What is the Okaeri Conference?
The Okaeri Conference is a gathering that centers the Japanese and Japanese American LGBTQ+ experience. The conference seeks to (1) build community, (2) educate, (3) provide support, and (4) foster understanding and inclusion for the Japanese and Japanese American LGBTQ+ community.
While conference programming centers the specific interests, issues, and concerns of the Japanese and Japanese American LGBTQ+ community and allies, attendance is open to anyone of any age or background, regardless of how they identify!
Conference History
The conference is Okaeri’s original program, and is central to the formation of Okaeri itself. In 2014, a group of LGBTQ+ Nikkei, parents, and allies, led by Marsha Aizumi, organized “Okaeri: A Nikkei LGBTQ Gathering” at the Japanese American National Museum (JANM) in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo, creating the first-ever conference in the U.S. focused specifically on LGBTQ+ Nikkei.
The conference was a great success, with more than 200 people from across the U.S., Hawaii, and Canada attending. It also inspired Nikkei in Seattle, Sacramento, and the San Francisco Bay Area to organize similar gatherings.
In 2016, a second Okaeri conference took place, then a third in 2018, each time continuing to grow in attendance and educational content, including the introduction of Japanese-language programming in 2018.
In 2021, the fourth Okaeri Conference was held virtually in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The virtual format allowed people to join from around the world, including attendees from 17 states across the US, as well as countries including Peru, Canada, Singapore, Japan, and Korea.
Our most recent conference in 2023 was hosted in hybrid format at JANM and saw an attendance of nearly 350 attendees, as well as guest appearances by drag queens Kristy Yummykochi and Gia Gunn, and a schedule of 20+ workshops and 15+ identity-based meetups.
