37

Portrait of One

Japanese-American Family

Janelle Sumida

Immigrants to a new country have always faced
some difficulties. This is an account of the experiences
of one Japanese immigrant, her two eldest children
and their respective families in America. It portrays
some of these difficulties and their resolution. For
example, upon the outbreak of war between the Un-
ited States and Japan my informants experienced a
dramatic incident. The first generation immigrants
(the Issei) and their American born children (the Nisei)
were transferred from the West Coast to a camp in
Wyoming. None retained greater faith and loyalty to
America than this family. Great changes occurred
while they were interned, and the effects of intern-
ment influenced many aspects of their lives. This be-
came particularly evident after the war, when
they found themselves forced once again to accom-
modate to a new lifestyle. The children were soon
married and began raising families of their own. De-
spite all the obstacles in their lives they all continued to
show a great willingness and determination to estab-
lish an acceptable place in American society. The pur-
pose of my interviews and research was to discover to
what extent acculturation and assimilation had occur-
red within the three generations of this particular fam-
ily.

Method

At the beginning of this project I encountered a
major problem. Although I had several friends'
families in mind as possibilities for interviewing, I
found that permission for interviews from all family
members was difficult to come by. I met Julie Sato (a
pseudonym) for the first time as my dorm roommate
three years ago while we were both freshmen. Thus
after explaining my proposed project to her this
spring, she said she would consent to have her family
interviewed if other members and close relatives
would agree. I had metJulie's parents often when they
came to visit her in the dorms. Also, from our numer-
ous close talks I remember her mentioning her uncles,
aunts, and cousins. Since the names were already
familiar to me, I was anxious to place the names with
faces.

On Saturdays, I had the opportunity to observe and
interview the Sato family who reside in the Bay Area.
Members include a grandmother, her five children
and their respective families (see diagram of their fam-
ily tree). Also included in-this project will be memories
of their now deceased grandfather who played a major

role in all their lives. I spent an entire Saturday inter-
viewing Naomi, Julie's Issei grandmother, when Julie
and I paid her an informal visit. I twice interviewed
and observed the family ofJune (Julie's mother) when
I was invited over for dinners. Another prearranged
Saturday afternoon was devoted to a casual interview
with some of Julie's other maternal aunts, uncles, and
cousins, though I am limiting my description to a
single typical lineage of the family.

Naomi

Naomi is a slender, petite woman who at the age of
76 looks amazingly young and healthy. Kenji, her hus-
band, died five years ago at 85, so she now lives alone in
a three-bedroom, two-bath house near a Buddhist
Church.

When Julie and I visited Naomi, she was extremely
friendly. She led us into the living room where we were
told to be seated. Then she politely excused herself
and left the room. I took advantage of that moment to
look around the living room. There was an obvious
blend of both Japanese and American cultures within
this one room. Modern American furniture - a
cabinet, a color T.V., and a stereo - were prevalent.
Her album collection consisted entirely of Japanese
recording artists. Hung upon the walls were many
lovely Japanese artifacts. In particular, a hand em-
broidered scene was framed and hung above the man-
tle; it depicted a white crane with outstretched wings,
swooping down upon a turtle.

Naomi entered the room carrying a tray with a
teapot and teacups and some Japanese crackers (arare)
which she placed on the coffee table. When I re-
marked how beautiful the embroidery was, she
seemed pleased. She explained that she had made it
many years ago while she was a high school student in
Japan. I also learned that both animals signified good
luck and a long healthy life. Although she spoke halt-
ingly in broken English, I was able to understand her
perfectly.

Naomi had grown up in a rural area which was on
the outskirts of a city called Kumamoto on the Island
of Kyushu in Southern Japan. She came from a small
family, which consisted of her parents and younger
brother.

Kenji, her husband, was also from Kumamoto, Ja-
pan. He came from a middle-class farming family
which included his parents, younger brother and two

38

Kenji   |  Naomi

younger sisters. Kenji was a youthful teenager when
he departed Japan in 1905 to avoid being drafted to
fight in the Russo-Japanese War. He arrived in San
Francisco with only thirty dollars in his pockets. He
realized that his limited resources would soon be gone,
so it was necessary to find work promptly. Fortunately,
at the dock there was an employment agent recruiting
cheap labor for building the railroads and doing ag-
ricultural work. Kenji's first occupation was working
on the railroads for several years. It was there that he
suffered a head injury which was to cause him severe
problems later in his life.

