COMMUNITY FOCUS

NIKKEI CHRONICLES WANTS INTERGENERATIONAL STORIES

Discover Nikkei’s online journal, Nikkei Chronicles, wants your stories of what it is (or was) like to interact with family members of multiple generations within Japanese diasporic communities. For its momentous 10th edition of Nikkei Chronicles, titled “Nikkei Generations: Connecting Families & Communities,” Discover Nikkei’s editors take “a look at intergenerational relationships in Nikkei communities around the world, with a particular focus on the emerging younger generations of Nikkei and how they connect (or don’t) with their roots and with older generations.”

By collecting such stories, the editors hope to understand, and to share with the journal’s readers, how global Nikkei communities have been transforming themselves over the decades. Here are prompts offered by Discover Nikkei to stimulate the writing of your autobiographical or family-biographical pieces:

What are relations like among the generations in your community?

• What do you bond over, what do you argue about?
• How have things changed, and how have they not?
• How do you see your customs, language and relationships evolving as time goes on?
• How are younger Nikkei being engaged in your community?
• Who are some fascinating younger Nikkei that you know, and what are they up to?
• How can we nurture our connections to one another even as the world around us keeps changing?
• What does the future of your Nikkei community look like?
• What kind of legacies do you want to leave for your community?

In terms of genres used in this life-writing submission, Nikkei Chronicles’ staff are excited to read personal stories, memoirs, interviews/Q&As, essays, research and reviews.

Authors may submit multiple entries and stories in English, Japanese, Spanish and Portuguese. All works submitted that meet the following guidelines and criteria will be published in Discover Nikkei on a rolling basis as part of the Nikkei Generations series:

Guidelines

Basic format

• English, Spanish, and Portuguese articles should be about 800–2,000 words. Non-English words should be italicized. For example: My Grandmother made a bento for lunch.
• Japanese articles should be between 1,000–3,000 characters
• Articles should be submitted as Microsoft Word documents.

Images

• JPG file at least 1200 pixels on the longest side preferred. For best results, deliver the largest pixel dimensions possible. If you do not have the capability to resize the image, send us the file and we will do it.
• Only submit images for which you either own copyrights or have secured permission to use for this purpose.
• Provide a caption and/or photo credit for each image if necessary.
• Do not include images within the Word file. Send image files separately.

Author information

• Submit a short 3-5 sentence bio at the end of the article.
• Send your author photo; a JPG file at least 1200 pixels along the shorter axis is preferred. Will be cropped to fit a square.

E-mail submissions to editor@DiscoverNikkei.org where you can also contact the editors with your questions. Submissions will be accepted through Sept. 30, 2021, at 6 p.m. PDT.

GOV. IGE SIGNS HAWAI‘I-OKINAWA CLEAN ENERGY PARTNERSHIP

On Saturday, May 24, Gov. David Ige and Okinawa’s Gov. Denny Tamaki signed to renew the “Hawai‘i-Okinawa Clean Energy Partnership.” The two governors were connected virtually by Zoom for the signing. They were joined by Ben Foster of the U.S. Department of Energy, and Hiroyuki Hatada of the Japan Ministry of Economic Trade and Industry.

The signed agreement acknowledges their shared interest in developing energy technologies to fight climate change and support clean energy growth.

The partnership, which began in 2010, was renewed in 2015 and now this year, 2021. “Sharing information and learning from each other can reduce the time needed to transform our energy systems,” said Gov. Ige.

From 2010 and up through before the COVID-19 pandemic, clean-energy site visits, workshops, symposiums and energy-exchange activities were offered to high-school students took place in both Hawai‘i and Okinawa.

The 2021 renewal of the clean-energy agreement focuses on these points of collaboration:

• Renewable energy, energy efficiency, lean transportation and energy policies;
• Local energy production and consumption;
• Discussion among peers over energy topics; and
• Other energy-related topics of mutual interest.

