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Chris Aihara is a Sansei or third-generation Japanese American and has been active in the Los Angeles Little Tokyo community for decades. She is interested in gathering, sharing and continuing cultural traditions and values through her writing and development of programs. Chris and her husband Doug Aihara have 4 children, 3 daughters-in-law and 7 grandchildren.

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Mikan Press is an independent press and creative collaboration of Chris Aihara and Lisa Aihara with the purpose of telling the stories, sharing the cultural values and experiences of the Japanese American community.

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Lisa Aihara is a freelance illustrator based in Los Angeles, and Grandpa Stogie’s Gigantic Goldfish is the fifth children’s book she has illustrated. Through her work with community organizations in Little Tokyo she has enjoyed bringing Japanese American cultural imagery to a contemporary audience. She is a mom of three and one of Chris’s daughters-in-law.

Photos

Two women smiling, one with short gray hair and glasses wearing a teal blazer, the other with short dark hair wearing a yellow dress and teal earrings, standing together against a plain light-colored background.
An elderly woman with short white hair, glasses, and a big smile, wearing a maroon top with rolled sleeves, a long silver chain necklace, and black pants, standing beside a stool against a plain light gray background.
A woman with short dark hair smiling, wearing a white t-shirt under a black slip dress, colorful earrings, and a silver necklace, standing against a plain background.

From Grandpa Stogie’s Gigantic Goldfish

Illustration of a book cover titled 'Grandpa Stogie's Gigantic Goldfish', written by Chris Aihara and illustrated by Lisa Aihara. The cover features a young girl with black hair and a pink bow, wearing a kimono, pointing excitedly, and an older man with glasses and gray hair holding her, both smiling. The background has watercolor splashes and abstract circles.
An elderly person with glasses and a child are looking at a photo album and a scrapbook together, both smiling and engaging with the pages.
A cozy garage with organized shelves, gardening tools, and a small workspace. An elderly man is sitting in a chair with a smile, and a young girl is sitting on a workbench, holding a toy doll, both engaged in a cheerful moment.

From One Musubi For Me

Cover of a children’s book titled "One Musubi for Me: Counting Things Japanese" with cartoon illustrations of a boy holding a rice ball and a girl holding a rice ball, surrounded by Japanese-themed icons like fans, drums, and lucky cats.
A cartoon girl with brown hair in pigtails, wearing a purple top, eating rice from a black bowl.
Four children playing traditional Japanese taiko drums against a pink background, with the text '3 Taiko' written on the upper right.