Discover Nikkei Logo

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/304/

Looking at your country from the outside

As I say, if you travel, and you meet the people, they’re all the same. So when I have a chance to talk to school children here, I tell them during your school years, you have time to spend studying in a different country. So if you can do that, please do that because it not only—when you look at your own country from the outside, you see it in a different light. You see the good things and the bad things. So I tell them to be proud of their good things and change the bad things. So, looking at America is the same for me—looking from the outside. So not everything is good about your country. But Japan, also—not everything is good about Japan. But you try to make it a better world, your part of the world. You try to make it a better place for everyone.


Finding Home (film) identity

Date: November 28, 2003

Location: Saga, Japan

Interviewer: Art Nomura

Contributed by: Art Nomura, Finding Home.

Interviewee Bio

Robert Kiyoshi Okasaki, 61-year-old Yonsei (on his mother’s side) was born in French Camp, California, in 1942, just before his family was incarcerated during World War II at the Rowher concentration camp in Arkansas. After the war, Bob’s family lived in Stockton and later in Lodi, California, where his family had a vineyard.

Bob attended San Jose State College, eventually concentrating on pottery. Through the Study Abroad program, Bob became an apprentice to a potter, a Living National Treasure, in Japan where tableware is considered an art.

When Bob journeyed to Japan, he felt American, but now when comes home to the U.S., he does not feel American. He’s been married since 1975 to a Japanese woman and their first child was born in 1985. When he first arrived in Japan, recalls Bob, Japanese nationals treated him sometimes like “he was not all there” because of his lack of Japanese language. His relationship with his wife’s family has changed from an original relationship of caution to one of comfort, to the point where he now feels that her family is his family.(November 28, 2003)

Masakatsu Jaime Ashimine Oshiro
en
ja
es
pt
Masakatsu Jaime Ashimine Oshiro

A Possible Path towards Happiness… (Spanish)

(1958-2014) Former Bolivian Ambassador to Japan

en
ja
es
pt
Masako Iino
en
ja
es
pt
Masako Iino

What is Nikkei? (Japanese)

Tsuda College President, researcher of Nikkei history

en
ja
es
pt
Masako Iino
en
ja
es
pt
Masako Iino

Learning from Nikkei (Japanese)

Tsuda College President, researcher of Nikkei history

en
ja
es
pt
James Hirabayashi
en
ja
es
pt
James Hirabayashi

Nickname

(1926 - 2012) Scholar and professor of anthropology. Leader in the establishment of ethnic studies as an academic discipline

en
ja
es
pt
James Hirabayashi
en
ja
es
pt
James Hirabayashi

Context affects meaning

(1926 - 2012) Scholar and professor of anthropology. Leader in the establishment of ethnic studies as an academic discipline

en
ja
es
pt
James Hirabayashi
en
ja
es
pt
James Hirabayashi

Testing assumptions of Japanese scholars

(1926 - 2012) Scholar and professor of anthropology. Leader in the establishment of ethnic studies as an academic discipline

en
ja
es
pt
Steve Kaji
en
ja
es
pt
Steve Kaji

FOB's

Hawaii born Nikkei living in Japan. English Teacher at YMCA.

en
ja
es
pt
Venancio Shinki
en
ja
es
pt
Venancio Shinki

Prejudice in Japanese school (Spanish)

(b. 1932-2016) Peruvian painter

en
ja
es
pt
Mike Shinoda
en
ja
es
pt
Mike Shinoda

Connecting to Japan

(b. 1977) Musician, Producer, Artist

en
ja
es
pt
PJ Hirabayashi
en
ja
es
pt
PJ Hirabayashi

Feeling empowered by taiko

Co-founder and creative director of San Jose Taiko

en
ja
es
pt
PJ Hirabayashi
en
ja
es
pt
PJ Hirabayashi

Sense of lineage between Sansei and Issei through Taiko

Co-founder and creative director of San Jose Taiko

en
ja
es
pt
Ann K. Nakamura
en
ja
es
pt
Ann K. Nakamura

Image of Americans

Sansei from Hawaii living in Japan. Teacher and businesswoman.

en
ja
es
pt
PJ Hirabayashi
en
ja
es
pt
PJ Hirabayashi

Diverse membership in San Jose Taiko

Co-founder and creative director of San Jose Taiko

en
ja
es
pt
Yukio Takeshita
en
ja
es
pt
Yukio Takeshita

Lack of notion of citizenship in Japan

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

en
ja
es
pt
Yukio Takeshita
en
ja
es
pt
Yukio Takeshita

Impression of Japan upon arrival

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

en
ja
es
pt

Discover Nikkei Updates

NIKKEI NAMES 2
Vote for Nima-kai Favorite!
Read the stories and give a star to the ones you like the most! Help select our Community Favorite.
PROJECT UPDATES
New Site Design
See exciting new changes to Discover Nikkei. Find out what’s new and what’s coming soon!
NEW SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT
We’re on Instagram!
Follow us @discovernikkei for new site content, program announcements, and more!