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After nearly two years of planning, fundraising and labor, the newly restored baseball diamond at the Manzanar National ...
09/29/2025

After nearly two years of planning, fundraising and labor, the newly restored baseball diamond at the Manzanar National Historic Site will have its grand opening with a special doubleheader on Saturday, Oct. 18.

“We’re going to this place of sadness and pain and do something joyful and wonderful,” Kwong told The Rafu Shimpo last year. “In a way I think we are following in the footsteps of Issei and Nisei, because that’s what they had to do. They the made beautiful gardens, they played sports, they practiced cultural traditions, they were not going to be stopped from living life.”

Kwong hopes to make the games an annual tradition on the field, which has been restored by scores of volunteers, from identifying markers of the old diamond and pulling weeds by hand, to the construction of the backstop, fan seats, and this week, the building of the raised announcers’ booth.

Games will be played on the newly restored diamond. Volunteers are sought for the day-long event at the historic site. RAFU STAFF REPORTS After nearly two years of planning, fundraising and labor, the newly restored baseball diamond at the Manzanar National Historic Site will have its grand opening....

With a return to a two-day format after two years, the basketball tournament was thriving and under way. Sweat, tears, v...
09/22/2025

With a return to a two-day format after two years, the basketball tournament was thriving and under way. Sweat, tears, victories, and losses – generations competed for the gold and the Ryoko Rain awards. Players ranging from 5 to 67 years old filled the Pyramid, continuing the tradition of generations before them and leaving a legacy to follow.

21 hours of game time.

776 games.

8 games every 12 minutes.

One reason: games for the generations.

By ERIKA JAMES The 30th annual Nikkei Games: Games for the Generations is in the history books for 2025, but the participation and competition have proven that the games are on their way to becoming the greatest Nikkei sports festival in our country. Held July through August, the Nikkei Coordinating...

On March 16, approximately 275 attendees, mostly descendants of Japanese American farmers, came to the bustling Tanaka F...
09/19/2025

On March 16, approximately 275 attendees, mostly descendants of Japanese American farmers, came to the bustling Tanaka Farms in Irvine for a vibrant celebration of Nikkei farm history, which included presentations, performances, and food.

The event was sponsored by Kansha Project, a community-based history project that is documenting 5,000 pre-World War II Nikkei farms in California, and OCO Youth: Helping Farms Feed Families, an Orange County service club. Grants from Keiro and the Takahashi Foundation funded the event.

Amanda Kim, a Yonsei from Ventura County and founder of Kansha Project, also presented an overview of her volunteers’ efforts to transcribe handwritten federal documents related to World War II-era Nikkei farms. As Kim explained, the project’s work preserves the historical contributions, skills, and accomplishments of thousands of Japanese American farmers, their families, and their communities.

Many farmers and descendants were awestruck by receiving a printed copy of the decades-old records that they were just seeing for the first time. Their excitement moved them to share stories of their families’ strength and resilience, sparking conversation with younger family members, fellow attendees, and volunteers.



By LYNDA TAKAGI KOVACH and LISA TAKATA On March 16, approximately 275 attendees, mostly descendants of Japanese American farmers, came to the bustling Tanaka Farms in Irvine for a vibrant celebration of Nikkei farm history, which included presentations, performances, and food. The event was sponsore...

Marugame Udon, Japan’s largest udon chain, is celebrating eight years on Sawtelle this month with a slate of community f...
09/17/2025

Marugame Udon, Japan’s largest udon chain, is celebrating eight years on Sawtelle this month with a slate of community festivities.

Highlights include the return of fan-favorite dishes from the restaurant’s opening week, debut of new limited-time menu items, spin-the-wheel prize giveaways, and hands-on udon-making classes (fully booked within days).

Marugame Udon, Japan’s largest udon chain, is celebrating eight years on Sawtelle this month with a slate of community festivities. Highlights include the return of fan-favorite dishes from the restaurant’s opening week, debut of new limited-time menu items, spin-the-wheel prize giveaways, and h...

"To residents of Southern California and Arizona:My name is Kosei Murota, and I have recently assumed the position of co...
09/05/2025

"To residents of Southern California and Arizona:

My name is Kosei Murota, and I have recently assumed the position of consul general of Japan in Los Angeles.

Since joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1994, this will be my second assignment in the United States, following my time at the Embassy of Japan in Washington, D.C. With no previous connection to the West Coast until now, I have arrived in Los Angeles feeling both the weight of my mission and the joy of beginning a new life in this great city."

To residents of Southern California and Arizona: My name is Kosei Murota, and I have recently assumed the position of consul general of Japan inLos Angeles. Since joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1994, this will be my second assignment in the United States, following my time at the Embassy...

