, which features a Kibei Nisei gardener and atomic-bomb survivor who solves crimes, Officer Ellie Rush series, and now the new Leilani Santiago mysteries. A former editor of The Rafu Shimpo, she has written a number of nonfiction books on the Japanese American experience and several 12-part serials for Discover Nikkei. Her historical mystery, Clark and Division, set in 1944 Chicago, will be released in August 2021 by Soho Crime. Read Naomi’s stories on Discover Nikkei.

The term “Nima” comes from combining Nikkei and nakama (Japanese for “colleagues”, or “fellows”, or “circle”). Join our Nima-kai community and share your stories about the Nikkei experience! Explore more stories at discovernikkei.org.