Hibiku Kotoba

In episode 13 of Hibiku Kotoba, retired news anchor of KPIX 5 and KRON 4 and the first Asian American primetime news anchor in the Bay Area, Wendy Tokuda, joins Kathleen. In this episode, Wendy shares her origins as a field reporter from a Seattle news station and how she made her way to the Bay Area and eventually became a primetime news anchor for 6pm and 11pm (before turning 30!). Both discuss the stories Wendy has reported on that has resonated with her the most - covering the Japanese incarceration camps with a personal story of her mother and highlighting low-income students in her special series, "Students Rising Above" which won multiple awards and is now a professionally run nonprofit organization.

Listen and subscribe to Hibiku Kotoba on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and J-Sei's YouTube Channel! Episodes out monthly. 

On episode 12 of Hibiku Kotoba, Janet Nagamine of Hikari Farms joins the podcast. From medical doctor turned farmer, Janet shares her story why and how she decided to run her parents' farm now. Kathleen and Janet also talk about the challenges of running a small but mighty organic farm, the nuances of local food sourcing, and what you can do to help support your local organic farm. There is a likelihood that you may have bought a Hikari Farm vegetable at your local Bay Area supermarket or farmers' market!

Subscribe and listen to Hibiku Kotoba on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and J-Sei's YouTube channel!

Lauded and tenured civil rights attorney Dale Minami joins Hibiku Kotoba with Kathleen. Together they talk and revisit the landmark Supreme Court Case, Korematsu v United States, and Dale's experience leading a group of motivated legal team to overturn a 40 year long conviction. Dale and Kathleen also talk about the similarities of that case, the Japanese American incarceration in the early 1940s, and the current political events as well as Dale's hope and advice for the future of USA's judicial and legal system.

You can listen to Hibiku Kotoba on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and J-Sei's YouTube channel. Subscribe to listen to new episodes monthly.

Documentary film director, producer, and editor Nisha Balaram joins Kathleen on Hibiku Kotoba as they talk about Nisha's beginnings as an environmental reporter and how Nisha made a career pivot into visual media and founding her own production company, Mystery Squid Films. Premiering her most recent documentary film, "Meals That Made Us" at the 44th Annual CAAMFest, the film showcases the unique Asian diaspora of the Bay Area, their food culture and the reminder that food brings us together. In the film also shares a beautiful segment on J-Sei's Nutrition Program Chef, Yuji Ishikata and his story with food and community. Kathleen and Nisha talk about the film's conception and process, and what Nisha found gratifying about the topic and what's next for her.

You can follow "Meals That Made Us" on @mealsthatmadeusfilm and Nisha's production company @mysterysquidfilms to see her other fabulous work.

Listen and subscribe to Hibiku Kotoba on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and J-Sei's YouTube Channel!

Food writer and journalist Soleil Ho joins Kathleen on this episode of Hibiku Kotoba. Coming to the Bay Area in 2019, Soleil was the restaurant and food critic of SF Chronicle during the pandemic and is a co-founder of the worker-owned independent news outlet, Coyote Media Collective. They share their story on how they became a food writer after working in the restaurant industry for a decade, on what it's like writing a cookbook (plus a great snippet of what kind of cookbook Soleil would like to write), and why independent journalism is and will always be important.

You can find Soleil's work at soleilho.com and at coyotemedia.org. They can also be found on Instagram and Bluesky at @soleilho.

Listen and follow Hibiku Kotoba on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and J-Sei's YouTube channel.

In a special episode to celebrate CAAM's 44th Annual CAAMFest, Oscar-winner director Steven Okazaki and San Francisco's first Chinese American poet laureate Genny Lim joins Hibiku Kotoba as they talk about their short documentary film, The Only Language She Knows. Directed by Steven Okazaki and produced by Amy Hill, The Only Language She Knows was filmed over 40 years ago in SF Chinatown and covers an intimate portrait of Genny Lim, her two daughters, and mother. Recently restored and remastered, this film will be shown for the first time at CAAMFest in more than 40 years. In this episode, Kathleen interviews both Steven and Genny about why they made this film, what it meant to them, and the important reminder of why creativity should be explored freely with minimum constraints.

You can watch this rare screening on Saturday, May 9, 2026 at 1PM at the Koret Auditorium Main Library. Steven and Genny will have a post-screening Q&A. Listen to this episode before you go! Register for tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-only-language-she-knows-featuring-sf-poet-laureate-genny-lim-caamfest-tickets-1988020544966?aff=oddtdtcreator.

Listen to Hibiku Kotoba on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or J-Sei's YouTube channel.

In this episode of Hibiku Kotoba, musician and composer Erika Oba joins Kathleen as they talk about Erika's musical journey as well as her special composition she did with her sister for the Fresno Philharmonic for David "Mas" Masumoto's family autobiography. Through her compositions, she finds the connection with music and activism and how that can bring awareness and conversation among musicians and listeners alike. You can listen to Erika's work on erikaoba.com.

In this episode of Hibiku Kotoba, Dr. Jeffrey Velotta joins Kathleen as they talk about his career as a cardiothoracic surgeon and his current research in the rise of lung cancer cases among non-smoking Asian women and men. Dr. Velotta shares how his years in residency helped his career expertise, but moving back to the Bay Area in 2014 he realized the importance of representation in the medical field and currently advocates for patients' health and well-being, specifically those in the Asian diaspora. His mission to reframe how both doctors and patients approach healthcare specifically for lung cancer patients is a remarkable feat that is gradually making an impact, and why community outreach is just one step of the process to help one another through an unfamiliar and emotional journey.

You can read the journey of one of his patients' journey here: https://go2.org/blog/get-rid-of-the-mothership-and-why-surgery-still-matters-in-stage-4-iv-lung-cancer-glens-story/

In episode 6 of Hibiku Kotoba, Oscar-nominated and award-winning documentary filmmaker Ema Ryan Yamazaki joins Kathleen on the podcast. Together they talk about Ema's origin story as a filmmaker, her menteeship with Sam Pollard, and all three of her feature films along with her Oscar-nominated "Instruments of a Beating Heart. Ema's decision to go back to Japan and create documentary films about Japanese society is to share to the world her experiences as a Japanese person and to showcase the nuances of living in a country where culture is deeply instilled in every part of its society. For aspiring documentary filmmakers, this episode is definitely worth listening to as she shares her insight and advice for those who also want to be a documentary filmmaker.

You can watch her Oscar-nominated short film "Instruments of a Beating Heart" on the NYT Opinions YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRW0auOiqm4

In this episode of Hibiku Kotoba, Mayor Adena Ishii of Berkeley joins Kathleen as they talk about Mayor Ishii's remarkable journey on becoming the first Asian American Mayor of the city of Berkeley. Throughout the episode, they discuss how important it is to be engaged in local communities and politics, and how Mayor Ishii strives to bring together people of all generations and backgrounds to achieve a better, safer community for all.