Discover Nikkei is JANM’s 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. Join us for our fifth episode! Japanese American artist/consultant Jay Horinouchi will be interviewed by guest host Soji Kashiwagi, the Executive Director of the Grateful Crane Ensemble. Jay has created 7 of 10 Nikkei Chronicles logos for Discover Nikkei, including the latest one for Nikkei Generations. Soji, who has led three goodwill tours to Tohoku, will also talk to Jay about assisting with post-tsunami recovery efforts.

Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area in California, Jay Horinouchi was living in Japan when the 2011 Great Tohoku Kanto earthquake occurred. He spent time in Tohoku (2011-2012) to assist in post-tsunami recovery efforts. Jay now lives in San Diego, California, with his wife, two young daughters, and two dogs. Check out his Nikkei Chronicles designs and read his story about his recovery efforts before tuning in for this live interview and Q&A on the Discover Nikkei YouTube channel.

Soji Kashiwagi has written numerous plays, articles, columns, and essays on the Japanese American experience, many of which have focused on the WWII imprisonment of the Japanese American community. He’s a playwright, co-founder, and Executive Director of the Grateful Crane Ensemble, a non-profit theater company based in Los Angeles, CA. With Grateful Crane, he has led three goodwill tours to Tohoku, Japan in 2014, 2016, and 2018 where the group has performed songs of hope and healing for survivors of the 3/11 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. Read his 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! Find out more at DiscoverNikkei.org.

We encourage you to subscribe to the Discover Nikkei YouTube channel so you will be notified when the video is streaming live.

We are grateful for the generosity of our members and audiences. Virtual programs like this are only possible with your support. Donate now so that we can create future exciting programming and digital content!