Gov. Tamaki noted, “Together we can power a sustainable future and support clean, affordable energy in our communities. We want to further promote technical exchanges with private businesses to strengthen our relationship.” The island societies of Hawai‘i and Okinawa share similar backgrounds and challenges, including higher electricity costs from importing petroleum products and being popular tourist destinations.

Gov. Ige emphasized that the partnership between the U.S. and Japan, in general, is important for worldwide peace and prosperity.

T-SHIRT DESIGN CONTEST FOR 2021 OKINAWAN FESTIVAL

The Hawaii United Okinawa Association, the organizational sponsor, producer and owner of the very well-attended Okinawan Festival is hosting a T-Shirt Design Contest for the festival’s popular shirts. Says the HUOA in its contest press release, “The purpose of this contest is to allow its members and the public to share their creativity, perpetuate the Okinawan culture, and promote the HUOA’s annual Okinawan Festival.”

The winner’s design will become one of several t-shirt offerings sold during as well as after the festival, most likely a physical event itself (once HUOA announces the details of any in-person festival being planned) and/or online at the association’s Online Marketplace (shophuoa.com).

With many Okinawans and “Okinawans at heart” looking forward to purchasing them for friends and family, the HUOA tees are one of the most in-demand festival swag sold at each year’s event, whether it is held in-person (as it had historically transpired, until recently, at Kap‘iolani Park), or virtually, the mode of last year’s COVID-19-era “virtual Okinawan Festival.”

The HUOA invites the public to vote online for their favorite design. Public voting will be conducted from July 26, 8 a.m. HST through August 2, 11:59 p.m. HST; visit huoa.org to access the voting site.

The three designs with the most online public votes will move on to the final committee judging round.

The Okinawan Festival Online Marketplace Committee will review the top three designs and select a winner. The winner will be notified via email (see above URL for details) then announced via HUOA’s social media, Purple Blast and website huoa.org.

Major deadlines are:

Design submission: Wednesday, July 21,  11:59 p.m.

Public voting: Monday, July 26-Monday, Aug. 2 (11:59 p.m.)

Final Committee Judging: Tuesday, Aug. 3-Saturday, Aug. 7

Announcement Of Winner: Week starting Monday, Aug. 16

Rules for the contest, and for the process for public voting over the best designs, are at huoa.org/nuuzi/images/2021OFT-shirtDesignContestRules.pdf. These include these following guidelines as well as other details:

1. Eligibility

• Contest is open to HUOA members and the public. Prizes will be mailed to Hawai‘i/USA addresses only.

2. Grand prize

• One (1) design will be selected for printing on a 2021 Okinawan Festival T- shirt that will be made available for sale on HUOA’s Online Marketplace.
  1. The winning individual will receive $100.00 and one (1) HUOA Okinawan Festival prize pack.
  2. Two (2) runner-up individuals will each receive one (1) HUOA Okinawan Festival prize pack.
  3. Prizes will be mailed to Hawaii/USA addresses only.

3. Design specifications

• Design may include the phrase “Sharing Uchinanchu Aloha”, the name “Hawaii United Okinawa Association” or “HUOA”.
• The HUOA logo may be used and will be provided upon request by emailing info@huoa.org.
• Any font is permissible.
• Design may be submitted in color or in black-and-white.
• Design will be printed on the back of the shirt only, and may encompass a maximum area of 11 inches wide by 11 inches high (a square).
• Shirts will be printed in full color on a shirt color determined by the Okinawan Festival Online Marketplace Committee.
• Design may not include any of the following: alcohol, tobacco, drugs, weapons/firearms, religious elements; sexist, religious and/or racist statements; portrayal of the Hawaii United Okinawa Association in a negative light; implications of an endorsement of a business, social, political, religious or economic movement, activity, program or group; or inclusion of any other non-HUOA trademarks.
• The Hawaii United Okinawa Association reserves the right to disqualify any entry if it determines the design is inappropriate and/or offensive.

