In Part 1, my grandfather, Takaichi Sakai, was arrested and investigated by the FBI. An Internee Hearing Board in February 1943 ordered that he be “interned for the duration of the war.” A few weeks later, the Military Governor had him sent to a “relocation center” on the Mainland. My...

Woohoo! We have officially launched KECKARA issue number 1! Well, almost a week has passed since the official launch at the Tara-matsuri (winter codfish festival) on the 12th of this month, but it’s still exciting to see the fruits of our labor manifested into something tangible, and see other people...

There are many reasons why I’ve come to love Karakuwa and why I’ve decided to devote so much of my time here. The food is amazing, the fresh air is addicting, the rich Tohoku history is captivating and the people are so nice and full of energy. But one of...

I had the opportunity to visit this special monument located in Rikuzentakata City, in the Otomo district last week. Aside from being set in a very beautiful location, this monument and fire serves as a reminder for the lives lost, lives affected and people fighting to get their lives back...

Using art and design to continue to aid Tohoku is one of my long term goals and a big part of J-Station. And a big project that we have created to further that goal is a free paper for Karakuwa, called KECKARA aka けっから。 The word KECKARA, in the Karakuwa...