Tori Toguchi

A brown hand holding the Illumicrate special edition of Hammajang Luck by Makana Yamamoto. The cover is a pinkish-purple to blue gradient with a gold holographic Hawaiian tattoo design detail.

An angled view of a brown hand holding Hammajang Luck by Makana Yamamoto. The spine is painted to match the Illumicrate Special Edition cover.

Left a copy of Hammajang Luck by @makana-yama.bsky.social at Pōʻai in Chinatown, Honolulu!! Hoping a local reader will enjoy this book as much as I have!!

Anywhere else on Oʻahu I should drop a copy of this awesome book? 👀

Congratulations!

Universities Must Reject Trump Admin 'Loyalty Oath' Compacts The AAUP and AFT warn that the Trump administration’s offer to give preferential treatment to colleges and universities that court government favor in exchange for allegiance to a partisan ideological...

The Trump admin’s offer to give preferential treatment to institutions that toe the party line reeks of bribery in exchange for allegiance to a partisan ideological agenda.

This is corruption.

Adherence to ‘loyalty oaths’ would usher in a new era of thought policing in American higher education.

Accidental Hajichi meetup at Po’ai by Pono Potions! ☕️

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26085894-25a169-order/

BREAKING: By an apparent 6–3 vote, the Supreme Court halts an injunction that had prevented immigration agents from racially profiling Latinos in central California.

Sotomayor, dissenting, says the decision is "unconscionably irreconcilable with our nation's constitutional guarantees."

🪶 I’ve completed Avian August 2025! I hope all the conservation programs will go well and they live long and prosper.
🌺 鳥類月間2025〜ハワイ編〜　完走しました！　今夏も毎日TLで大勢の鳥を観測できて楽しかったです。また来年！
#AvianAugust #Birds

Trump expands 'woke' criticism from Smithsonian to other museums "The Museums throughout Washington, but all over the Country are, essentially, the last remaining segment of "WOKE," he wrote.

What’s happening at the Smithsonian is not just about museums. It is part of a larger attempt to dictate how Americans understand their past. But erasing injustices from history doesn’t eradicate their impacts on the present. www.kuow.org/stories/trum...

More Details Emerge About IMLS Dismantling; Plaintiffs in RHODE ISLAND Lawsuit Seek Permanent Injunction More details emerge in what happened during the IMLS takeover by DOGE and what might happen in the federal lawsuits against the agency's dismantling.

Plaintiffs in one of the two lawsuits against the Trump administration's dismantling of the IMLS seek permanent injunction. A *lot* more details about what went down just emerged–and how another SCOTUS case may impact this one.

This is a big IMLS right now update.

bookriot.com/more-details...

In the heart of the Miccosukee, the Native American tribe that shut down Alligator Alcatraz The community found refuge from white persecution deep in the Everglades swamps centuries ago. Together with environmental groups, they succeeded in forcing the closure of the immigration detention ce...

Here’s better reporting about that which seems to be missing from most U.S. reporting

Day Laborer Dies Fleeing ICE: Family Mourns, Community Demands Answers Family and community members are mourning 52-year-old Roberto Carlos Montoya Valdez, a father and grandfather from Guatemala who died while attempting to escape an anti-immigrant raid at a Home Depot ...

Carlos Roberto Montoya, a 52-year-old father and grandfather from Guatemala, died while attempting to escape an immigration raid in California last week.

“We want people to remember my dad in the same way we will remember him: as a loving, respectful, brave man.”

Something to Hold, curated by Dane Nakama. Work featured in these pictures are of Dane Nakama, Chie Fuji, and Ako Castuera.

This is so cute!

Japan Past & Present is pleased to announce that a selection of video recordings from our recent symposium, Japan Past & Present: Reimagining a Global Field, are now available online! 📹🗾 japanpastandpresent.org/en/jpp-event...

Love!

These sacred tattoos were banned in Okinawa. A new generation is bringing them back. Once worn by nearly every Ryukyuan woman, these intricate hand tattoos were outlawed for over a century.

Written by Haley Harrison.

www.nationalgeographic.com/history/arti...

A quiet rebirth of a once-banned tattoo practice is taking place. Moeko Heshiki, one of the few remaining hajichaas, lays out her stick-and-poke tools with practiced care.

Overall, I'm not too bummed that I withdrew from UCLA but there is a small part of me that wishes I stuck with it.

Nanjo wanderings.

Japanese American National Museum. Pictures from the Miné Okubo, Sutra and Bible, and (old) core exhibition(s) from the past few years.

Senate Probe Uncovers Allegations of Widespread Abuse in ICE Custody Led by US senator Jon Ossoff, the investigation cites hundreds of reports since January, including accounts of miscarriages, child neglect, and sexual abuse at ICE detention centers in dozens of state...

A United States Senate investigation has identified more than 500 credible reports of human rights abuses in US immigration detention since January, including alarming allegations of mistreatment of pregnant women and children.

This is so horrible, I'm so sorry. :(

Neko Koneko, one of my favorite cafés. The aesthetic is so cute and the drinks are tasty!

Breakfast at the Okinawa Prefectural Museum and Art Museum. I still haven't gone through their permanent exhibitions. One of these days...

NEW:

“I’ve had enough…I’m refusing to back down.”

Texas state Rep. Nicole Collier speaks to MSNBC from the Texas State Capitol. She is stuck there after the Texas GOP required police surveillance as condition for release. She is refusing to sign a waiver for the law enforcement escort.

Top: Brown fried donuts called Sata Andagi. Bottom: Yellow and brown mozuku tempura.

A gathering at my family's house in Okinawa. Fresh sātā andāgī, Mozuku tempura, soup, and Orion beer.

My friend and I were looking for a place to drink tea and landed on the cutest cafe-restaurant! The owner of 茶房 華
was such a kind person and told us that she picked the Mozuku and made the Chinsuko. The meals was affordable and delicious.

Grey cat with head cocked to right, lying down on lighter grey blanket.

Black and white dog with brown eyebrow spot, laying head on arm.

My two pirate pets. ❤️

Absolutely horrible. 😡

Hoy 15 de agosto se conmemora el día de la rendición de Japón.
A 80 años del fin de la Guerra, desde la comunidad nikkei en Argentina podemos asumir un rol en la reflexión por la Paz.
Esto implica revisar críticamente al imperialismo japonés, incluyendo lo ocurrido durante la guerra en Okinawa.

🌺🧵

It was also what I missed having on here! I hope I can continue to find folks!