DIYonsei
Welcome to DIYonsei! Learning new skills on your own can be difficult; however, when given some guidance, learning a new skill can be quite easy and fun! Check out the workshops Nikkei Rising put together during the Tadaima Virtual Community Pilgrimage and learn some new skills!
Workshop 1 | How To Tie an obi & Yukata
Audry Nishi
Audry Nishi is a sansei-ha (3.5 generation) Japanese and Mexican American. She has been exposed to Japanese culture via multiple avenues including my Japanese folk dance group Sakura Minyo Do ko kai, the Japanese language school Sakura Gakuen at the Riverside Buddhist Church, and being part of Walnut Grove Buddhist Church. Audry currently lives in Sacramento and occasionally travels to the bay to visit her sisters and rehearse Japanese dances for their new group Nishimai which is a Japanese cultural performing arts group. She enjoys dancing, making art, and helping others. Audry Nishi is a UCD alumni and am currently aspiring to become a Physician Assistant.
Blythe Nishi
Blythe Nishi and is a sansei-ha (3.5 generation) Japanese and Mexican American that has experience in Japanese folk dancing and taiko. She was a part of Bakuhatsu Taiko Dan at UC Davis and a dancer for Sakura Minyo Doo Koo Kai for about 10 years. Blythe lives in San Francisco and currently practices Japanese folk dance with Nishimai with her sisters.
Workshop 2 | Journaling 101
Kai Sugioka-Stone
Kai Sugioka-Stone is a poet from the bay area. He is currently studying Music at Laney College, and plans to transfer in 2021. He's traveled to India, Rio, and Ecuador, each as part of a gap year program he completed known as LEAPYEAR, a college-level program that’s accredited through Naropa University in Colorado. His poetry was recently published in Quiet Lightning's zine, sPARKLE & bLINK #104. He wishes to pursue his life as an artist in mixed media, writing, and meditation. Follow him on Instagram @mind.compassion.
Workshop 3 | How to Fold & String Tsuru
Workshop 4 | Oral Histories
For our final DIYonsei, in conjunction with the Tadaima workshop held last Sunday on how to record an oral history, we at Nikkei Rising wanted to leave you a few tips on how to start these conversations with our elders. Along with some tips from the Nikkei Rising team, we also asked Nina Nakao to share with us what she has found to be quite helpful while working at the Japanese American National Museum and talking with her own grandparents. We hope that these tips aid you in future conversations you have with your friends and family.
1) When preparing for an oral history, be sure to do research and write questions in advance. This can be done by reading up on the specific subject that you might be asking your family member about, whether it be about the incarceration or maybe redress. This will be helpful as it will help you avoid asking questions that can be learned from a book rather than learning something that is more personal to your family’s story.
2) Once you have done some research and you are about to begin your interview, be sure to first ask low stakes questions to start things out. By doing so, you can create a feeling of comfort between you and your relative or friend in which you can find common ground and relate to each other. A question that Nikkei Rising’s Yoko Fedorenko likes to ask elders, “what was your mother like,” while Hiro Edeza enjoys asking the 100th/442nd veterans that he works with “how did you like the food while serving?” These questions may seem unnecessary to some; however, they are great start off points that will definitely lead to more in-depth stories.
3) The last tip that we have is to try to sit in discomfort. During these conversations, it is completely possible for a buried trauma to resurface. Although it may be difficult, we have found that if a conversation brings up emotional response, try to allow it to be a chance to heal. For some, this may be the first time that they a relative or friend may be sharing this information about their lives. That being said rushing to stop the conversation, shield your family members, or apologize for history can be seen as encouragement to rebury this memory rather than heal from it. Of course, if your friend or family member becomes too uncomfortable, do not force them to continue onward. The topic can always be returned to once the individual feels comfortable enough to share.
We hope you enjoyed our tips on how to start a conversation with friends and family for an oral history. If you would like to learn how to record an oral history on the app, “SAGA,” check out the video below!