The Other Side of Honolulu: Being Welcomed by Hawaii's Japanese Community
I have always dreamed of going to Hawaii since I was in elementary school, and now I am working in Hawaii. I would like to write about one aspect of the Japanese community in Hawaii that I have seen through my deep relationships with local Japanese people, my thoughts on the multicultural situation in Hawaii, and my thoughts on Japanese culture based on the Japanese community in Hawaii.
Stories from this series
Part 7 (Part 2): Are Japanese Americans in Hawaii Individualistic?
Sept. 16, 2016 • Seiji Kawasaki
Read Part 7 (first half) >> The Japanese Mentality I have been going to Hawaii for 20 years, and have lived there a few times during that time, so I have unintentionally participated in the ceremonies of the local community. When my English conversation skills were not sufficient (I think that everyday conversation is much more difficult than discussions in my field of expertise), I found it very bothersome. However, I thought that it would help me to gain a …
Part 7 (Part 1): Are Japanese Americans in Hawaii Individualistic?
Sept. 15, 2016 • Seiji Kawasaki
This essay is the second half of a 12-part series. The first six parts have focused on the cultural aspects of Japanese people in Hawaii, and have been considered in comparison with Japanese culture and Japanese culture. In particular, following the advice of Ms. M, who is like a guardian to me in Hawaii, I have tried to pay attention to the diversity of Japanese people in Hawaii and avoid over-generalization. When in doubt, I sometimes go to Hawaii on …
Part 6: What does it mean to "do your best"? - Japanese culture and Japanese-American culture in Hawaii
March 18, 2016 • Seiji Kawasaki
Let's continue with the elementary school story. Last time (part 5, " Japanese values that may be disappearing - changing Hawaiian culture" ), we touched on the kindness and deep consideration of M-san and L-san. According to them, the virtue of Japanese culture inherited by Japanese people is "to do the best you can for others." In this regard, let's take a look at the school of teacher A, who was mentioned in part 3, " T-shirts ." The elementary …
Part 5: Japanese values that may be disappearing - The changing culture of Hawaii -
Nov. 9, 2015 • Seiji Kawasaki
This essay series started with the theme of Japanese society in Hawaii, but sometimes I am faced with the question of whether there is such a thing as a "Japanese society" in Hawaii. It is rather exceptional that ethnic communities like Chinatown exist in a visible form. I sometimes feel something like the beginning of Koreatown on the mountain side of the Ala Moana Shopping Center. However, even though there are areas such as Waimanalo and Kapolei with many Hawaiians, …
4th Garage Party
June 10, 2015 • Seiji Kawasaki
I met Mr. and Mrs. M. L., a third-generation Japanese-American couple who have now become like parents to me in Hawaii, in August 2001, about two weeks before the September 11 attacks. Shortly after, the terrorist attacks occurred. As I was planning to stay until the following year, the temporary suspension of flights had no effect on me, but the tourists gradually left and new tourists stopped coming. The lights of Waikiki faded and it became a ghost town, and …
3rd "T-shirt"
Jan. 14, 2015 • Seiji Kawasaki
If we think of the letter "T" in the alphabet, it is of course a "T-shirt." In fashion magazines, it is even expressed as a "T" as it is. My father, who is in his 70s, does not wear T-shirts, and of course my grandfather, who would be nearly 110 years old if he were alive, would not wear one either. What they wear is an undershirt that is similar in shape to a T-shirt, but has a crew neck …