"A crowd estimated at over 500 attended a rally Aug. 23 outside the Japanese American National Museum for a Day of Actio...
09/03/2025

"A crowd estimated at over 500 attended a rally Aug. 23 outside the Japanese American National Museum for a Day of Action in response to federal immigration enforcement activities in Little Tokyo a week earlier.

On Aug. 14, during a speech by Gov. Gavin Newsom at JANM’s Democracy Center, armed ICE and Border Patrol agents filled the museum’s plaza and reportedly arrested two individuals. It was at that very location, outside the former Nishi Hongwanji Buddhist Temple, that Japanese Americans boarded buses to incarceration camps in 1942.

Sponsors of the rally included the Manzanar Committee, National Park Conservation Association, Go For Broke National Education Center, JANM, JACL, Little Tokyo Historical Society, Little Tokyo Service Center, Nikkei for Civil Rights & Redress, Nikkei Progressives, and Tuna Canyon Detention Station Coalition."



Activists Call for Action Following ICE Raid in Little Tokyo By J.K. YAMAMOTORafu Shimpo A crowd estimated at over 500 attended a rally Aug. 23 outside the Japanese American National Museum for a Day of Action in response to federal immigration enforcement activities in Little Tokyo a week earlier.....

08/22/2025



The 2025 Nisei Week Grand Parade took place on Aug. 10 with crowds lining the streets of Little Tokyo. The parade was preceded by a performance of Japanese pop songs by the Last Minute Band on First Street. Band members Mikey Hirano Culross and Miyuki Matsunaga then served as emcees. The parade part...

At a time when the world seems to be pulling itself apart at the seams, it’s nice to know that there are those working t...
08/19/2025

At a time when the world seems to be pulling itself apart at the seams, it’s nice to know that there are those working tirelessly to build bridges and bring people together.

The Aug. 8th weekend, we saw the efforts of some of those folks play out in the latest version of the Japan x USA Friendship Games in Torrance.

The Friendship Games are intended to celebrate the friendship between the U.S. and Japan through baseball while providing young players with the opportunity to experience different cultures and baseball styles.



By MILES ANDERSONSpecial to The Rafu At a time when the world seems to be pulling itself apart at the seams, it’s nice to know that there are those working tirelessly to build bridges and bring people together. Last weekend, we saw the efforts of some of those folks play out in the latest version ...

After nearly 50 years as a Little Tokyo mainstay, the venerable Mitsuru Sushi & Grill, known for its unique blend of Jap...
08/18/2025

After nearly 50 years as a Little Tokyo mainstay, the venerable Mitsuru Sushi & Grill, known for its unique blend of Japanese and American food, announced that it will be closing and its last day of service will be Aug. 31.

After nearly 50 years as a Little Tokyo mainstay, the venerable Mitsuru Sushi & Grill, known for its unique blend of Japanese and American food, announced that it will be closing and its last day of service will be Aug. 31. Originally opened in 1976 as a lunch counter in a space it shared with […]

The guest speaker was Howard Kakita, a Hiroshima survivor and advocate for nuclear disarmament. Born in California and r...
08/13/2025

The guest speaker was Howard Kakita, a Hiroshima survivor and advocate for nuclear disarmament. Born in California and raised in Japan during World War II, he experienced the horror of the atomic bombing firsthand, surviving despite being just 0.8 mile from the hypocenter.

Emphasizing “our shared responsibility to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons,” Kakita said that eventually “many of us (survivors) will not be here,” but he hopes that future generations will not have to live under the threat of nuclear annihilation.

By J.K. YAMAMOTORAFU STAFF WRITER The 80th commemorative service of Hiroshima-Nagasaki atomic bomb victims and survivors took place on Aug. 3 at Koyasan Beikoku Betsuin of Los Angeles in Little Tokyo. The U.S. bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki on Aug. 6 and 9, 1945, killing more than 210,000 people by t...

During the 83rd annual Nisei Week Coronation on Aug. 9, 25-year-old Kimi Look was crowned Nisei Week Queen. Born in Torr...
08/11/2025

During the 83rd annual Nisei Week Coronation on Aug. 9, 25-year-old Kimi Look was crowned Nisei Week Queen. Born in Torrance, Look has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Massachusetts-Boston. Her community platform is the Go For Broke National Education Center and she is sponsored by the Gardena Evening Optimist Club.



Court includes First Princess Megan Miyamoto, Miss Tomodachi Mika Dyo. By EMIKO ESSMILLERSpecial to The Rafu “Nisei Week is something that has always meant a lot to my family. It’s a multi-generational festival, so it really brings something for everyone to look forward to. “After my grandmoth...

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Rafu Shimpo — Los Angeles Japanese Daily News

Established in 1903, The Rafu Shimpo covers news and happenings in the Japanese and Japanese American communities of Southern California. Proudly based in Little Tokyo, the newspaper has been a reliable source of information for generations of Angelenos.