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Remarking on "Meeting Cubanchu Consins" by Lesley Chinen.

editor — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:45:44 -0700

REMARKING ON “MEETING CUBANCHU COUSINS” BY LESLEY CHINEN.

I’m truly sorry for not having commented earlier on the article published by journalist Lesley Chinen about the Cuban Nikkei of the Isla de la Juventud. Within the happy environment she presents of the successful meeting they had, we can perceive a local reality that seems to be nearly unknown to most Nikkei on the American continent, possibly because they have settled on an island (Isla de la Juventud), inside an island nation (Cuba), and on top of that they have come from another island (Okinawa).

To read Lesley’s words is to give the reader a pleasant feeling while wishing for even more. It is as important to learn more about the daily lives of those “Cubanchu” as well as their historical past. I believe they can show us a new existential reality of people of Japanese ancestry who established themselves on Western soil, with a never-ending ability to settle in different environments without ever losing their roots. All this, in spite of giving everything to prepare their children to serve their new country, which offers them a place where they can be born and prosper.

Personally, I’d ask Lesley for more information – if she has it – about those Nikkei and, if possible, some tips that will allow others to communicate directly with them. Also, I’d like to know if it’s possible to buy Benita Iha’s book “Shamisen.”

My sincere congratulations to Lesley for her pleasant experiences and for the opportunity she has given us to get to know our siblings, the “Cubanchu,” with whom we should become better acquainted.

-- Ariel Takeda

*This comment was originally written in Spanish and translated.

Check the Nikkei Album collection!

editor — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 09:12:08 -0700

See a summary of this program in Nikkei Album.

>> Community Forum: Okinawans and Their Global Networks (English)

>> コミュニティフォーラム：　沖縄人とグローバルネットワークの追求　（日本語）

Check the Nikkei Album collection!

editor — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 09:08:28 -0700

See a summary of this program in Nikkei Album.

>> Community Forum: Okinawans and Their Global Networks (English)

>> コミュニティフォーラム：　沖縄人とグローバルネットワークの追求　（日本語）

Yep!

John Rasel — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 14:31:17 -0800

I own it. Along with about half a dozen other books on the internment. :)

There is an interesting book

intrepidmouse — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 00:13:56 -0800

There is an interesting book written by Greg Robinson. "By Order of the President: FDR and the Internment of Japanese-Americans"

1. Im not sure I can agree

John Rasel — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 11:47:25 -0800

1. Im not sure I can agree with all of that statement. I would agree that the internment has become a focal point for Nikkei identity, and that it was an emotionally binding experience for a great many. Physically, I'm not so sure about. One of the ramifications of the internment was a physical dispersement of the Nisei and Issei from the West Coast to scattered geographic areas. The very act of doing so would prevent a new Little Tokyo. As such, im not sure how much I coudl agree that it was a physcially binding experience.

As far as dealing with the internment, there has been a recent explosion of literature from former internees that chronicle the history of the event. In addition, the diaries of internees have also been hitting the press more and more. While historians like Roger Daniels have been vital in bringing the internment out of the shadows and making the government confront its past, i think it speaks volumes that Nisei and Nikkei are starting to publish more and more on the internment. In a sense, its a way of reclaiming and mastering the history.

2. Yes.

3. Most other countries, Im not positive about. The Japanses Canadian internment was similar to the on in America. in fact, the US and Cananda had agreed before Pearl Harbor that if they ever did deport the Nisei and Issei from the coast, it would have to be a join operation. Talk about collusion. But the camps in Cananda looked a lot worse than some of the ones in the states.

4. Read Peter Irons books. He can tell you.

5. It was completely influenced by anti-asian seniment. Pearl was a convenient excuse for the internment, but the desire had been there since at least the 1920s. On the economic side, farmers on the coast wanted the land and machinery used by Nikkei. Racism was no small factor for the internment either. Even FDR has been classified as a Nativist who was convinced that the Nikkei were incabable of assimilating, even if they wanted to.

Question 2.I didn't

intrepidmouse — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 21:59:31 -0800

Question 2.
I didn't experience internment directly, but I know it formed a part of my identity. I also know that being of Japanese ancestry formed a large part of my identity. It's hard to divide the two. I feel further removed from it than my parents. I think the people that were interned wanted to forget what happened. I notice that the newest generation of JA's has chosen the internment for class projects and papers. The younger JA's are looking for answers to the question of identity.

Growing up in Southern California

vkm — Fri, 30 Sep 2005 03:00:39 -0700

It was interesting to read the piece by Sydnie Kohara, "Growing up Asian in Louisiana." I've recently read a couple of novels about JA women growing up in the South - Kira Kira by Cynthia Kadohata and Dixieland Sushi by Cara Lockwood.

I grew up in Southern California in a small city outside of Los Angeles. It's a middle to lower class area. The schools I attended were very diverse. White was a minority. Although there were quite a few Asians, most were from Southeast Asia. I was one of very few Japanese Americans. In fact, the year that I graduated from high school, there were only 2-1/2 - me, my sister, and one hapa boy.

Although my immediate neighborhood had very few Japanese families, my extended family on both my mother and father's sides are very large, and so unlike Sydnie Kohara and the fictional characters depicted in the novels I mentioned, I had the benefit of my own Japanese American community. With both parents being Kibei, I've managed to pick up more language and culture than the average yonsei.

In addition, because my paternal grandmother lived in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo, we would often come in to "J-Town" to visit and to take her out to dinner. My sister and I would make quick trips into the Sanrio store to check out the latest in Hello Kitty merchandise. As little kids, Little Twin Stars and My Melody stickers helped us connect to Japanese culture. In the '80s, we began listening to J-Pop. We would go rent Japanese videos and buy magazines and records (vinyl!) of our favorite music stars.

One of my life goals has always been to visit Japan. This website has recently really intensified my desire to travel there. I want to go see what it's like...take in the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes (especially the tastes!) of that distant land. I wonder how I will like it. How well would I fit in. What will I feel? Will it be like coming home? Or, will I realize once I'm there, that home - my spiritual home - is really here in California?

I don't think I have the adventurous type of wandering soul that drove the Issei to leave their familiar homes to seek a new life in a different country. I'm far too content to stay where I am, and I have a fear of the unknown that makes me seek order and familiar things and places. Maybe that's what drives my thirst for knowledge...

Chicago JA community outlook?

vkm — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 10:48:16 -0700

What is the long-term outlook for the Chicago Japanese American community? Are there many younger members of the organizations who are interested in continuing the work?

Recent Japanese immigrants in the Chicago area

vkm — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 10:38:29 -0700

The Census figures show that a large number of the Chicago area Japanese American community are recent immigrants who arrived between 1990 and 2000. Are these primarily workers from Japanese companies? What types of industries do they support? Do they mostly return to Japan, or settle in the United States permanently?