About
JapanCulture•NYC strives to be the leading English-language online resource for Japanese culture in New York City, highlighting the people and activities of New York’s Japanese and Japanese American community.
From the arts to food to everything in between, JapanCulture•NYC looks for the best of Japanese culture the city has to offer.
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SUSAN MIYAGI McCORMAC
Founder, Editor-in-Chief
With a white American father and an Okinawan mother, Susan struggled with her mixed-race identity, giving little regard to her Japanese heritage while growing up in a small town in North Carolina. She began studying the Japanese language at the age of thirty and dove into the culture once she moved to New York City in 2000. In New York, there is no shortage of restaurants, shops, art exhibits, concerts, events, and people related to Japan, and that led Susan to start blogging about her adventures in 2006, eventually establishing JapanCulture•NYC in 2011.
Her work has received a mention in The New York Times, and the Japanese Embassy in D.C. recognized her on International Women’s Day in 2021. She has been the interview subject of Japan Society’s Tea Time, JapanBall’s JapanBaller Spotlight, and Activ8’s TSUNAGU: Bridge-Builders Interview Series. She is the recipient of the 2020 JAA Community Leadership Award for her part in coordinating Project Bento, a service that provided bento to Japanese and Japanese American seniors in New York during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2024, Susan was a member of the Japanese American Leadership Delegation, an initiative supported by the Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and facilitated by the U.S.-Japan Council.
In addition to writing for JapanCulture-NYC.com, Susan has served as the emcee and moderator for various events in New York. She has emceed several kimono shows at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Sakura Matsuri and the Queens Library. Susan gave a presentation about Okinawa prior to the Okinawan duo SAKISHIMA MEETING’s performance at Japan Society in 2014 and moderated events and panel discussions at Japan Society that focused on the prefectures of Okinawa, Gifu, Nagano, and Kanagawa. For the Japanese government, Susan led a discussion about Japan’s Geographical Indication (GI) for sake as well as a focus group about Japanese cuisine in New York. As the committee chair of The Japanese American Association of New York’s annual Sakura Matsuri, Susan helps to coordinate the event and serves as emcee. During the height of the pandemic in 2020, Susan co-hosted and provided technical support for several “Sake Social Sunday” online events for the American Sake Association.
An active member of the Japanese American community in New York City, Susan serves on the boards of The Japanese American Association of New York and the JET Alumni Association of New York and is the communications co-chair of the New York Region of the U.S.-Japan Council.
A 1990 graduate of North Carolina with a degree in communications, she has had a long career in sports television, which has taken her to Tokyo for work on several occasions, including the 2004 MLB Opening Series between the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays and the World Baseball Classic. Her career in baseball merged with her community involvement when the Japanese Consulate tapped her to moderate a panel discussion celebrating the 150th anniversary of baseball’s introduction to Japan, which featured Yomiuri Giants and New York Yankees legend Hideki Matsui. She contributed two chapters to Volume 2 of Nichibei Yakyu: US Tours of Japan, 1960-2019, edited by renowned Japanese baseball writer Robert K. Fitts.
Follow her on Instagram, X, and Facebook at @japanculturenyc and connect with her on LinkedIn.
JEN GREEN
Fashion Editor
As a kindergartener, Jen Green appeared in the Japanese play Momotaro, which sparked her love of all things Japanese. An accessories designer who has worked in the fashion industry for more than 15 years, Jen travels to Tokyo twice a year in search of inspiration.
She started studying fashion when she was young, taking college classes while she was still in high school. In 2001 she discovered the book FRUiTS at a salon. It put Japanese street fashion on the map for her, and now she runs into Lolitas on the streets of Harajuku during her trips to Tokyo.
For JC•NYC Jen covers Japanese fashion stories from traditional kimono to contemporary kawaii looks. Follow her adventures in New York and Japan on Instagram at @jenpanese.
YVONNE BURTON
Business Editor
As the president and principal consultant of Burton Consulting International, Yvonne delivers a range of services including technology consulting, business communications courses, and cross-cultural training. Her clients include companies operating in the Japanese market and Japanese firms operating internationally.
Yvonne lived in Japan for almost ten years, first as an exchange student at Kansai Gaikokugo Daigaku University in Osaka, then as a cross-cultural trainer and business consultant to several Japanese firms in the fields of importing/exporting, finance, retail, and manufacturing. She uses her cross-cultural background to facilitate projects effectively and to serve as a bridge between the US and Japan.
As a technology consultant, Yvonne has worked from her home office and with remote teams worldwide for more than 15 years and has learned a lot of tips and tricks along the way. For JC•NYC, she will offer tips on working from home, effective meeting management, and conducting business cross-culturally.
Learn more about Yvonne and Burton Consulting International at www.burtonconsulting.biz.