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Revision as of 03:06, 16 May 2024

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Welcome to Japanifornia's J-Wiki where we track Japanese American (Nikkei) character actor's appearances in the early days of Asian Representation—some good, some cringe, but all interesting. See our listings for shows like M*A*S*H or Hawaii Five-O from the 1960s and 1970s.

As of 1 June 2024 this wiki contains a total of 725 articles.

Check Out: Marvel_Stories_Set_in_Japan


Explore the fascinating world of people (and characters) who are half Japanese. Click to dive into stories, profiles, and more.	Discover the lives of those with Japanese ancestry born or living long-term outside Japan. A treasure trove of heritage and culture awaits.	Meet the non-Japanese adventurers living in Japan. Click to uncover their stories, experiences, and unique perspectives.

Japanese born in Japan who have made their mark in the West. Click to see achievements and stories from around the globe.	Explore fictional locations in the Japanifornia Universe. Click to discover iconic settings from games, movies, and more.	Learn about notable Japanese Americans interned during WWII. Click for stories of resilience, history, and legacy.

The Age of Independence: TV on a strict schedule, vinyl music, and kids roaming free. Click to relive the 1970s glory.	The Cable Age: Endless channels and mix tapes. Click to explore the 1980s with its iconic pop culture and tech.	The Console Age: Digital rise, flannel fashion, and CDs. Click to dive into the 1990s with its alternative vibes.

Suggested Starting Points:

We tend to follow rabbit holes for Japanese and Japanese American character actors from the 70s and 80s.

Japanifornia Icons

Miyoshi Umeki the first Eastr-Asian actor to win an Academy Award for her role in Sayonara in 1957.
Larry Shinoda, a Japanese American car designer who designed the Chevrolet Corvette and the Ford Mustang.
Yuri Kochiyama an American Civil Rights activist who worked with Malcom X in Harlem.
Hiroshi Fujiwara, the Godfather of Streetwear from Japan, who collaborated with Tinker Hatfield and Mark Parker at Nike to produce the HTM sub-brand.
Steve Yano, who with Dr. Dre and Tony A. Da Wizard, produced and sold the Roadium Mixed Tapes at Roadium Swap Meet in Gardena, California in the early 1980s.
Wataru Misaka broke the color barrier in professional basketball when he played three games for the New York Knicks in 1947.
Sessue Hayakawa was a Japanese actor and matinee idol during the silent film era of the 1910s and early 1920s.
Sono Osato was a half Japanese dancer in the 30s, and later an activist and philanthropist.
Isamu Noguchi was a half Japanese sculptor and artists.
Rocky Aoki founder of Benihana, and incorrigible 60s and 70s philanderer.

ChatGPT Nikkei Top Ten

Yuri Kochiyama, 1921-2014, human rights activist
Michio Kaku, born in 1947, theoretical physicist and science communicator
Ellison Onizuka, 1946-1986, astronaut who died in the Challenger space shuttle disaster
Kristi Yamaguchi, born in 1971, Olympic gold medalist figure skater
Sab Shimono, born in 1943, actor and director
Fred Korematsu, 1919-2005, civil rights activist
Sessue Hayakawa, 1889-1973, actor and producer
Patsy Mink, 1927-2002, first woman of color elected to the U.S. Congress
Richard Aoki, 1938-2009, civil rights activist and member of the Black Panther Party
Steven Okazaki - documentary filmmaker who has won numerous awards, including an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject in 1991.

