Discover Nikkei

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Great grandparents' hotel business in Hawaii

He actually went back to the Big Island and found his future wife, whose last name I believe was Higashi, but I don’t know anything about her family other than that they had a reputation for making very good poi on the Big Island. Anyway, she went back with him to Maui and together they scraped enough money to start their own hotel. So they started the Kagawa hotel in Kahului or Wailuku in Maui. Must have been Kahului. Anyway, it was the only Japanese hotel and so they did pretty well because there were obviously a lot of immigrants coming in from Japan and I guess at that time there was even trade that was developing. Anyway, he did pretty well as a hotel owner and he and his wife had four children.


business economics Hawaii hotels management United States

Date: April 25, 2018

Location: California, US

Interviewer: John Esaki

Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum

Interviewee Bio

Robert Fujioka was born in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1952. He attended the University of Michigan earning a BA degree and earned an MBA from the University of Hawai'i. He has been in the banking industry since 1974 and currently serves as Vice Chair, Japanese American National Museum Board of Trustees, a Trustee of the Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation, and the First Hawaiian Bank Foundation. (November 2018)

Francis Y. Sogi
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Sogi,Francis Y.

Starting work at five years old

(1923-2011) Lawyer, MIS veteran, founder of Francis and Sarah Sogi Foundation

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Francis Y. Sogi
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Sogi,Francis Y.

Not relating to Japan Americans' experiences on the mainland

(1923-2011) Lawyer, MIS veteran, founder of Francis and Sarah Sogi Foundation

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Bert A. Kobayashi
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Kobayashi,Bert A.

Getting involved in the family business at age 19

(b.1944) Founder of Kobayashi Group, LLC

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Bert A. Kobayashi
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Kobayashi,Bert A.

A body, mind and spirit work ethic

(b.1944) Founder of Kobayashi Group, LLC

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Bert A. Kobayashi
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Kobayashi,Bert A.

Being accepted as biracial family

(b.1944) Founder of Kobayashi Group, LLC

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Margaret Oda
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Oda,Margaret

Father's role in starting the Wailea Milling Company

(1925 - 2018) Nisei educator from Hawai‘i

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Margaret Oda
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Oda,Margaret

Memories of family dinners

(1925 - 2018) Nisei educator from Hawai‘i

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Margaret Oda
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Oda,Margaret

Taking over husband’s orchid farm and nursery

(1925 - 2018) Nisei educator from Hawai‘i

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BJ Kobayashi
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Kobayashi,BJ

About Albert Chikanobu Kobayashi, Inc.

Hawaiian businessman, developer.

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BJ Kobayashi
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Kobayashi,BJ

No question about going into the family business

Hawaiian businessman, developer.

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Miyoko Amano
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Amano,Miyoko

Yoshitaro Amano’s Business in Japan (Japanese)

(b. 1929) President of Amano Museum

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Harunori Oda
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Oda,Harunori

Learning the nursery business

(1927-2016) Shin-Issei businessman

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Hiroshi Sakane
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Sakane,Hiroshi

How Yoshitaro Amano got to South America (Japanese)

(b. 1948) Executive Director of Amano Museum

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Hiroshi Sakane
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Sakane,Hiroshi

Yoshitaro Amano continues his efforts in business in order to pursue his studies (Japanese)

(b. 1948) Executive Director of Amano Museum

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Stan Sakai
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Sakai,Stan

Family’s acceptance

(b. 1953) Cartoonist

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