Interviews
Integrating As First-Generation Japanese-Peruvian (Japanese)
(Japanese) Well, this is extremely…From my perspective as a Japanese person, this is extremely difficult. I’m a so-called first-generation (Issei) Japanese-Peruvian. In other words, I’m living here now. However, the position of an Issei is very…it’s not very clear. It’s not the Japanese flag, and it’s not the Peruvian flag.
But the Japanese-Peruvian community here is an interesting one. Truth be told, we’re really Japanese. People like me. So among the Japanese-Peruvians here, there are people who are actually not Japanese-Peruvian.
Particularly in the Japanese-Peruvian media, when second- or third-generation Japanese-Peruvians are working hard to succeed at something, I think there probably is, of course, support for them, with a sense of “Good luck” or “Well done”. For us first-generation folks, maybe we don’t get as much recognition because perhaps there’s a sense that, of course, we were going to do what we did, and besides, we’re Japanese. So in that way, we first-generation people may find ourselves in kind of a vague, ambiguous position.
Date: April 18, 2007
Location: Lima, Peru
Interviewer: Ann Kaneko
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum
Explore More Videos
Grandmother's influence on decision to go to Japan
(b.1942) Japanese American ceramist, who has lived in Japan for over 30 years.
Ethnic diversity
(b.1926) Democratic politician and three-term Governor of Hawai'i
A Possible Path towards Happiness… (Spanish)
(1958-2014) Former Bolivian Ambassador to Japan
What is Nikkei? (Japanese)
Tsuda College President, researcher of Nikkei history
Learning from Nikkei (Japanese)
Tsuda College President, researcher of Nikkei history
Christian gatherings in homes
(1926 - 2012) Scholar and professor of anthropology. Leader in the establishment of ethnic studies as an academic discipline
Father became trilingual to practice medicine
(1928–2016) Daughter of an Issei doctor
Nickname
(1926 - 2012) Scholar and professor of anthropology. Leader in the establishment of ethnic studies as an academic discipline
Context affects meaning
(1926 - 2012) Scholar and professor of anthropology. Leader in the establishment of ethnic studies as an academic discipline
Memories of my infancy: Japanese 1, Japanese 2… (Spanish)
(b. 1932-2016) Peruvian painter
Testing assumptions of Japanese scholars
(1926 - 2012) Scholar and professor of anthropology. Leader in the establishment of ethnic studies as an academic discipline
Mistreating the Japanese community (Spanish)
(b. 1932-2016) Peruvian painter