Interviews

1. General reasons why people left Japan for Peru

2. Great grandfather Asato was a sumo wrestler

3. Grandfather loved to tell her stories of her great-grandfather Arakaki

4. Prosecution of Japanese Peruvians during the war

5. Where parents went to school in Peru

6. Parents leaving Peru to move to California

7. Reflections on childhood

8. Okinawan cultural appreciation

9. Prejudice against Okinawans from mainland folks

10. Okinawan Americans

11. Parents identification as Peruvian Okinawan

12. On Nikkei identity

13. Japanese values that she aligns with

14. American values she aligns with

15. Working together in Okinawa using three languages

Yamashiro,Michelle

Okinawan American whose parents are from Peru.

Parents leaving Peru to move to California

In the eighties Peru’s economy wasn’t as great as it is now. And so in order to…they were about to start a life together; have children, have a family, and so this idea of the “American Dream” is so true and so real of being an immigrant and come from somewhere else and make it on your own and have a house and all that good stuff. Whereas at the time, in the eighties – nineties, Peru’s government wasn’t the safest environment for folks. And so, because of that my parents decided to immigrate to the United States – to California and L.A. in particular.

There’s a pretty big community in the Gardena, Torrance, south bay area. A lot of them are my relatives. Yeah, I would say that my father came, my mother came, and then all my aunts and uncles came as well. And then just through…as I’ve continued to work in community and get involved in community, it’s so awesome how many folks that I’ve met that say, “oh actually my family’s from Peru too” or my family’s from Argentina or Brazil. And so that’s been interesting getting to know more and more people that have that background.

communities Japanese Peruvians migration Okinawans Peru United States

Date: August 30, 2018

Location: California, US

Interviewer: Sharon Yamato

Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum

Interviewee Bio

Grew up in Gardena, California. Her parents moved to the United States from Lima, Peru where they grew up in the Japanese and Okinawan Peruvian community. Because of this diverse background, she was exposed to a mixing of different cultural traditions. She is involved with the Okinawa Association of America and has visited Okinawa and Peru.

She received her teaching credentials but with an opportunity at the Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute (GVJCI), she turned to non-profit work and is a volunteer at GVJCI and the Okinawa Association of America. (August 2018)