4. Submission process and technical rules

• Up to three (3) design entries per person is allowed.
• Submit final artwork by July 19, 2021, 11:59 pm (Hawai‘i Standard Time) with your NAME, PHONE NUMBER, EMAIL and MAILING ADDRESS to: info@huoa.org, using subject line: “2021 Design Contest – [Participant Name]”.
• Digital entries only; total email size must be under 10MB. You may also use a file drop service.
• High-resolution images in .ai format are preferred. We will also accept vector art entries in the following formats: .eps or .pdf.
• Save file as “Design-[Full Name of Participant]”.[file extension]:
  1. Example: Participant’s full name: Joey Andagi
  2. Type of file: Adobe Illustrator File name: Design-Joey Andagi.ai
• For multiple entries (up to three designs), save file as “Design-[Full Name of Participant]-##.[file extension]”. Starting with “01”, use consecutive numbers to identify each design.:
  1. Example: Participant’s full name: Joey Andagi
  2. Type of file: Adobe Illustrator
  3. # of designs being submitted: 2
  4. File name for first design: Design-Joey Andagi-01.ai
  5. File name for second design: Design-Joey Andagi-02.ai
• Please make sure all text is converted to paths, curves, or outlines, or that all font files used in the artwork are also supplied.
• Please make sure all placed raster images are either embedded in the vector file, or include the raster images along with the vector file.
  1. There should be no embedded bitmap images (jpg., tif., bmp.).
  2. Use of both spot colors and half-tones are acceptable.
• While we encourage all submissions to be high-resolution images/vector art, we will accept hand drawings for entries submitted by children 18 and under. HUOA will convert the drawing into vector art suitable for screening.
• Hawaii United Okinawa Association reserves the right to make adjustments to all design submissions including but not limited to colors, fonts, or spelling of non-English words.

Questions, email info@huoa.org.

NVL LIVESTREAMS “HAWAII’s NISEI SOLDIERS”

The Nisei Veterans Legacy (nvlchawaii.org/about) will digitally broadcast a special program, “Hawaii’s Nisei Soldiers: Their Legacy Continues,” in order to transform, inspire and energize younger Japanese American generations, according to NVL.

On Saturday, July 24, at 5 p.m., the legacy organization will present a documentary that features Hawai‘i leaders in the fields of business, education and the law, who will speak on the powerful legacy of these World War II veterans.

“Join us for a livestreamed program that celebrates the contributions of Nisei Soldiers, their ganbari spirit, and their lasting contributions after the war to help rebuild Japan and transform Hawai‘i into a more equitable society,” NVL explains, welcoming local viewers to watch the show that “serves as the intersection of history and culture, and of Hawai‘i and Japan.”

Steve Uyehara and Liz Chun, the show’s emcees, will introduce and feature

• Lynn Heirakuji, President, Nisei Veterans Legacy
• Warren Haruki, CEO, Grove Farms
• Jennifer Okubo Polido, estate planning attorney
• Lory Dillon, teacher, St. Louis School
• Kristen Nemoto Jay, journalist (and future Herald staff writer!)
• William Kaneko, attorney focusing on government and public affairs; past President of the Honolulu Japanese American Citizens League; and founder of the Hawaii Institute for Public Affairs
• Geoff Sogi, attorney and President of the Honolulu Japanese American Citizens League
• NVL has put together these different perspectives that tell the poignant story about the legacy of the Nisei Soldiers. With support from ABC Stores, The Honolulu Star-Advertiser and the Hawaii Tribune Herald, NVL producers hope that “We’ve created a program for those of all ages which is designed to spur deeper reflection and action to ensure history does not repeat itself.”

The virtual educational event also serves as a fundraiser for the Nisei Veterans Legacy. Based in Honolulu, NVL aims to preserve, perpetuate and share the legacy of Americans of Japanese Ancestry who had served in the U.S. armed forces during World War II (including members of the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, Military Intelligence Service and 1399th Engineer Construction Battalion). Proceeds raised from the program will further the mission of the 501(c)3 nonprofit organization which will create exhibits, educational materials and virtual events for community outreach.