Interviews
Beach & America
My father, I guess for relaxation, every Sunday we had to go to the beach. And he always had his suit on. And it was Seal Beach, and towards the end of the day everybody left to go home and he would be sitting there and be looking out there…and when are we going home, when are we going home, so I would kind of like sit up and he be very silent and so I said, oh god what do I say, so I just say, “what are you looking at papa?” and he said, “Listen” and he said, “look, look at the tide, it comes in and then goes out and everytime it goes in and goes out it’s all different.” So I would ask him about lot of different things of what’s this and what’s that, etc. and it led to speaking about America. And he said - and it surprised me that it came from him – that there was no country like The United States of America. And I said, “Really?” And he said, “You could go anyplace.” And I said, “Well, even if you’re Japanese, you know? And he said, “Yes.” I said, “You would never go back to Japan?” He said, “no because this is the best country that there is.
Date: February 3, 2010
Location: California, US
Interviewer: Eiko Masuyama, Carole Fujita, Yoko Nishimura
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum
Explore More Videos
Grandmother's influence on decision to go to Japan
(b.1942) Japanese American ceramist, who has lived in Japan for over 30 years.
A Possible Path towards Happiness… (Spanish)
(1958-2014) Former Bolivian Ambassador to Japan
What is Nikkei? (Japanese)
Tsuda College President, researcher of Nikkei history
Learning from Nikkei (Japanese)
Tsuda College President, researcher of Nikkei history
Father became trilingual to practice medicine
(1928–2016) Daughter of an Issei doctor
Nickname
(1926 - 2012) Scholar and professor of anthropology. Leader in the establishment of ethnic studies as an academic discipline
Context affects meaning
(1926 - 2012) Scholar and professor of anthropology. Leader in the establishment of ethnic studies as an academic discipline
Testing assumptions of Japanese scholars
(1926 - 2012) Scholar and professor of anthropology. Leader in the establishment of ethnic studies as an academic discipline
Finding out about her father's case
(1928–2016) Daughter of an Issei doctor
Feeling empowered by taiko
Co-founder and creative director of San Jose Taiko
Sense of lineage between Sansei and Issei through Taiko
Co-founder and creative director of San Jose Taiko
Image of Americans
Sansei from Hawaii living in Japan. Teacher and businesswoman.