[3] At an early age, through her mother's cultural activities, she became aware of East West Players ("EWP"), the first Asian American theater company in Los Angeles.
While attending the University of Washington, Tokuda's dedication to Asian American theater deepened, leading her to seek mentorship from Mako, a co-founder of EWP.
[4] Having received her BA in drama from the University of Washington, Tokuda moved to Los Angeles in 1975 and began studies with the East West Players.
She was the eighth muse to emerge from the mural during the films opening "I'm Alive" sequence, and later appeared in the closing musical finale, alongside Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly.
[4] In addition to her acting career, Tokuda has made significant contributions to the Asian American arts community through her work with East West Players.
[7] Tokuda is also a founding member of Cold Tofu, the first Asian American comedy group, where she served as artistic director for six years.
[8] She works with Oku & Associates, providing diversity training for Fortune 500 companies, and represents EWP on the Asian Pacific American Media Coalition (APAMC).
In 2012, she and Guy Aoki became co-chairs of APAMC, where they work with television networks to evaluate and improve the representation of Asian Pacific Americans in the media.