Okaeri's 2024 Year in Review

2024 has been a busy year for Okaeri as we’ve continued to develop our programs and prepare for even bigger developments in 2025 and beyond. The following is a snapshot of our achievements over the past year, none of which would have been possible without the help of our volunteers, sponsors, attendees, and friends. Thank you all for your support this past year, and for helping us reach out $20,000 fundraising goal. We look forward to continuing our work in the Nikkei LGBTQ+ community in 2025.

Photography: Hogan Kitsuse

Letters to Home

In June, Okaeri published Letters to Home an anthology by Japanese American LGBTQ+ and allies that has been two years in the making. Co-edited by Michael Matsuno, Cody Uyeda, and Rino Kodama, and designed by Daniel Tomita, Letters to Home includes nearly 50 contributions of art, writing, and poetry reflecting on the Japanese phrase, “okaeri” (“Welcome home”), as it relates to contributors’ lived experiences, both positive and negative, as Queer Nikkei and allies. Letters to Home also held a successful book launch at JANM in early November, with a turnout of nearly 100 attendees and over a dozen of the book’s contributors.

Photography: Willa Cutolo

Okaeri Matsuri

In late June, we held “Okaeri Matsuri,” the second iteration of last year’s inaugural “Queer Obon.” The event saw a turnout of over 400 attendees, matching the attendance at last year’s Queer Obon. We debuted our original Okaeri Ondo song and dance, made in collaboration with Great Leap and our community members. The Okaeri Ondo has since been performed at Great Leap’s Fandangobon, and Humboldt Obon. We developed several new elements, including two game booths, a shaved ice and drinks booth, and a raffle, and updated our roster of performances, bringing back drag queen Gia Gunn, and debuting new acts from Bibi Discoteca, Mariko & Cam, and TaikoProject.

Okaeri Connects

Okaeri Connects continued to hold space for its English speaking LGBTQ+ and Japanese speaking LGBTQ+ and parent/ally groups, and launched a fourth group—English speaking parent/allies. Okaeri Connects Nihongo also organized two special sessions with guest speakers, featuring famed LGBTQ+ activist and Buddhist monk Kodo Nishimura, and an LGBTQ+ 101 workshop by Aya Yabe. The group will also be saying goodbye to two of its long-time facilitators—Midori Dekura and Aya Yabe—who will be retiring from their roles at the end of this year and early next year, respectively.

Social Committee

In the fall we launched our new Social Committee, which planned their first event in October—a Halloween themed social and Karaoke at Peking Tavern in Little Tokyo. It has been a goal of Okaeri’s to implement more social events, and we hope to bring more exciting social opportunities to the SoCal Okaeri community in 2025.

Photography: Willa Cutolo

Okaeri Voices

Our Okaeri voices program, thanks to a generous contribution from Gary Hayashi, completed filming of the video for Karen and Glenn Murakami, longtime Okaeri supporters and Steering Committee members who have been important voices in our community.

Okaeri Norcal

The Okaeri Norcal Committee continued to organize various social events, from picnics in collaboration with Omusubi, cooking lessons at J-sei, to art exhibition tours with TT Takemoto, bringing exciting opportunities for LGBTQ+ Nikkei to connect. To wrap up the year, Okaeri Norcal will be holding their second session of Okaeri Book Club, and starting 2025 with a Happy Hour to celebrate the new year.

Fundraising

This year, we raised over $80,000 in donations, sponsorships, and grants. Some of the groups we received support from this year include Honda, the Japanese American Community Foundation, Shirakiku Foundation, Prism, and the Masto Foundation. We also received generous in-kind donations from Square, Sunflower Farms, Tenga, Asahi Beverages, Glico, and Sanzo drinks. We look forward to continuing to build these relationships in 2025.

Outreach

This year, we increased our mailing list by 15% and grew our Instagram audience by 5%. Our digital outreach brought in new faces, especially to Okaeri Matsuri! We started a volunteer newsletter, as well as a Parents & Caregivers newsletter to share opportunities for engagement with the Okaeri community. 

Okaeri 2023: A Beautiful & Transformative Conference

This piece was originally published on Yo! Magazine on December 18th, 2023.

Written by Jasmine Kono-Song

I was honored to be part of such a large gathering of queer and trans Nikkei. My feelings of shame were replaced with pride, as I heard Japanese Americans of different sexualities, genders, and generations share their stories.

Since I was old enough to develop crushes, my parents taught me I could love whoever I wanted, regardless of gender. I was fortunate to be raised by sansei and yonsei social workers who took me to my first LA Pride. Although my parents were clearly allies, I struggled expressing and exploring my sexuality until I left Japanese American-filled Gardena for college. During my time in the closet, I attended the last in-person Okaeri Conference in 2018 as an ally. I co-facilitated the family and allies group with my Mom in support of my trans aunt and other LGBTQ+ individuals.    

