Discover Nikkei

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/1350/

Growing up "American"

I mean, well as soon as we started school I was an American.  I was... we did the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag and everything was American.  Well I mean the Japanese obviously part of it was mainly my father's side.  We used to go to the church in San Jose and that was our religion.  But we were... even if it were an isolated community and living on a farm on your own...We were Americans, yeah.  And I made friends in grammar school. And we, you know, and we never sort of like did anything together because I was always working. 

But yeah, it was when I was in Sacramento...  The only time I feel I was not American is when I went to Sacramento.  And it was very much a, uh, prejudice or a discrimination.  You know, and it was really quite, you know, strange I thought then.  I felt peculiar because I was born there and so...well I didn't look like the Americans so I knew I was different, you know.  But uh but to be... having to mix with that community you would feel you were accepted. Because there were Black communities, and Mexicans, and everything, you know.  But uh we were suddenly complete strangers.  We were foreigners you know.


Americans identity

Date: June 29, 2012

Location: California, US

Interviewer: Chris Komai, John Esaki

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

Interviewee Bio

Jimmy Murakami (1933 – 2014) was inspired as a child to become a film animator by watching the Disney cartoons that were shown to Japanese Americans confined at the Tule Lake concentration camp during WWII. After attending Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles, he worked as an animator for UPA. He later founded Murakami Wolf—a company that produced many well-known commercials in the 1960s and 70s—and became a feature film director of When the Wind Blows and The Snowman. After establishing residence in Ireland in recent years, he passed away in February of 2014 at age 80.  (June 2014)

Matsubara,Yumi
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Matsubara,Yumi

The reactions of others when I got my American citizenship (Japanese)

Shin-Issei from Gifu. Recently received U.S. citizenship

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Matsubara,Yumi
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Matsubara,Yumi

Americanized values (Japanese)

Shin-Issei from Gifu. Recently received U.S. citizenship

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Fukumoto,Kay
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Fukumoto,Kay

The multicultural perspective

(b.1960) Third-generation taiko drummer, leader of Maui Taiko

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Sakai,Stan
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Sakai,Stan

Influence as a youth

(b. 1953) Cartoonist

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Tamashiro,Masaki
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Tamashiro,Masaki

A personality fit for Argentina (Japanese)

Okinawan. Vice Principal of Japanese language school in Buenos Aires

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Sakai,Stan
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Sakai,Stan

Culture as a child

(b. 1953) Cartoonist

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Moromisato,Doris
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Moromisato, Doris

The Nikkei Integration into society (Spanish)

(b. 1962) Peruvian Poet, Okinawan descendant

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Moromisato,Doris
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Moromisato, Doris

Looking Inside (Spanish)

(b. 1962) Peruvian Poet, Okinawan descendant

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Moromisato,Doris
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Moromisato, Doris

Does a Nikkei culture exist? (Spanish)

(b. 1962) Peruvian Poet, Okinawan descendant

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Moromisato,Doris
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Moromisato, Doris

The Okinawan idiosyncrasies (Spanish)

(b. 1962) Peruvian Poet, Okinawan descendant

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Moromisato,Doris
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Moromisato, Doris

Feminist, ecologist, Buddhist… activist (Spanish)

(b. 1962) Peruvian Poet, Okinawan descendant

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Yoshimura,Evelyn
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Yoshimura,Evelyn

Prisoners and Poetry

Community Activist

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Murase,Mike
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Murase,Mike

Where did the Name Gidra Originate

Community activist

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Murase,Mike
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Murase,Mike

Gidra Collaborations

Community activist

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Shimo,Cedrick
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Shimo,Cedrick

Try to be a bridge between both countries

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

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