Discover Nikkei

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/592/

History of her family's immigration (Spanish)

(Spanish) Well, my father came to Argentina in the sixties. My dad ended up in Argentina because his uncle had emigrated to Argentina and was living there. I think my dad saw an opportunity to go abroad and, well, since he had a relative living in Argentina, that’s where he went. My mother later went to Argentina in order to marry my dad. My father is from Gifu, the prefect of Gifu [in Japan] and my mom was born in Yamanashi but grew up in Osaka. They got married…they met each other through pictures, miai shashin, and then, you know, it was miai kekkon (arranged marriage). So they went…I think the families were introduced to each other. And, well, my mother was also a 20 year-old girl at that point, and was also interested in going abroad and they gave her the chance to go abroad, and to get married. And so she accepted and like an innocent adventurer went to Argentina.


Argentina arranged marriages immigration marriages migration

Date: October 7, 2005

Location: California, US

Interviewer: Ann Kaneko

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

Interviewee Bio

Monica Kogiso is a Nikkei Nisei Argentinian, born in Buenos Aires in the city of Escobar where the Japanese community thrives on floristry. She is licensed in tourism, currently working as a resource, tourism and event coordinator for Japan, serving as bridge between both Argentina and Japan. She is the former president of Centro Nikkei Argentino, a Nikkei organization located in Buenos Aires and is a representative for the Panamerican Nikkei Association. (January 23, 2007)

Funai,Kazuo

Coming to America (Japanese)

(1900-2005) Issei businessman

Funai,Kazuo

First work in America (Japanese)

(1900-2005) Issei businessman

Funai,Kazuo

Company in Tokyo burned down (Japanese)

(1900-2005) Issei businessman

Funai,Kazuo

Match-making (Japanese)

(1900-2005) Issei businessman

Hirabayashi,James

Family interrelations between mother and father

(1926 - 2012) Scholar and professor of anthropology. Leader in the establishment of ethnic studies as an academic discipline

Kaji,Steve

FOB's

Hawaii born Nikkei living in Japan. English Teacher at YMCA.

Kawakami,Barbara

Going back to Hawaii

An expert researcher and scholar on Japanese immigrant clothing.

Kawakami,Barbara

Picture brides and karifufu

An expert researcher and scholar on Japanese immigrant clothing.

Okasaki,Robert (Bob) Kiyoshi

Grandmother's influence on decision to go to Japan

(b.1942) Japanese American ceramist, who has lived in Japan for over 30 years.

Takeshita,Yukio

Impression of Japan upon arrival

(b.1935) American born Japanese. Retired businessman.

Yokoyama,Wayne Shigeto

Working at the magazine

(b.1948) Nikkei from Southern California living in Japan.

Matsumoto,Roy H.

Kibei schoolchildren in Hiroshima, Japan

(b.1913) Kibei from California who served in the MIS with Merrill’s Marauders during WWII.

Hongo,Etsuo

The reason he came to the United States (Japanese)

(1949 - 2019) Taiko player. Founded five taiko groups in Southern California

Shimomura,Roger

Grandfather's arrival in the U.S., experiencing discrimination

(b. 1939) Japanese American painter, printmaker & professor

Kanemoto,Marion Tsutakawa

Mother's immigration to U.S. as a treaty merchant

(b. 1927) Japanese American Nisei. Family voluntarily returned to Japan during WWII.