General reasons why people left Japan for Peru

General reasons why people left Japan for Peru Great grandfather Asato was a sumo wrestler Grandfather loved to tell her stories of her great-grandfather Arakaki Prosecution of Japanese Peruvians during the war Where parents went to school in Peru Parents leaving Peru to move to California Reflections on childhood Okinawan cultural appreciation Prejudice against Okinawans from mainland folks Okinawan Americans Parents identification as Peruvian Okinawan On Nikkei identity Japanese values that she aligns with American values she aligns with Working together in Okinawa using three languages

Transcripts available in the following languages:

I don’t know what the attraction of Peru was versus the United States, but I do know that there were lots of farming, similar to I guess Hawaii, where there were a lot of folks who came for the sugar cane. I know a lot of folks went to Brazil cause there’s also sugar cane there. In Peru it’s just different farming and then different small businesses so I know a lot of folks had laundry mats, different things like that and I think by the time my great-grandpa Arakaki came at least it was already semi-developed, so just being part of that community and helping to add more to the education system and things like that.

Date: August 30, 2018
Location: California, US
Interviewer: Sharon Yamato
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum

community japanese peruvian migration okinawan peru