While walking among the many club tables on the academic quad during this spring’s Involvement Fair (iFair), one table decked out with candies, Pocky packets, stickers and a vast collection of Monster energy drinks belonged to the Nikkei Student Union (NSU), a newly opened chapter here on campus.
According to their Instagram account, NSU is a club dedicated to celebrating Japanese American culture on and off campus. Club President Joshua Lang (first year) said Occidental’s NSU chapter is part of a larger group of NSUs across California universities, connected through a coalition called the Intercollegiate Nikkei Council (INC).
“I wanted to start [the club] up because I knew about my relatives and other people having NSUs on their campuses,” Lang said. “I saw their positive experiences and wanted to bring that to Oxy.”
Julia Mayuzumi-Shiroishi (senior) said she was excited when she heard about NSU coming to Occidental because she deeply identifies with her Japanese American heritage.
“I have a lot of friends at other schools who are involved in NSUs on their campuses, so I was definitely aware of it,” Mayuzumi-Shiroishi said. “But I didn’t know how big of a community it was, so it’s really cool to be a part of something much broader than I expected.”
According to Lang, NSU differs from Occidental’s Japanese Student Association (JSA) in that it is more focused on off-campus activities and connecting with other colleges.
“I saw that we’re kind of secluded on Oxy’s campus, and I wanted to expand our horizons,” Lang said. “That’s why I think having an NSU and being a part of a greater organization is something beneficial, the ability for students to connect with people beyond campus.”
Rika Ogiwara (first year) said she was hesitant to join NSU at first because she was already on JSA’s executive board, but agreed when she learned of the club’s different missions.
“[JSA] hosts events that bring awareness to Japanese culture, and everyone can participate in it,” Ogiwara said. “NSU is also about learning about Japanese culture, but at the same time it’s about connecting with Japanese Americans outside of Oxy.”
Lang said another unique aspect of NSU is the emphasis on creating a bond between Japanese American students of all years, such as through having “bigs” and “littles”.
“We will have ‘families’ that would maybe help with the adjustment period and getting into Oxy’s culture,” Lang said. “Even though we are a small campus, I think NSU provides another area to explore and get to know other people.”
As vice president, Ogiwara said she is in charge of coordinating on-campus events.
“Right now, we’re planning an event sometime after spring break for helping people learn how to speak Japanese,” Ogiwara said. “I’m also in charge of connecting with other affinity groups on campus.”
Momoka Nagai (first year) said she hopes to create a web of connections and reach as many Japanese Americans as possible through NSU.
“We want to create a more inclusive community overall, but our big focus is [on] interactions with other universities and NSUs in Southern California,” Nagai said. “So we were thinking of joining collaborative events and expanding our network of Japanese American students.”
NSU will be attending the Kasoumi Basketball Tournament March 6 and 7 at the University of Southern California, and the Vollin’ Volleyball Tournament April 26 at the University of California Irvine.
According to Lang, the club has several off-campus events and activities currently in the works, including collaborations within the INC and even with Japanese businesses.
“A main part of our outreach is exploring Japanese American culture in a way that helps us understand who we are,” Lang said. “I think that will come through partnerships with other local Japanese organizations and companies in the near future.”
Mayuzumi-Shiroishi said she believes NSU is special because of the space that it offers for Japanese American students to mingle and feel a sense of belonging.
“Being in LA and California, where there is such a big presence of Japanese Americans and the rich culture and history, I think it’s cool that we have something so specific,” Mayuzumi-Shiroishi said.
According to Lang, NSU had around 50 people sign up for the club during iFair, and he hopes more people will join as they gain recognition.
“If incoming freshmen or underclassmen hear about [NSU] and find solace in it and are happy to be part of a club that they really resonate with, that would be great,” Mayuzumi-Shiroishi said.
Contact Izzy Shotwell at shotwell@oxy.edu
