Interviews
Japanese Americans brought up to deny their roots
I have this kind of underline riff that I believe almost all Japanese Americans are brought up to deny their roots, their Japanese roots. It became very, very clear for me. That became very, very clear to me when I came out here. We would celebrate Oshogatsu, but we would still just call it New Year’s. My mom would just put out a big spread. My uncle, her older brother, was actually in D.C. at the time as well. So in terms of Japanese traditions, we got together with the family and we had sushi there. That’s about as Japanese as it gets there.
Date: September 12, 2003
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Interviewer: Art Nomura
Contributed by: Art Nomura, Finding Home.
Explore More Videos
Celebrating traditional Japanese New Years with family
(b.1951) Co-founder and managing director of San Jose Taiko.
Growing up in Waikiki
(b. 1924) Political scientist, educator, and administrator from Hawai`i
Visiting Japan to study kendo
Sansei Japanese American living in Japan and Kendo practioner
The philosophy of playing Taiko
(b.1951) Co-founder and managing director of San Jose Taiko.
Learning Japanese traditions by observing his mother and grandmother
(b. 1981) Enka Singer
Japanese wife with American citizenship
Sansei Japanese American living in Japan and Kendo practioner
Nihongo gakko - Preserving Japanese culture (Spanish)
(b. 1969) Former president of Centro Nikkei Argentino.
Not wanting to stand out as a foreigner
Sansei Japanese American living in Japan and Kendo practioner
Have compassion for all of humanity
(b. 1923) Nisei from Washington. Resisted draft during WWII.
Identity crisis (Spanish)
(b. 1969) Former president of Centro Nikkei Argentino.
Never sang Enka outside the family
(b. 1981) Enka Singer
Both Japanese and American identities though Japanese dance
(1918-2023) Nisei Japanese kabuki dancer
Results of being more American than Japanese
(1924-2018) Researcher, Activist
Trying to convey the meaning of the songs
(b. 1981) Enka Singer