On Nikkei identity

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’ve been working on identifying myself as Nikkei, just to make it more part of my…the language that I use. But I end up saying…having to explain what Nikkei is and then I end up having to explain that I’m Japanese Peruvian American and Okinawan – or Okinawan I guess.

I consider myself Nikkei because I am of Japanese Okinawan decent outside of Japan. So that’s sort of how I define it for myself.

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

identity japanese american japanese peruvian nikkei okinawan