Interviews
Defusing myths through The Hapa Project
It allows people to, hopefully, defuse some myths that may be about them. I think there’s these myths of “hybrid vigor” and “All you Hapas, you’re all beautiful, y’all have it going on, and everything’s great, and look at all the models out there and all the actors, and oh, man, Keanu Reeves is so good-looking.” Hopefully it defuses some of that because there’s a whole gamut of ages and ethnicities and physical statures—people look really, really different.
At the same time, I think it allows people to construct their identity and tries to show how different—I wanted to celebrate difference in it, I wanted to reclaim these terms that haven’t been very positive—Ainoko, or “hybrid” or “half-breed” or even “Amerasian” which is technically correct. It’s still got this kind of ‘75-post-Vietnam thing because that’s where it’s connotated, that’s where the documentaries are. And even “Hapa” being originally a semi-derogatory term in Hawai`i. I wanted people to be able to say who they were in their own words and reclaim these things and have a place where we could actually celebrate our differences.
Date: May 3, 2006
Location: California, US
Interviewer: Jim Bower
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum.
Explore More Videos
Sense of lineage between Sansei and Issei through Taiko
Co-founder and creative director of San Jose Taiko
Image of Americans
Sansei from Hawaii living in Japan. Teacher and businesswoman.
Japanese influence growing up
(b.1942) Japanese American ceramist, who has lived in Japan for over 30 years.
Diverse membership in San Jose Taiko
Co-founder and creative director of San Jose Taiko
Looking at your country from the outside
(b.1942) Japanese American ceramist, who has lived in Japan for over 30 years.
Wife's family in Japan
(b.1942) Japanese American ceramist, who has lived in Japan for over 30 years.
Lack of notion of citizenship in Japan
(b.1935) American born Japanese. Retired businessman.
Lack of language skills
(b.1964) California-born business woman in Japan. A successor of her late grandmother, who started a beauty business in Japan.
Preserving traditional Japanese culture
(b.1964) California-born business woman in Japan. A successor of her late grandmother, who started a beauty business in Japan.
Having patience in Japan, being both
(b.1964) California-born business woman in Japan. A successor of her late grandmother, who started a beauty business in Japan.
New Year's food
(b.1964) California-born business woman in Japan. A successor of her late grandmother, who started a beauty business in Japan.
Being on the outside
(b.1948) Nikkei from Southern California living in Japan.
Working at the magazine
(b.1948) Nikkei from Southern California living in Japan.