From the perspective of two countries
There are approximately 3 million Japanese people living overseas, of which approximately 1 million are said to be in the United States. Japanese people in the United States, which began in the latter half of the 19th century, have at times been at the mercy of bilateral relations, but through their two cultures, they have come to have a unique perspective as Japanese people. What can we learn from these people who have lived between Japan and the United States? We explore the new worldview that emerges from the perspectives of the two countries they hold.
*This series is reprinted from Renso Publishing 's web magazine "Kaze," which features information about new books, such as articles linking new books to current issues and daily topics, monthly bestsellers, and columns reviewing new books.
Stories from this series
Karen Tei Yamashita: A third-generation Japanese-American writer who continues to question her place in the world - Part 3
Oct. 22, 2010 • Tatsuya Sudo
Part 2 >> Adolescence over a turbulent decade The I Hotel was formerly the International Hotel located in Manila Town, San Francisco, and was an apartment building mainly housing low-income Filipinos. The I Hotel was an essential low-cost hotel for Filipinos who came to America in search of a better life in the 1920s, and by the 1950s, the hotel was home to about 10,000 Filipinos.In December 1968, the hotel's owner, Milton Meyer, notified the residents to vacate the building …
Karen Tei Yamashita: A third-generation Japanese-American writer who continues to question her place in the world – Part 2
Oct. 15, 2010 • Tatsuya Sudo
Part 1 >> Three perspectives from Japan, Brazil and the United States The following description appears in "Brazil Maru." "Ichiro Terada proudly told us recently that his grandson passed the entrance exam to enter a university's agricultural department. He rejoiced as if it were his own achievement, saying, "The Japanese are originally a people who live with the earth. When you move to virgin lands of primeval forest, you take responsibility for the earth. You have to do your best …
Karen Tei Yamashita: A third-generation Japanese-American writer who continues to question her place in the world – Part 1
Oct. 8, 2010 • Tatsuya Sudo
This time, I would like to focus on Karen Tei Yamashita, a Japanese-American artist with a particularly unique talent.Karen Tei Yamashita was born in Oakland, California in 1951 as a third generation Japanese. She majored in English and Japanese literature at Carleton College in Minnesota, but in 1971, she studied at Waseda University as an exchange student for a year and a half to study Japanese culture and literature. In 1975, she received a scholarship to travel to São Paulo …
Kenny Endo - Hitting the Japanese drums with a "double" feel - Part 2
Aug. 30, 2010 • Tatsuya Sudo
>>Part 1 A wish for peace entrusted to a drumstick After returning to Japan, he formed the Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble and has been performing throughout the U.S., based in Hawaii, and has also performed overseas, including in Japan, the U.K., Germany, Belgium, Czech Republic, and other European countries, Brazil, Argentina, and other South American countries, as well as India and Hong Kong.His music itself incorporates elements of music from various countries, including Africa, India, Brazil, etc. He studied ethnic …
Kenny Endo - Hitting the Japanese drums with a "double" feel - Part 1
Aug. 23, 2010 • Tatsuya Sudo
There is a museum called Taikokan (Drum Museum) in Asakusa, Tokyo. While most museums do not allow you to touch the exhibits, here you can play drums from all over the world as you like. This is a rare museum built in 1987 by Miyamoto Uonosuke Shoten, a famous Japanese drum store. Chie Ochi, former head of the Taiko Museum, once participated in the Taiko Conference held in Los Angeles. The Taiko Conference began in 1997 and has grown in …
Japanese Americans Active Between Japan and the U.S.: Japanese American Leadership Symposium
July 16, 2010 • Tatsuya Sudo
So far, we have looked at Japanese Americans in various fields and explored the two perspectives they hold. This time, we would like to think about Japan and the United States while introducing the Japanese American Leadership Symposium, which was held at the International House of Japan in Roppongi on March 3rd.This symposium is held as part of the Japanese American Leadership Invitation Program, which was launched in 2000 under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The program …
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