Next he worked the sugar-beet fields and eventually
moved on to seasonal work in the fruit orchards,
strawberry and vegetable farms. Farmwork in North-
ern California appealed to him because of his garden-
ing ability and willingness to work hard, long hours.
Mainly, however, these were the only jobs available to
him and he sought every opportunity for employ-
ment. Although the pay was low, he was able to save
much of his wages. Kenji's perseverance was re-
warded, for after thirteen years of hard work, he fi-
nally managed to accumulate enough money to raise a
family. It was not until 1919 that he wrote home to his
family in Japan, asking them to find him a suitable
marriage partner. Kenji's family sent him a photo-

)=AA /=O O=A\

Jim       Frank  Nancy      Tina  Ray

)XL

m1    C     I    C)    r    O

w       -.   %_.        _.

'<  <~~I

graph of Naomi, for they all agreed that she would
make a nice match. He approved of her, requested her
hand in marriage, and when she accepted he financed
her voyage to America. Despite an age difference of
fifteen years, they would prove to be a compatible
couple.

Naomi was quite young, having just finished high
school. There were several reasons why she consented
to an arranged marriage. She was an adventuresome
girl, though she needed her family's approval. Also
she thought that in Japan there was no chance for
social mobility: you remained in the class into which
you were born. Like Kenji, she was from a middle-class
farming family and, although she knew life would not
be easy in America, she felt it was bound to be better
than what she had inJapan. Naomi was impressed with
the stories she had heard about the opportunities and
freedom in America. Her marriage to Kenji would
give her the chance to journey to America and begin a
new life.

At first, America, the land of wealth and prosperity,
did not meet her expectations. The early period in this
young couple's life began with challenging problems
and hardships.

Since they were unable to possess land - because
they were aliens who were ineligible for citizenship -

they moved yearly and rented land in order to grow
strawberries. This transient life was difficult for the
couple and their young and growing family, because
they were unable to set down permanent roots. Their
temporary shelters were barely sufficient. To make
matters worse, they had to endure curiosity, resent-
ment and hostility from the Caucasian community be-
cause they were people of Japanese ancestry.

As they acquired the language and customs of their
adopted country, they began to establish a family.
Naomi and Kenji eventually had five children -June,
Linda, Helen, Frank and Tina. A large family such as
theirs required careful budgeting of their money.
They therefore purchased food supplies in large
quantities, since it was more economical, and ate only
simple Japanese and American dishes.

When the children became older, they helped work
in the fields picking strawberries after school.
Homework was done in the evenings after dinner.
Saturday mornings were spent attending Japanese
school. The children's only treat was to go into town
occasionally for an ice cream cone or to see a matinee.
Values such as hard work, achievement and strong
family unity were emphasized.

Life was routine for nearly a decade and a half, as
Naomi and Kenji continued working in agriculture.
Although the work was rough, it became profitable
through the couple's careful financial management.
Their children were attaining an education in the pub-
lic schools and everyone in the family was healthy.
Soon they had saved enough money to purchase land
by registering it under their eldest child's name, since
she was a citizen of the United States by birth. Life in
America seemed to be improving for them.

Then came that eventful day when Japan bombed
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - December 7, 1941. After
hearing the news on the radio, Naomi was stunned.
She remembers that day well. Thoughts and feelings
of disbelief and dread filled her mind.

The pressure of the war between Japan and
America affected her family's lives greatly. Within the
White community the hostility and discrimination to-
ward members of her family mounted. This period of
her life was like a nightmare. She told me that her
family lived in fear, since it was common for FBI
agents to invade Japanese homes and confiscate
Japanese objects as evidence to incriminate families
for having ties with Japan. As a result of this policy, in
order to substantiate their loyalty to America, they
destroyed everything and anything Japanese. They
gathered possessions such as Japanese language
books, lacquered boxes, dolls and kimonos and either
burned them or buried them. A particular sentimental
item, a silk vest given to her by her family when she
embarked for America, was difficult to give up.

Therefore, she kept it. She honestly told me that she
felt bitterness. America had become her home where
she and Kenji had raised their family. They had se-

vered their ties with Japan when they left and they had
no intention of ever returning there to live.

When the Executive Order was issued which au-
thorized the removal of all persons of Japanese ances-
try, she and her family were temporarily housed at the
Santa Anita racetrack before being transferred by bus
to a camp in Heart Mountain, Wyoming. Their land,
home, and most of their belongings were sold cheaply
or given away before moving. Only two suitcases per
family member were allowed. They were also advised
to pack warm, durable clothes.

