Interviews
His father urged him to go to the US
This is the time, you know, when I came a … Kyoto University, and when I came back to teaching Osaka, ‘bout that time, my father started to talk about my future life. I wasn’t married that yet. And he said, “Why don’t you go, you know, to America? Why don’t you go to America?”
Because he actually, as I said, he became a missionary from landscape architect or landscape gardener. He wanted to go to Argentine to do missionary. He had thought Japan too small, such a man. He’s a big man too. But he became sick. So he had hope somebody to go to oversea.
He wanted me to, you know, extend some of the, you know, my understanding of teaching to different culture. “You don’t have to be missionary, you can be teacher, you can be … but why don’t you go America; and then to show what the Japanese is.” That’s the kind of man that he was.
Date: August 10, 2016
Location: California, US
Interviewer: Sojin Kim, John Esaki
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum
Explore More Videos
Family interrelations between mother and father
(1926 - 2012) Scholar and professor of anthropology. Leader in the establishment of ethnic studies as an academic discipline
Going back to Hawaii
An expert researcher and scholar on Japanese immigrant clothing.
Picture brides and karifufu
An expert researcher and scholar on Japanese immigrant clothing.
Grandmother's influence on decision to go to Japan
(b.1942) Japanese American ceramist, who has lived in Japan for over 30 years.
Impression of Japan upon arrival
(b.1935) American born Japanese. Retired businessman.
Kibei schoolchildren in Hiroshima, Japan
(b.1913) Kibei from California who served in the MIS with Merrill’s Marauders during WWII.
The reason he came to the United States (Japanese)
(1949 - 2019) Taiko player. Founded five taiko groups in Southern California
Grandfather's arrival in the U.S., experiencing discrimination
(b. 1939) Japanese American painter, printmaker & professor
Mother's immigration to U.S. as a treaty merchant
(b. 1927) Japanese American Nisei. Family voluntarily returned to Japan during WWII.
Why her parents came to Canada
(1918-2004) Interned in Slocan during World War II. Active member of the Japanese Canadian community.
Family background of Fredrick Yoshihide Sasaki
(b. 1918) Issei businessman in Canada
Chose to go back to Japan
(b.1924) Japanese Canadian Nisei. Interpreter for British Army in Japan after WWII. Active in Japanese Canadian community