Interviews

1. Visiting Japan to study kendo

2. Japanese wife with American citizenship

3. Appreciation of Japanese food

4. Not wanting to stand out as a foreigner

5. Japan vs. Tulsa Oklahoma

Peter Mizuki

Sansei Japanese American living in Japan and Kendo practioner

Appreciation of Japanese food

I think, mainly, it’s like the whole general atmosphere. I never…you don’t stand out here. As a Japanese American, you don’t stand out in society. You blend in. As far as…for me, it was very interesting to live here as a foreigner and as a non-Japanese because I enjoy watching people, watching society.

Probably other than kendo – kendo is very interesting for me – to study here is the food. I really enjoy eating in Japan. I really enjoy the food. I think that was the most…that’s one singular thing I can point to. When I came to Japan, I was so happy wherever I worked until I could get rice. I had rice and there was Japanese food. It was really good. And even the Chinese, Japanese/Chinese food is really good. I always enjoyed it. Still enjoy it.

The other thing is I found Japanese have a very highly refined culinary culture here. And I enjoy eating fish. I like eating fish and they really had a lot of varieties of fish. I think if I had to point to one thing, it would be food. I really enjoy living here. Each season – now it’s fall – we can’t afford it, but they have matsutake (mushroom) and they have oysters from Hiroshima will come up. Mikan (tangerine oranges) are coming in season now. I like to sit down with a bag full of mikan and watch TV and eat four or five mikan.

Finding Home (film) food identity

Date: November 11, 2003

Location: Kyoto, Japan

Interviewer: Art Nomura

Contributed by: Art Nomura, Finding Home.

Interviewee Bio

Peter Mizuki, a Sansei, was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. As a child he helped in his family’s lumber business and was involved with the Japanese martial art of kendo. Later, while a student at the University of Washington, he was one of the founding members of the Kendo Club. As his interest in Japanese culture developed, he traveled to Japan on a cultural visa to learn Japanese and continue his study of kendo. There, he met his wife in Kyoto. He now has two sons, is a permanent resident of Japan, and continues to practice kendo and teach English part-time at universities. In his interview, Peter shares his experiences of being a Japanese American in Japan and the struggles he’s endured to be accepted by Japanese society. (2005)