@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 <!-- 3x3 Tiles to Collections -->
-{|
+{| class="wikitable" style="width:80%; margin:auto; border-collapse:collapse;"
-|- style="vertical-align:top; style=margin: auto;";
+|-
+! style="text-align:center; border: 1px solid gray;"| [[Category:Hāfu|Hāfu]]
-<!-- Row 1 -->
+! style="text-align:center; border: 1px solid gray;"| [[Category:Nikkei|Nikkei]]
+! style="text-align:center; border: 1px solid gray;"| [[Category:Gaijin in Japan|Gaijin in Japan]]
-|- style="vertical-align:top;"
+|-
+| style="vertical-align:top; text-align:center; background-color:#ffffff; border-radius:20px; border:1px solid gray; padding:5px;"|
-| style="height:100px; width:33%; text-align:center;background-color: #ffffff;border-radius: 20px; border: 1px solid gray; padding: 5px;" |
+[[File:Hāfu_wiki-tiles.png|frameless|center|200px|link=:Category:Hāfu]]
-==[[:Category:Hāfu | Hāfu]]==
+Explore the fascinating world of people (and characters) who are half Japanese. Click to dive into stories, profiles, and more.
-[[File: Hāfu_wiki-tiles.png|frameless|center|200px|link=:Category:Hāfu|Edna Mode]]
+| style="vertical-align:top; text-align:center; background-color:#ffffff; border-radius:20px; border:1px solid gray; padding:5px;"|
-People (and characters) who are half Japanese.
+[[File:Nikkei_wiki-tiles.png|frameless|center|200px|link=:Category:Nikkei]]
+Discover the lives of those with Japanese ancestry born or living long-term outside Japan. A treasure trove of heritage and culture awaits.
-| style="height:100px; width:34%; text-align:center;background-color: #ffffff;border-radius: 20px; border: 1px solid gray; padding: 5px;" |
+| style="vertical-align:top; text-align:center; background-color:#ffffff; border-radius:20px; border:1px solid gray; padding:5px;"|
-==[[:Category:Nikkei | Nikkei]]==
+[[File:West-in-Japan_wiki-tiles.png|frameless|center|200px|link=:Category:Gaijin_in_Japan]]
-[[File: Nikkei_wiki-tiles.png|frameless|center|200px|link=:Category:Nikkei|Jack Soo]]
+Meet the non-Japanese adventurers living in Japan. Click to uncover their stories, experiences, and unique perspectives.
-People of Japanese ancestry born, or living long-term, outside of Japan.
+|-
+! style="text-align:center; border: 1px solid gray;"| [[Category:🇯🇵|Nihonjin in the West]]
-| style="height:100px; width:33%; text-align:center;background-color: #ffffff;border-radius: 20px; border: 1px solid gray; padding: 5px;" |
+! style="text-align:center; border: 1px solid gray;"| [[Category:Fictional Places|Japanifornia Locations]]
-==[[:Category:Gaijin in Japan | Gaijin in Japan]]==
+! style="text-align:center; border: 1px solid gray;"| [[Category:Nikkei who were interned|Nikkei who were Interned]]
-[[File: West-in-Japan_wiki-tiles.png|frameless|center|200px|link=:Category:Gaijin_in_Japan|Bad News Bears Go To Japan]]
+|-
-Non-Japanese in Japan.
+| style="vertical-align:top; text-align:center; background-color:#ffffff; border-radius:20px; border:1px solid gray; padding:5px;"|
+[[File:Nihonjin wiki-tiles.png|frameless|center|200px|link=:Category:🇯🇵]]
-<!-- Row 2 -->
+Japanese born in Japan who have made their mark in the West. Click to see achievements and stories from around the globe.
+| style="vertical-align:top; text-align:center; background-color:#ffffff; border-radius:20px; border:1px solid gray; padding:5px;"|
-|- style="vertical-align:top;"
+[[File:Japanifornia wiki-tiles.png|frameless|center|200px|link=:Category:Fictional Places]]
+Explore fictional locations in the Japanifornia Universe. Click to discover iconic settings from games, movies, and more.
-| style="height:100px; width:33%; text-align:center;background-color: #ffffff;border-radius: 20px; border: 1px solid gray; padding: 5px;" |
+| style="vertical-align:top; text-align:center; background-color:#ffffff; border-radius:20px; border:1px solid gray; padding:5px;"|
-==[[:Category:🇯🇵 | Nihonjin in the West]]==