Photography Credit: Scott Oshima

Growing up, I was actively involved in Dharma School, Sangha Teens, Jr. YBA, and other Nikkei community organizations, which were all pretty heteronormative. I was uncomfortable with the thought of not being straight due to the social pressures of conformity. Queerness was rarely addressed or discussed among my JA peers. However, the advocacy and involvement of my family in organizations like Ichi-Mi and Okaeri developed over the years. I was involved in Gardena Buddhist Church’s Ichi-Mi, an organization that creates a safe space for LGBTQ+ people within the temple. Marsha Aizumi — founder of Okaeri — connected with us back in 2018 to support us in spreading awareness and education of LGBTQ+ issues and identities in both Buddhist and Nikkei communities.  

Photography Credit: Willa Cutolo



I was honored to be part of such a large gathering of queer and trans Nikkei. My feelings of shame were replaced with pride, as I heard Japanese Americans of different sexualities, genders, and generations share their stories. 

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After 5 years, I finally felt comfortable to be my authentic self among other queer Nikkei at this year’s hybrid conference. The conference opened with an unapologetically-queer Friday night of drag bingo with Kristi Yummykochi. Saturday kicked off with an opening plenary of trans activists, Kris Hayashi and Cecilia Chung who spoke about their personal experiences with anti-trans legislation, and how to fight it with hope and collective action. More stories—and more tears—of hope were shared in the discussion “Uplifting the Rainbow,” allowing us to take a moment to soak in the joys of being queer in a world that does not want us to. I made sure to sit in on my aunt’s panel “When Dinosaurs Roamed” of queer and trans Nikkei elders, who have persevered in spite of their erasure and invisibility.

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On Sunday, I learned from community leaders about the barriers and successes in building LGBTQ+ Nikkei spaces. Both days included more intimate, identity-based meet-ups, so I chose to attend the bisexual/pansexual and LGBTQ+ groups' meetups. Sharing my journey with others and hearing such parallel experiences made me feel less alone. As a queer Nikkei, it can sometimes feel isolating and lonely being in predominantly hetero spaces.

Photography Credit: Willa Cutolo

After a weekend full of a wide array of emotions and experiences, we released our energy through Obon dancing led by Gia Gunn! This was the perfect way to culminate a Nikkei gathering of queer and trans folks — I could feel the love and liberation permeating the room.

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Okaeri’s mission is to “create visibility, compassionate spaces, and transformation for LGBTQ+ Nikkei and their families by sharing our stories and providing culturally-rooted support, education, community-building, and advocacy.” I truly felt empowered and seen by the speakers, panelists, and participants who shamelessly showed their vulnerability. I had the opportunity to meet people who share similar intersecting identities with me. It is rare to find around 207 LGBTQ+ Nikkei, parents, and allies under the same roof of JANM, as well as about 65 virtual participants. I grew up exploring the exhibits of JANM, and would have never imagined the space being used in such a beautiful and transformative way. 

Photography Credit: Willa Cutolo

Check out Yo! Magazine for more thought-provoking opinion piece with a focus on identity and culture.

Letter to the community

Dear Okaeri Community,

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. As LGBTQ+ Nikkei, supportive family and allies, we know the slaps of institutionalized and everyday racism, homophobia and transphobia.  But we must remember that the Black community has endured systemic oppression and violence for centuries, from slavery to the murders of George Floyd, Tony McDade, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Stephon Clark, Oscar Grant, Emmet Till and countless others.

Some of us identify as Nikkei, LGBTQ+ AND Black, and consequently navigate the world that is fraught with more danger than for non-Black Nikkei.

Okaeri’s core values are love, hope and courage.  In this moment when the arc of history is bending toward justice, we encourage you to:

Act with love by:

  • Educating yourself about the LONG history of anti-Black oppression and how Asian American and LGBTQ+ civil rights are built on the foundations established by Black activists, many of whom were murdered

  • Listening without judgement to the anger of others, especially our Black family, friends and neighbors; try to be an understanding witness to their pain

  • Expressing solidarity with our Black siblings by posting on social media and donating to Black-led organizations that are at the vanguard of the ongoing fight for racial justice

Act with hope by:

  • Making sure you, your friends and family are registered to vote, and in the Fall voting for candidates who will fight for equity, justice, and inclusion

  • Leaning into and sharing art that imagines bold societal transformation, and offers visions beyond the oppressive systems that continue to cause harm

Act with courage by:

  • Having conversations with your parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins, high school friends and others in the JA community who have expressed anti-Black sentiments (and we all know JAs who have), as well as non-Black LGBTQ+ friends who feel similarly. Talk about why they have those feelings and why you believe differently.  Here’s a powerful resource that could help you with those conversations. (Check “Letters for Black Lives” social media for updates on when translations in Japanese and other languages are available.)

  • Channeling your anger, heartbreak and frustration by participating in street protests, if you feel it wouldn’t compromise your health. Remember to use precautions, like wearing a mask and standing 6 feet apart, to protect yourself and others from COVID-19 transmission.

With love, hope and courage,

The Okaeri Planning Committee