At the time they entered camp, Naomi could recall
feeling confused and frustrated because of the tur-
moil. The barracks which were constructed of wood
and tar paper were only partially completed. No cook-
ing or plumbing facilities existed in them. The family
was assigned to a mess hall for meals, and shower and
laundry facilities were shared with other families. The
next three years of their lives were spent in this center
which was enclosed by barbed wire fences and watch
towers for the military police. Naomi and her family
occupied a one-room barrack. Since the family lacked
privacy, it took some time to make adjustments. Also
many conditions within the camp - such as food,
housing and sanitation - were substandard. Natural
drawbacks such as the weather were troublesome,
since the Wyoming temperatures fluctuated to ex-
tremes. The days were hot and the nights were cold
most of the time.

However, the family made the best of the situation.
Soon the camp became a small community. Naomi was
paid twelve dollars a month for working in the kitchen
and Kenji was paid nineteen dollars a month for clean-
ing poultry. Furniture was made from discarded
orange crates, curtains from scraps of old material.
Instead of sulking and being idle, they were active,
creative and helped improve conditions within the
camp. Since the desert soil was barren except for
tumbleweeds, rock gardens replaced the conventional
gardens, enhancing the area in front of their barracks.

The five children regularly attended the school
which had been set up in camp. They also participated
in recreational activities which were led by some of the
adults. Lasting friendships with other families were
formed. Naomi felt, however, that psychologically the
experience was humiliating and degrading. Self-worth
was lost and they were isolated from the rest of the
nation and world. One advantage in this situation was
that she had enough leisure time to learn hobbies such
as knitting, sewing, and crocheting. It was a rest from
the hard work she had grown accustomed to.

A major event in the camps was the loyalty ques-
tionnaire. Many young men who desperately wanted
to prove their loyalty to America volunteered for com-
bat. Naomi said she was thankful that her son Frank

was too young at that time. Many of her friends were
tearful over the loss of their young sons.

The day they were scheduled to leave camp, Naomi

felt apprehensive, for she was afraid that there would
still be bad feelings toward her family. "War always
instigates hatred," she told me. Three years in camp
had left her with feelings of a bleak, uncertain future.
As always, her main concern was for the welfare of her
children.

When Naomi and Kenji returned to their former
home, they found that it was necessary to start again
from the beginning. They were penniless and were too
old for productive labor. They had incurred consider-
able material losses. Their children were now old
enough to strike out on their own. For awhile Naomi
and Kenji lived with friends and did light work to pay
for their room and board. They worked as dish-
washers, did catering and performed odd jobs, such
as, housework for wealthy families.

The Oriental Exclusion Act had prevented Naomi
and Kenji from becoming citizens. However, the Im-
migration and Naturalization Act of 1952 enabled
them to become among the first naturalized citizens
and thus allowed them to buy a home with their sav-
ings. Misfortune struck shortly after, however. Kenji
suffered a stroke and was in a comatose state for nearly
a month; it was a relapse from the blow on the head he
received years ago while working on the railroads.
Doctors had not expected him to survive. Naomi told
me that discrimination still prevailed as late as the
1950's, for Kenji was not given much attention or care
from the nurses. Members of his family, especially
Naomi, visited the hospital daily to care for him. Due
to his strong will to survive and the loving nurturing
from his family, Kenji recovered. However, he was to
remain bedridden for the rest of his life, due to
paralysis of the right portion of his body.

Naomi continued doing housework in order to sup-
port the two of them. Additional support came from
their son and daughters who were married by now and
had families of their own. Again, the ethic of family
unity and of striving together to overcome hardships
was successful in a time of crisis.

Naomi's time was spent caring for her invalid hus-
band who died in 1971. Today she lives alone in a large
house and rents the vacant rooms to college students.
She is now retired and has lots of leisure time. She
enjoys participating in church activities with other
senior citizens. Also, five days a week for two hours her
time is spent attending a special high school class for
foreigners who want to learn English. Here she has
met people of diverse national origins for the first
time. She showed me her workbooks proudly, and
continued talking as I thumbed through them. Naomi
decided to enroll at the insistence of her children who
felt she needed to improve her English.

