Discover Nikkei

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/865/

Generational Change (Spanish)

(Spanish) Perhaps the Issei and the Nikkei have done [so] much in order that we may have the opportunity right now to progress. Things that I hear from my mom, [and things] that I heard from my grandmother sometime ago, was the fact that they suffered a lot during the war. They suffered much repression [back] then, and therefore the Japanese part [of their existence] left; it left [them due to] the [reality] of overcoming adversity, of moving forward and, at the end, they smoothed the road for us so that we could begin to think of other things: to think of culture, in artistic development, in professional development, [much of which] perhaps many of our parents or grandparents were unable to do but they worried about us being able to do such things. Therefore, perhaps it is not a generational gap, perhaps it is the flow of events that life has simply made for us [in more simple fashion] and that it is our responsibility to ensure that everything that they [our parents and grandparents] experienced in its moment is not lost, not erased from [our] memory, and that everything that our Japanese-rooted culture has provided, we are entrusted to transmit and move it forward.


Date: September 14, 2007

Location: Lima, Peru

Interviewer: Harumi Nako

Contributed by: Asociación Peruano Japonesa (APJ)

Interviewee Bio

Akira Watanabe Osada was born on October 6, 1974, in Lima, Peru. His grandparents are Japanese immigrants who came to Peru from Fukushima Ken. An engineer, Akira is also director of the Peru branch of the Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko Group. Founded in 1999, the branch grew out of the festivities commemorating Japanese immigration to Peru. Akira promotes the Okinawa eisa dance throughout the country. As a member of this group, Akira has performed quite often in Peru, which the most important of these performances have been the centennial celebrations marking Japanese immigration to Peru (1999), and the Centenary of Okinawense Immigration to Peru (2006). (September 14, 2007)

Yamano,Jane Aiko

Preserving traditional Japanese culture

(b.1964) California-born business woman in Japan. A successor of her late grandmother, who started a beauty business in Japan.

Yokoyama,Wayne Shigeto

Food growing up

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

Yokoyama,Wayne Shigeto

Being on the outside

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

Tanaka,Seiichi

Understanding Sansei taiko (Japanese)

(b.1943) Shin-issei grand master of taiko; founded San Francisco Taiko Dojo in 1968.

Akiyama,Nosuke

Rediscovery of Japanese culture through taiko (Japanese)

Shishimai (Lion dance) and Taiko player with San Francisco Taiko Dojo.

Shibayama,Art

Activities growing up in Peru

(1930-2018) Nisei born in Peru. Taken to the United States during WWII.

Shimomura,Roger

Japanese American community life

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

Yamasaki,Frank

Starting over after the war: denial of all things Japanese

(b. 1923) Nisei from Washington. Resisted draft during WWII.

Kato,Alfredo

What does Nikkei mean to you? (Spanish)

(b. 1937) Professional journalist

Kato,Alfredo

Japanese vs. Peruvian identity (Spanish)

(b. 1937) Professional journalist

Kato,Alfredo

Peru Shimpo for the Nikkei community (Spanish)

(b. 1937) Professional journalist

Iino,Masako

Interest in Japanese migration studies (Japanese)

Tsuda College President, researcher of Nikkei history

Iino,Masako

The Japanese society reacts to Nikkei living in Japan (Japanese)

Tsuda College President, researcher of Nikkei history

Iino,Masako

What is Nikkei? (Japanese)

Tsuda College President, researcher of Nikkei history

Iino,Masako

The identity of Nikkei Canadians seen in the Buddhist Church (Japanese)

Tsuda College President, researcher of Nikkei history