Nikkei Chronicles #12
Growing Up Nikkei: Connecting with Our Heritage

English:

• An Albuquerque Childhood
  By Edna Horiuchi

  Comment from Alden M. Hayashi
  The Growing Up Nikkei essays were all so beautifully written, filled with touching, heartfelt memories, some beautiful and sweet, others poignant and painful. Of the English-language essays, my personal favorite was “An Albuquerque Childhood” by Edna Horiuchi. This essay really resonated with me because my parents, like Edna’s parents, had both grown up in Hawaii, except my parents remained there to start a family whereas Edna’s parents relocated to the mainland. So I couldn’t help but read her thoughtful, evocative essay without wondering how different my life would have been if, for whatever reason, my parents had also moved to the mainland.

  Edna provides ample details of that other life away from Hawaii: being the only Nikkei student in her elementary school (until her younger brother’s arrival); getting annoying questions from classmates (did she sleep on the floor and eat from a low table?); having to drive across town to a small Japanese store to stock up on shoyu, miso, and other food items; and celebrating oshogatsu with “adopted relatives.” I was particularly touched by her memory of visiting the Ala Moana Center on her family’s trip to Honolulu. There she marveled at the multitude of other Asians going about their shopping at the busy outdoor mall. I could have been one of the many Asians there, and Edna’s lucid, vivid writing made me feel what it would have been like to see myself that day but from a very different pair of eyes. 

Spanish:

• Jinsei no aki (Autumn of Life)
  By Roberto Oshiro Teruya

  Comment from Harumi Nako Fuentes 
  What does it mean to grow up Nikkei and connect with one’s heritage? There isn’t a single answer to that question. For the descendants of Japanese immigrants throughout the world, the connection to their roots is as rich and diverse as the responses received to this call for stories. These accounts speak to us about childhood experiences, learning through art, as well as searching for and rediscovering one’s own identity.

  This story, “Jinsei no aki (Autumn of Life),” includes family episodes that bring together traditions and rites, as well as sadness and hope, in an intimate portrayal where many readers may see their own experiences reflected.

  Reading the story produces a “natsukashii” effect, as the author says. As a way of ensuring his own experiences aren’t forgotten, he recalls and shares them with readers, capturing us with a nostalgic and moving gaze. The experience of turning 60 years old is transformed from the autumn of life into a springtime where memories and evocations blossom, nurtured by the story’s unique elements and memories of the Nikkei community.

Portuguese:

• Arigatai!!!
  By Edna Hiromi Ogihara Cardoso

  Comment from Laura Honda-Hasegawa
  Growing Up Nikkei had the participation of five Brazilian Nikkei women who explained how Japanese culture influenced their lives, while also opening their hearts so as to lay bare their feelings, perceptions, and doubts about their Nikkei identity. Since we received several amazing stories, our attention was gripped by those filled with the most interesting situations, which in turn made our task of selecting just one incredibly difficult. Ultimately, we chose the story that fully addresses the proposed theme: “Arigatai!!!” 

  Its author, Edna Hiromi Ogihara Cardoso, duly shows how her life has been connected to Japan since childhood: the arts, cuisine, language, manga, imported magazines, Nikkei community events. Today, Edna shares with her young daughter the rich heritage that has been passed on to them and, along with their family, they all give thanks for everything! Arigatai!!!