Takamichi "Taka" Go
@myvisittomanzanarHe studied American social history and Asian-Ocean American society, including the history of Japanese American society, at Orange Coast College, California State University, Fullerton, and Yokohama City University. Currently, while belonging to several academic societies, he continues to conduct his own research on the history of Japanese American society, particularly in order to "connect" Japanese American society with Japanese society. From his unique position as a Japanese person with "connections" to foreign countries, he also sounds the alarm about the inward-looking and even xenophobic trends in current Japanese society, and actively expresses his opinions about multicultural coexistence in Japanese society.
(Updated December 2016)
Stories from This Author
Reaction of Brazilian Japanese community to the "JR Pass controversy"
Nov. 22, 2017 • Takamichi "Taka" Go
For Japanese who have emigrated overseas, that is, the first generation, visiting Japan after emigrating has a special meaning. It is not only a way to update relatives and friends living in Japan and renew old friendships, but also a kind of "ritual" to reaffirm the "connection" with Japan in one's life. For relatives and friends in Japan, it is also a very good opportunity to look back on human relationships across the sea. Has Japan become far away? The …
Judo Observation Group: Reflecting on the "Connection" between Japanese Americans and Japanese People
Oct. 30, 2017 • Takamichi "Taka" Go
Judo has been an important cultural activity in the Japanese American community since its early days. In the 1930s, despite the Great Depression, there were Japanese American groups all over the country that worked to promote international friendship through judo. In Southern California, the Southern California Kodokan Judo Dan Association took the lead in sending a group of Nisei who had achieved outstanding results to Japan as a judo observation team. One of the Nisei chosen as the representative was …
Young people who left Japan: Japanese overseas migration in the 21st century
June 30, 2017 • Takamichi "Taka" Go
Japanese government-led overseas migration of Japanese people is said to have ceased in the spring of 1973, when the last immigrant ship, the Nippon Maru, departed Yokohama bound for Brazil. However, people continue to emigrate to other countries for reasons such as studying abroad, international marriage, and employment. The number of such people is estimated at tens of thousands per year. What is the situation regarding Japanese people emigrating overseas in Japanese society in the 21st century? While there are …
Taro Fukuda - The Japanese-American who supported the "mastermind of Japan"
May 19, 2017 • Takamichi "Taka" Go
Although many Japanese people came to Japan after the legal reform in 1990, they are still not familiar to Japanese people. However, their presence has been seen in various parts of Japanese society since the early Showa period. In this article, I would like to introduce the Japanese people who supported the "masterminds of Japan." His name was Taro Fukuda. And the man he supported was Yoshio Kodama. Kodama had deep connections with not only many company executives, but also …
Reading Gennosuke Nagasaki's portrayal of Japanese Americans: "I'm currently renting"
Dec. 14, 2016 • Takamichi "Taka" Go
You can also find Japanese people in Japanese children's literature . I myself have known about this work for quite some time, but for a long time I didn't pay it much attention. However, a few years ago, when I had the opportunity to learn about a study on the marriage situation of people of Korean descent in Japanese society , I suddenly remembered this work. "I'm Renting Now" was published by Poplar Publishing in November 1992 by author Nagasaki …
The story of an elderly Issei
June 5, 2015 • Takamichi "Taka" Go
Mr. Y, a native of Kagoshima Prefecture who came to California through the California Agricultural Worker Program, was working hard under the scorching sun with several dozen fellow Armenian colleagues at a vineyard run by an Armenian family in Indio, near the Arizona border in the southern part of the state. 1 One day, Mr. Y found out that there was an elderly Issei living alone on a nearby farm, so he decided to go and meet him. After talking …
With the melody of jazz - Jazz musician Ihara Richard
April 22, 2015 • Takamichi "Taka" Go
At Cedar Creek Inn Restaurant in Brea, Southern California, you can enjoy drinks and meals while listening to live jazz music at the bar in the restaurant from Friday night to weekends. This restaurant is one of the popular spots for locals because attractive jazz musicians based in Southern California take turns performing at the restaurant. One day, I was invited by my teacher, Mr. Ihara, who has always been very kind to me, to come to Cedar Creek Inn. …
Shoichi Ban and the postwar Japanese government's immigration policy
March 18, 2015 • Takamichi "Taka" Go
If the name Shoichi Ban rings a bell, you may be familiar with the relationship between Japan and mainland China. Ban served as Japanese envoy to China from 1977 to 1980 and is known as one of the diplomats who built the foundation for close relations with mainland China. Mr. Ban, a contributor to Japan-China relations in modern society, was also deeply involved in Japan's postwar immigration policy. In this article, I would like to introduce Mr. Ban's character through …
The failed proposal to appoint a Japanese ambassador to Japan - "Japanese circumstances" stood in the way of Rep. Inoue
Dec. 22, 2014 • Takamichi "Taka" Go
A Japanese-American should become ambassador to Japan. The first person to propose this to the Japanese government was the late Congressman Ken Inoue (Daniel Inouye). Congressman Inoue believed that having a Japanese-American serve as ambassador to Japan would not only benefit both the United States and Japan, but would also improve the status of Japanese-Americans in American society. The year was 1959, and the Japanese-American community was in the midst of a transition from the postwar reconstruction period to redress …
What we can learn from "people who apologize"
Aug. 20, 2014 • Takamichi "Taka" Go
The "Conscience" of the California Farmers' Brotherhood The other day, while I was reading the Rafu Shimpo on the Internet, I came across a very interesting article. " California Grange Apologizes for Anti-JA Prejudice " (Japanese translation: "California Farmers' Association apologizes for past anti-Japanese actions against Japanese Americans.") According to the article, the California State Grande Agricultural Citizens Association (CSAAC) sent a letter to David Lin, president of the Japanese American Citizens Association (JACL), apologizing for discriminatory acts against Japanese …
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