Japanese Immigrants To America

The transition of Japanese immigrants to America was not easily met. From the late 18th century through the mid-19th century, Japanese-Americans dealt with much discrimination. This essay focuses on the life of a specific young women, named Kazuko Ito, who quickly finds out what it’s like to be a Japanese-American immigrant. Through a series of diary entries, readers are propelled into the life of Kazuko and gain perspectives on what life was like for her and her family. Kazuko’s story is unique because she is a second-generation immigrant, meaning she was born in the United States to parents that immigrated from Japan. Japanese-American immigrants were discriminated against no matter what generation they were, if they had Japanese blood in

them, they were all viewed as the same by their community in America. Kazuko Ito will be used as the primary example of how Japanese-Americans were unsure if they were more Japanese, American, or somewhere in the middle. This essay will examine examples throughout Kazuko’s diary entries that cover the years of 1925-42, as well as other sources that will be used to back up Ito’s story.
Kazuko’s diary entries begin at the age of six, where she discusses not knowing until then that she had Japanese blood. She does not recall much before this instance, referring to it as “living in amoebic bliss, not knowing whether I was plant or animal”. Kazuko was told about her heritage from her parents in their cozy hotel room. Her parents went on to tell her and her siblings that this would result in their attendance at a Japanese school. This made Kazuko especially upset, as she viewed this as a loss to her playtime hours and she already enjoyed her current school. After Kazuko realizes she is digging herself into a deep hole, she stops arguing and starts to reflect on what she had been informed on. Up until that point, Kazuko had never viewed her parents as being Japanese, but rather just as two people who were her parents. She had never put two and two together and compares this to someone having red hair versus black. This stands as a strong example for how individuals should view and treat each other, instead of viewing differences as a negative. Even if this is coming from a naïve six-year-old, it is still a simple concept to grasp.
The next part of Kazuko’s diary entries explains a brief overview of her father’s journey from Japan to Seattle.

He started off studying law in Japan, but due to America’s “new promises and rich opportunities”, he decided to immigrate to further pursue his dream. When he arrived however, he landed some odd jobs that included railroad work and laying soil. This was common for many Japanese immigrants, as they were welcomed at first for cheap labor, but shortly after were targeted in fear that they would replace the American works due to their high work ethics for low prices, and the increase of farmers becoming small business owners. Kazuko’s father figured he would work hard and save up enough money for his education but was never able to save money after years of hard work and decided to settle down with his future wife who was brought over by his father from Japan. Kazuko’s parents purchased the Carrollton hotel, and that is where their family was created. It was at their hotel where Kazuko was called a yankee by a man staying there. She was too young at the time to realize what this meant, but Kazuko spent time reflecting on how she could be a yankee if she was already Japanese. Kazuko says this would, “be like being born with two heads” and that “it sounded freakish and a lot of trouble”. This further reveals the feelings of a young child who already is feeling torn on what she is. Even though a yankee is a poor reference, Kazuko will soon have the same perspective

when trying to figure out her American heritage.
The following series in Kazuko’s entries are her experiences in a Japanese school.

She recalls the first day with herself and her siblings sobbing in the car while their mother drove them to their new school. Kazuko’s mother had to drag each of them out of the car and up the stairs to the school where they were met by the principal. Kazuko described him as, “face seemed to be carved out of granite and with turned-down mouth and nostrils flaring with disapproval, his black marble eyes crushed us into a quivering silence”. Kazuko was then taken into a classroom where she notes that the teacher talked to her as if she were special. Kazuko recalls the sentence spoken slowly and loudly by her teacher, “what is your name”. This portrays that even though Kazuko is of Japanese heritage, since it is her first time in a Japanese setting, she is treated as though she is more of an American. Kazuko is already beginning to see what both Japanese and Americans see her as, even though she does not realize it quite

yet.
As time goes on at Kazuko’s new school, she is able to reflect what is happening. When in her school, Kazuko changes from a “yankee” to a soft Japanese girl. Kazuko learns that she must walk, talk, sit, and bow in her best Japanese tradition. No noise, trouble, or back talk is ever permitted. Kazuko soon notices that her school is more than just a place for her to learn Japanese language, and that there was a, “driving spirit of strict discipline weighing heavily on each pupil’s consciousness, with the force emanated from the principal’s office”. Kazuko’s teacher also makes it quite clear to Kazuko that her parents are not as strict as she is as a mother and they are spoiled at home. Kazuko’s time at her Japanese school is a pivotal moment in her life, because the school starts to transform her into a quiet, pure in thought, polite, serene, self-controlled young lady. This was the culture of Japanese women, and even though Kazuko became accustomed to it, she soon realized that this form of her was not useful outside of school. Kazuko talks about not liking the idea of becoming this true Japanese girl and views it as a total loss because all of it was good to do in the classroom, but the outside world is different. This resulted in Kazuko being her Japanese self at school, but after going back to her “yankee” self to blend in with what was the “real” environment to her. Attending a Japanese school placed Kazuko into yet a deeper predicament of whether she is more American or Japanese. Her school told her to be Japanese and her environment told her to be American, so Kazuko ultimately started to form both a Japanese and American heritage.