+[[File:Interned_wiki-tiles.png|frameless|center|200px|link=:Category:Nikkei who were interned]]
-[[File: Nihonjin wiki-tiles.png|frameless|center|200px|link=|Nihonjin in the West]]
+Learn about notable Japanese Americans interned during WWII. Click for stories of resilience, history, and legacy.
-Japanese born in Japan, often living outside of Japan, who have achievements associated with their time outside of Japan
+|-
+! style="text-align:center; border: 1px solid gray;"| [[Category:The 1970s|The 1970s]]
-| style="height:100px; width:34%; text-align:center;background-color: #ffffff;border-radius: 20px; border: 1px solid gray; padding: 5px;" |
+! style="text-align:center; border: 1px solid gray;"| [[Category:The 1980s|The 1980s]]
-==[[:Category:Fictional Places | Japanifornia Locations]]==
+! style="text-align:center; border: 1px solid gray;"| [[Category:The 1990s|The 1990s]]
-[[File: Japanifornia wiki-tiles.png|frameless|center|200px|link=|Japanifornia Locations]]
+|-
-Locations that exist in the Japanifornia Universe, from video game settings to fictional movie locations.
+| style="vertical-align:top; text-align:center; background-color:#ffffff; border-radius:20px; border:1px solid gray; padding:5px;"|
+[[File:1970s wiki-tiles.png|frameless|center|200px|link=:Category:The 1970s]]
-| style="height:100px; width:33%; text-align:center;background-color: #ffffff;border-radius: 20px; border: 1px solid gray; padding: 5px;" |
+The Age of Independence: TV on a strict schedule, vinyl music, and kids roaming free. Click to relive the 1970s glory.
-==[[:Category:Nikkei who were interned | Nikkei who were Interned]]==
+| style="vertical-align:top; text-align:center; background-color:#ffffff; border-radius:20px; border:1px solid gray; padding:5px;"|
-[[File: Interned_wiki-tiles.png|frameless|center|200px|link=|George Takei]]
+[[File:1980s wiki-tiles.png|frameless|center|200px|link=:Category:The 1980s]]
-Notable Japanese Americans who spent time in an American Internment Camp during WWII.
+The Cable Age: Endless channels and mix tapes. Click to explore the 1980s with its iconic pop culture and tech.
+| style="vertical-align:top; text-align:center; background-color:#ffffff; border-radius:20px; border:1px solid gray; padding:5px;"|
-<!-- Row 3 -->
+[[File:1990s wiki-tiles.png|frameless|center|200px|link=:Category:The 1990s]]
+The Console Age: Digital rise, flannel fashion, and CDs. Click to dive into the 1990s with its alternative vibes.
-|- style="vertical-align:top;"
+|}
-| style="height:100px; width:33%; text-align:center;background-color: #ffffff;border-radius: 20px; border: 1px solid gray; padding: 5px;" |
-==[[:Category: The 1970s | The 1970s]]==
-[[File: 1970s wiki-tiles.png|frameless|center|200px|link=|Helen Funai]]
-The Age of Independence: When kids roamed free, TV was on a strict schedule, and the music was on vinyl. I lived in the mid-west and found my movies on UHF channels, usually on Saturday afternoons.
-| style="height:100px; width:34%; text-align:center;background-color: #ffffff;border-radius: 20px; border: 1px solid gray; padding: 5px;" |
-==[[:Category: The 1980s | The 1980s]]==
-[[File: 1980s wiki-tiles.png|frameless|center|200px|link=|Mr. Miyagi]]
-The Cable Age: So many channels, so little that's good. We made mix tapes and bumped them in our Sony Walkman or car stereo. I was living in Baltimore or going to college in New York.
-| style="height:100px; width:33%; text-align:center;background-color: #ffffff;border-radius: 20px; border: 1px solid gray; padding: 5px;" |
-==[[:Category: The 1990s | The 1990s]]==
-[[File: 1990s wiki-tiles.png|frameless|center|200px|link=|E. Honda]]
-The Console Age: Alternative lifestyles, and the rise of the Digital Age. Our music was on CD, which you could buy new or used. We wore a lot of flannel and black jeans. I, myself, lived in San Franokyo.
-|}
-Suggested Starting Points:
+==Suggested Starting Points:==
 * [[:Category:Japanese Comic Book Characters|Japanese Comic Book Characters]]