Discover Nikkei

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/312/

Interviews

Yamano,Jane Aiko

(b.1964) California-born business woman in Japan. A successor of her late grandmother, who started a beauty business in Japan.

Lack of language skills

At that time, I think Japan was still used to “Foreigners just cannot speak Japanese.” And anybody that looked Japanese should speak Japanese. So if I go out with friends, say, five of us are sitting at the table, basically I’m usually the only one that can’t speak Japanese and everybody else can. And so I’m sitting there, but the waiter is looking at me, and talking to me, and I’m like, “Uh, what’d he say?” And after a while, I got used to it, so it’s like I just…he’s looking at me and let everybody else order. You know, then finally…one time we went to…I think it was a little vegetable market and my sister and I were with my mother and we were talking and I think the man was trying to talk to us and we didn’t know what he was saying. All of a sudden, he started getting mad at my mother. Get that, getting mad at my mother. And later, we were like, “What was he so mad about?” She goes, “Oh, it’s because you girls didn’t speak Japanese” and he was getting mad at her, like, “Why don’t you teach your kids how to speak Japanese? They don’t understand Japanese? Why are you in Japan?” You know, they couldn’t relate. “You look Japanese but you don’t speak it. Now something must be wrong.”


Finding Home (film) identity languages prejudices racially mixed people

Date: September 3, 2003

Location: Tokyo, Japan

Interviewer: Art Nomura

Contributed by: Art Nomura, Finding Home.

Interviewee Bio

Jane Aiko Yamano, 38-year-old Nisei-Yonsei, was born in Los Angeles and moved to Japan at age 12 with her Japanese father and Sansei mother. At the time that her family moved to Japan, Jane’s Japanese was minimal, even though she attended Saturday Japanese school in Los Angeles. She was enrolled in the American School in Tokyo, which was largely English-speaking. She then graduated from Sophia University and went to beauty college, after which she went into business.

Ms. Yamano is now fluent in speaking, but limited in reading and writing Japanese. She recognizes the restrictions placed upon women in Japan, but her position as head of a beauty college gives her more authority than usual for a woman. She is a Japanese citizen, having been registered by her father, and is also a U.S. citizen, holding passports from both countries. She has now lived in Japan for over 25 years. (September 3, 2003)

Nakamura,Ann K.

Image of Americans

Sansei from Hawaii living in Japan. Teacher and businesswoman.

Okasaki,Robert (Bob) Kiyoshi

Japanese influence growing up

(b.1942) Japanese American ceramist, who has lived in Japan for over 30 years.

Hirabayashi,PJ

Diverse membership in San Jose Taiko

Co-founder and creative director of San Jose Taiko

Okasaki,Robert (Bob) Kiyoshi

Looking at your country from the outside

(b.1942) Japanese American ceramist, who has lived in Japan for over 30 years.

Okasaki,Robert (Bob) Kiyoshi

Wife's family in Japan

(b.1942) Japanese American ceramist, who has lived in Japan for over 30 years.

Takeshita,Yukio

Lack of notion of citizenship in Japan

(b.1935) American born Japanese. Retired businessman.

Takeshita,Yukio

Impression of Japan upon arrival

(b.1935) American born Japanese. Retired businessman.

Glaser,Byron

Growing up in a Japanese American community

Illustrator and designer

Glaser,Byron

Supporting art because it's essential

Illustrator and designer

Yokoyama,Wayne Shigeto

Being on the outside

(b.1948) Nikkei from Southern California living in Japan.

Yokoyama,Wayne Shigeto

Working at the magazine

(b.1948) Nikkei from Southern California living in Japan.

Yonamine,Wally Kaname

His parents' experience with Japanese resistance toward intermarriage with Okinawans

(b.1925) Nisei of Okinawan descent. Had a 38-year career in Japan as a baseball player, coach, scout, and manager.

Yonamine,Wally Kaname

Working in cane fields as teenager, and how it helped in his athletic training (Japanese)

(b.1925) Nisei of Okinawan descent. Had a 38-year career in Japan as a baseball player, coach, scout, and manager.

Matsumoto,Roy H.

Nickname

(b.1913) Kibei from California who served in the MIS with Merrill’s Marauders during WWII.

Matsumoto,Roy H.

Difficulties understanding different Japanese dialects

(b.1913) Kibei from California who served in the MIS with Merrill’s Marauders during WWII.