Discover Nikkei

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/1593/

Grandfather raised in the hotel business

My grandfather was raised in the hotel business so he had to learn how to do everything, including bookkeeping and what not, and he could really run the hotel, I guess, by the age of 14. But at that time my great-grandparents wanted him to be educated in Japan so they sent him back to Japan so he was Kibei when he came back, and of course that would be one of the reasons why there would be adverse consequences to that later on his life after Pearl Harbor.


generations hotels Japanese Americans Kibei languages Nisei

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.

Volunteering to serve for the U.S. military in Japan

(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.

Feeling closer to Japan as a Japanese American

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

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Roberto Hirose
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Hirose,Roberto

Retaining Japanese customs (Spanish)

(b. 1950) Nisei Chilean, Businessman

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Paula Hoyos Hattori
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Hattori,Paula Hoyos

To think in one language and live in another (Spanish)

Sansei Argentinean

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Paula Hoyos Hattori
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Hattori,Paula Hoyos

Studying Japanese to understand her grandfather (Spanish)

Sansei Argentinean

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Paula Hoyos Hattori
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Hattori,Paula Hoyos

Japanese language is the important aspect to keep identity (Spanish)

Sansei Argentinean

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Ryoko Hokama
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Hokama,Ryoko

Initial struggles with the language barrier (Japanese)

(b. 1917) Okinawan, Issei Argentinean

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Kazuomi Takagi
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Takagi,Kazuomi

His first jobs in Argentina (Spanish)

(1925-2014) La Plata Hochi, Journalist

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Kazuomi Takagi
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Takagi,Kazuomi

Learning Spanish (Spanish)

(1925-2014) La Plata Hochi, Journalist

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Peter Mizuki
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Mizuki,Peter

Japanese wife with American citizenship

Sansei Japanese American living in Japan and Kendo practioner

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Hideto Futatsugui
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Futatsugui,Hideto

The Japanese-Portuguese dictionary by Dr. Yoshiharu Noda (Japanese)

(b.1911) Issei educator 

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Johnnie Morton
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Morton,Johnnie

Talking with Grandmother

(b.1971) Professional football player.

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Clifford Uyeda
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Uyeda,Clifford

Japanese Language School

(1917 - 2004) Political activist

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Henry Suto
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Suto,Henry

Didn’t speak Japanese until moving to Japan

(1928 - 2008) Drafted into both the Japanese Imperial Army and the U.S. Army.

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Cedrick Shimo
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Shimo,Cedrick

Growing up with both Japanese and American influences

(1919-2020) Member of the 1800th Engineering Battalion. Promoted Japan-U.S. trade while working for Honda's export division.

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