Interviews
The Power of Language: Japanese Identity Constructed in Santa Cruz, Bolivia (Spanish)
(Spanish) My parents moved to the city. At that point I lost contact with... with the Japanese Community because it was pretty far. It was one hundred kilometers away, and in those times there were no roads, so we lost contact, a bit, with the Japanese Community. But that also made it possible for a Japanese community to form in the city, in Santa Cruz, and my parents saw the need for a Japanese school. So I was one of the first students at that school. Um, as you were saying, the fact that I am able to communicate in my mothers tongue... Because for me it is my mothers tongue, since I only spoke Japanese until I was five or six years old, afterwards I learned Spanish. So, it’s easier for me to communicate my feelings in Japanese. It is also easier for me to understand the feelings of the people with whom I talk, and I believe the person I’m talking to feels this, which makes this type of job much easier. But, for that same reason, there are some disadvantages, because the situation ceases to be protocol. We enter into the realm of feelings, so, things become a bit more complex. But on the positive side, it helps a lot to speak Japanese, and especially, it helps to be Nikkei, because they consider you part of the family.
Date: March 24, 2009
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Interviewer: Alberto Matsumoto
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum
Explore More Videos
Japanese in Minot
(1928 - 2008) Drafted into both the Japanese Imperial Army and the U.S. Army.
Is non-integration due to the distrust because of what happened in the Second World War? (Spanish)
(b. 1962) Peruvian Poet, Okinawan descendant
I’m a Japanese, Peruvian… who am I? (Spanish)
(b. 1962) Peruvian Poet, Okinawan descendant
Being a Nikkei today (Spanish)
(b. 1962) Peruvian Poet, Okinawan descendant
Histories of immigrants (Spanish)
(b. 1962) Peruvian Poet, Okinawan descendant
The myth of the sacrifice of immigrants (Spanish)
(b. 1962) Peruvian Poet, Okinawan descendant
Paisaje terrestre [Terrestrial landscape] (Spanish)
(b. 1962) Peruvian Poet, Okinawan descendant
Fitting back into American life
(1928 - 2008) Drafted into both the Japanese Imperial Army and the U.S. Army.
Interpretation of Nikkei
(1919-2020) Member of the 1800th Engineering Battalion. Promoted Japan-U.S. trade while working for Honda's export division.
Identity (Japanese)
(1928 - 2008) Drafted into both the Japanese Imperial Army and the U.S. Army.
Working tirelessly after the war (Japanese)
(1928 - 2008) Drafted into both the Japanese Imperial Army and the U.S. Army.
A Lifestyle Using Both Japanese and Spanish (Japanese)
(b. 1929) President of Amano Museum
Integrating As First-Generation Japanese-Peruvian (Japanese)
(b. 1962) Japanese restaurant owner and chef in Peru
Peru Representative vs. Japan Representative (Japanese)
(b. 1962) Japanese restaurant owner and chef in Peru