Discover Nikkei

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/1605/

Longing for a life abroad and getting a chef’s license (Japanese)

(Japanese) When I was in college, I was working part-time mostly in the food business, like at a bento store. In order to get a chef's license I needed to get approval from the head of the store there and he gave me his signature. With that, I passed the test and got my license. So I had it with me. I got my license simply because I thought I could get on a cargo ship or a cargo-passenger ship for free and cross the ocean, with my license. But that didn’t happen and when I got here, before I started working as a gardener, when I went to Japan Town, I found that there were only two or three Japanese restaurants. And when I told them I had a chef’s license, they freaked out, and they didn’t want to hire me for that reason. They were like, we don’t want someone with skills that high.


California licenses Los Angeles migration United States

Date: August 4, 2015

Location: California, US

Interviewer: Mitsue Watanabe

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

Interviewee Bio

In 1969, he arrived in America for the first time. He lived in Los Angeles for a year and a half, traveled to various places around the world for about six months and went back to Japan. As he was deeply inspired by the life in a foreign country, however, he decided to go back and moved to America with a tourist visa. He had a job as a helper for gardeners for about two years at first, and then started working on his own. With an official visa, he got a foot in the restaurant industry. He currently runs a Japanese-style drinking place and diner, Honda-Ya, a restaurant chain in Los Angeles and Orange County, California. (August 2018)

Hiroshi Sakane
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Sakane,Hiroshi

On returning to post-war Peru (Japanese)

(b. 1948) Executive Director of Amano Museum

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Sumiko Kozawa
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Kozawa,Sumiko

Working at the family flower shop, meeting Greta Garbo

(1916-2016) Florist

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Harunori Oda
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Oda,Harunori

Deciding to come to America

(1927-2016) Shin-Issei businessman

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Harunori Oda
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Oda,Harunori

Getting started in America

(1927-2016) Shin-Issei businessman

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Harunori Oda
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Oda,Harunori

Expanding business

(1927-2016) Shin-Issei businessman

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Harunori Oda
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Oda,Harunori

Life Philosophy

(1927-2016) Shin-Issei businessman

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Hachiro Ohtomo
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Ohtomo,Hachiro

Facing discrimination in America (Japanese)

(b. 1936) Shin-issei welding business owner

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Takeo Uesugi
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Uesugi,Takeo

His father urged him to go to the US

(1940-2016) Issei Landscape Architect

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Terumi Hisamatsu Calloway
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Calloway,Terumi Hisamatsu

Regret (Japanese)

(b. 1937) A war bride from Yokohama

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Hachiro Ohtomo
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Ohtomo,Hachiro

My daughter couldn’t fit in Japan, so I decided to go back to America (Japanese)

(b. 1936) Shin-issei welding business owner

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Tom Yuki
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Yuki,Tom

His family's migration to Salinas, California

(b. 1935) Sansei businessman.

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Kishi Bashi
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Bashi,Kishi

His Shin-Issei parents

(b. 1975) Musician, composer, and songwriter

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Michelle Yamashiro
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Yamashiro,Michelle

General reasons why people left Japan for Peru

Okinawan American whose parents are from Peru.

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Mitsuye Yamada
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Yamada,Mitsuye

Her mother came to the U.S. with a group of picture brides

(b. 1923) Japanese American poet, activist

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Mitsuye Yamada
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Yamada,Mitsuye

Her father bought her mother American clothes after she arrived from Japan

(b. 1923) Japanese American poet, activist

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