Naomi struck me as a very remarkable woman. She
formulated her own cultural pluralism, adapting well

to certain American values and norms yet keeping
important aspects of Japanese culture. She is still heal-
thy and has traveled extensively, including a tour of

historical sites throughout the United States and sev-
eral trips to Japan, as well as weekend trips to such
places as Las Vegas, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe and Dis-
neyland. She remains an active woman. Around her
home she does the gardening. In her spare time she
likes to crochet, sew, and knit. At present, she is taking
a flower arrangement class that is offered by her
Buddhist church.

I concluded this interview with questions about her
feelings when she revisited Japan. I also asked her if
she ever regretted leaving Japan and if she ever
thought about how life could have been had she re-
mained there. She told me that she did not regret
leaving Japan, for at that time it had nothing to offer
her. In her opinion, Japan has changed immensely
since then, but so has America. As America grew, she
had to grow with it. For these reasons, Naomi thought
that she would never really feel comfortable living in
Japan. She realized this when she revisited the coun-
try. Her family and home are here, her husband Kenji
is buried here, and she has never given much thought
as to how things might have been.

June's Family

I received two dinner invitations from Julie's family.
Both meals served were typically American with the
exception of hot, steaming rice. Conversation at the
dinner table was minimal and focused mainly upon
me. After dinner, while coffee and dessert were served
in the living room, I was given the opportunity to
interview.

June, Mike and their family reside in a lovely, large
four-bedroom, two-bath house in a middle-class sub-
urb. The long rectangular living room was beautifully
decorated and immaculately clean and the furniture
and golden wall-to-wall carpeting were well-
coordinated. A large mirror hanging above the fire-
place reflected the many fishing trophies that were
placed upon the mantle. In one corner of the room
there was a mahogany-colored piano. Occupying the
other corners of the room were a stereo and console-
color T.V. The onlyJapanese ornamentation visible in
this room was a porcelain flower vase. A notable
characteristic of this room was a large picture window
facing the street.

June is the eldest child of Naomi and Kenji. She was
born in 1925. After release from camp in 1945, she
forfeited her dream of attending college because she
could not afford it. Instead she worked as a secretary
for a university on the West Coast before marrying
Mike in 1949. Soon after she terminated herjob at the
University and during the early years of her marriage
she studied to become a hair stylist.

Mike's background is dissimilar to June's. Although
he was born in America, his family returned to Japan

when he was only two years old because they suc-
cumbed to the hardships and were disillusioned with
the life here. He was reared and educated in Japan

40

during his formative years, but since he was an Ameri-
can citizen by birth, he was permitted to re-enter the
United States. Thus Mike is a Kibei - a Japanese-
American born in the United States but raised and
educated in Japan before returning again to America.
Mike is the second child in a family of eight children.
When he was thirteen years old, his family sent him
back to America in order to help support them. At this
young age he performed strenuous physical tasks on
farms. He had problems adjusting to American life
because his thinking was more Japanese than most of
the Nisei's who were born and educated in America.
Today Mike's family still remain in Japan, although he
chose to stay and raise his own family in America.

June no longer feels bitterness over her internment.
At one time she did. Today she reflects that the ex-
perience toughened her and reinforced her determi-
nation to do well in life. As a child, however, she and
her sisters and brother were torn between two distinct
cultures. At school her environment and culture were
that of the majority (American), but at home they were
that of the minority (Japanese). June was active at
school and participated in after-school sports. There
was a point in her life where she felt that the Japanese
half of her was inferior. Today, she feels that she is the
product of the best two cultures. The importance
of doing well or better than others in all fields of
endeavor, pride, honesty, strong family unity, are
traditional Japanese values she retains. Although she
is bi-lingual, her English is far superior to her
Japanese.

Mike and June have faced a life full of challenges in
order to get to where they are today. They have
worked hard and feel that the urban way of life pro-
vides footholds for upward social mobility. They are
proud to say they are Americans for they have been
given the opportunity for self improvement. They
admit that none of their four children has ever suf-
fered hardship. The children have never had to work.
June and Mike have sacrificed a great deal for the sake
of the children in order to give them the best they
could afford. They have lavished them with luxuries
they themselves would have loved to have had but
were deprived of. For example, June had all four of
her children take piano lessons, for piano was some-
thing she wished she had learned. At times, June feels
that they have sheltered the children too much from
the realities of life. They remain a close-knit family.
Like other American middle-class families, they
dream of sending all their four children on to college.

Mike and June downplayed most Japanese tradi-
tions. June felt this was necessary because from her
own experiences she knew what problems could arise
from having a bicultural background. She wanted to
raise them in an atmosphere where they would not be

ashamed of their cultural heritage, yet still lead lives
similar to those of their friends. American customs
and the English language are dominant in this house-

hold. However, the religion of Buddhism was re-
tained. Church is the only place where the children
socialize with otherJapanese-Americans. Even though
the family is Buddhist, they celebrate the Christmas
Holidays by giving gifts as do their Christian friends.
They do so, however, without any religious connota-
tions. Japenese food is reserved for New Year's Day
when all the relatives gather to wish each other a pros-
perous, healthy New Year. Mochi (a special type of rice
cake made from pounded sweetened rice), sake (rice
wine) and sushi (another type of rice cake) are among
the delicacies. June said that it is a nice occasion to
begin the New Year acknowledging pride in your
heritage.

Julie, who is my friend and their eldest child, is a
junior at U.C. Berkeley majoring in bio-chemestry.
She has the same aspirations that most college students
have - to do well and get a good job. She feels that she
is more pressured to achieve than other students since
her parents strongly emphasize the values of a higher
education. As a child she was taught that education
and industry were the indispensable passports to social
success. She does not have any financial problems be-
cause her parents are paying all her college expenses.

Julie feels that she retains little if anything of tradi-
tional Japanese culture. She and her brother and sis-
ters have never learned how to speakJapanese, so they
communicate with their grandmother in English.
Naomi still speaks Japanese at times but only to her
children.

Julie's younger brother Albert is 17 and is still a high
school student. He participates in school sports and is
doing well in his studies. He intends to enter college.
He feels that being Japanese-American has not af-
fected him much because he is accepted by his friends.
They do not think of him as a Japanese but as an
American.

Lisa is 15 and is also a high school student. Current-
ly, she belongs to an explorer club which consists of
high school students who plan to make a career in the
dental health field. Her goal is to become a dental
hygienist. She is very active in school activities. She
belongs to several clubs and is also a letter girl. She has
encountered no problems about being Japanese-
American. She feels this is because attitudes have
changed and now there is more of an understanding
of what a Japanese-American is. In her parents' time,
however, she feels that the war with Japan induced
identity conflicts. Although her parents looked physi-
callyJapanese, in heart and mind they were American.
It was hard for people to understand this, and since
her parents looked Japanese they were considered to
be just that.

Kathleen, the youngest child, is only eleven years old
and attends an elementary school. She enjoys playing

with her school friends. Apparently she doesn't feel
different in being Japanese-American.

Mike and June, like most parents, are proud of their

41

42

children. Through their accomplishments, happiness
and success, they feel their hard work and love have
been worthwhile. Today, Mike continues to work as a
self-employed gardener and June works in an elec-
tronics semiconductor firm. They both work long
hours in the day but devote the evenings to the family.

Conclusion

In doing this study I felt that all three generations of
this family felt a need to be accepted by the American
society. Naomi, who represents the first generation,
still retains many Japanese artifacts around her home.
She is able to take pride in her old culture as well as
integrate it with American culture. She has taken the
best of two cultures.

June and Mike, who represent the second genera-
tion, felt the need to suppress their cultural heritage in
order to be accepted within the American norms. The
had grown up belieiving that Japenese culture, which
was extremely different, must be inferior or deviant
from the American norm. Thus they all tended to
suffer from a dual identity and wanted to spare their
children this problem. They felt that assimilation was
the only solution. Japenese language and customs
were dropped. Socialization processes guided by
American values and standards were followed.

Julie, Albert, Lisa, and Kathleen feel no adverse
effects from being Japanese-American. They have
been educated in America and have had a typically
American lifestyle; they remain Japanese in physical
appearance only. This third generation does not suf-
fer from any overt discrimination, possibly due to
changing attitudes and because mixed marriages -
which were once unacceptable - are now common.
They feel no loss of cultural heritage because of the
simple fact that they were hardly exposed to it.

Evaluation of the Method

All of my information was gathered through infor-
mal interviews with members of this family. They were
very open and helpful to me, and I owe my thanks to
Julie Sato and her relatives for their time and en-
thusiasm. I feel that I benefited from informal inter-
viewing because I was able to form impressions by
observing the way my informants lived, and by listen-
ing to their life histories. Interviewing enables the
researcher to better understand the individual's life
and values, because it is based upon a direct, face-to-
face relationship. A friendly rapport usually develops
between the interviewer and the subject as a result.
The only inadequacy I can cite in this method is a lack
of documentation. In the end, the interviewer must
trust and believe his or her informant's account.