The 2001 holiday issue: the Japanese American family

Vol. 133, No. 11, December 2001. 120 pages. View this issue

Family was the theme of the 120-page 2001 holiday issue, and writers took it in many directions. Celia Tower told the story of adopting a daughter from China. Velina Hasu Houston wrote about Hapa culture, Stewart David Ikeda about adoption and multiracial families, and Harold Kameya about his family’s path after his daughter came out. Twins Mike and Ike Hatchimonji each wrote about growing up together, including their time at Heart Mountain. K. Patrick Okura paid tribute to his Issei parents, and JACL National President Floyd Mori wrote on family pride.

The issue also covered the trial date set for the Soko Bukai case over the San Francisco YWCA building, and a state park’s search for the Nikkei families of Crystal Cove. Bill Marutani and Harry K. Honda looked back at the World War II incarceration (often called internment), and Stanley Kanzaki profiled Mitsuye Endo. Frank Abe reviewed a book of Tule Lake stories. About 60 pages carry holiday greetings from JACL chapters and businesses.

What’s in this issue

In-Depth

• 2001 Holiday Issue: Family Theme, by Caroline Y. Aoyagi, page 4. Executive Editor Caroline Aoyagi introduces the 2001 Holiday Issue with the theme of ‘Family,’ noting how the September 11 attacks brought renewed closeness to family units. She thanks the many staff, volunteers, and advertisers who made the issue possible, and announces the photo contest winners.
• California State Park Seeks Lost Crystal Cove Nikkei Families, by Martha Nakagawa, page 42. State archaeologist Larrynn Carver is researching the forgotten pre-war Nikkei farming community at Crystal Cove State Park in Orange County, seeking descendants of Japanese American families who were forcibly relocated during World War II. The article includes a detailed roster of Nikkei families from Poston camp records with Corona del Mar and Laguna Beach addresses.
• You Can Make a Lasting Difference — Introducing the Planned Giving Program, by Steven T. Okamoto, page 77. Steven Okamoto explains JACL’s new planned giving program, detailing options such as bequests through wills, life insurance donations, and charitable remainder trusts. He describes the tax benefits available to donors and how the ‘wealth replacement trust’ technique can benefit both charitable giving and heirs.

Community

• 2001 Holiday Issue Photo Contest Winners, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Pacific Citizen announces the winning photos submitted for the 2001 Holiday Issue cover, featuring family images from contributors including Amy Kato, Mas Shiozaki, Renee Matsunami Miller, Lily Zaima, and a Navy couple’s wedding portrait. The photos depict multi-generational Japanese American families across the country.
• Community Gears Up for Soko Bukai Trial, by Tracy Uba, page 19. This continuation article details the historical background of the Alien Land Law and its connection to the Soko Bukai/YWCA property dispute, including community organizing efforts and fundraising for legal costs. It also covers the impact on related organizations like Nihonmachi Little Friends who currently lease space in the disputed building.
• Seeking Nisei Students From Valedictorian Speech Collection, by P.C. Staff, page 43. Joyce Hirohata is seeking to republish her grandfather Paul Tsunegoro Hirohata’s book of valedictorian speeches by California Nisei students and is trying to locate the surviving students or their relatives. She has found 34 of the original speech-givers but 15 remain missing.

Commentary

• The Red Thread to China — Our Adoption Road, by Celia Tower, page 6. A woman recounts her family’s journey adopting a daughter from China after struggling with infertility and a miscarriage, describing how she and her husband researched Chinese adoption and formed a support group with other families. The story continues with details of receiving their daughter Zou Yong Zhong’s referral and the challenges of her care.
• Surviving Solo: Family Values JA Style, by Gil Asakawa, page 7. Gil Asakawa reflects on his Japanese American father’s distant relationship with his siblings after their wartime experiences in Japan, contrasting it with his Issei mother’s closer ties to her family in Japan. He discusses his current blended family life as a stepfather and the differences between Japanese and American attitudes toward divorce and family closeness.
• A Sansei Family’s Unexpected Journey, by Harold Kameya, page 9. Harold Kameya describes his family’s journey after his daughter came out as a lesbian in 1988, detailing how they found support through their church and organizations like PFLAG. He discusses becoming activists for LGBT rights within the Asian American community and helping found an Asian Pacific Islander PFLAG unit.
• What Do You Mean, ‘They’re Not Family?’ Exploring Different Notions of Family in Our Mixed-Up Families, by Frances Kai-Hwa Wang, page 10. Frances Kai-Hwa Wang explores the cultural clashes in her marriage to a Caucasian man regarding differing definitions of family, comparing her large extended Chinese family traditions to his more reserved nuclear family approach. She examines issues like naming conventions, visiting etiquette, and how different cultures value elder care and family gatherings.
• A Piece of Cake, by Raymond Nakamura, page 14. Raymond Nakamura humorously recounts the elaborate process of designing and selecting a wedding cake that combined Japanese and Chinese cultural symbols like cranes, dragons, and phoenixes for his wedding to Lenora. He describes tasting sessions, design consultations, and the eventual successful presentation of the cake at their multicultural wedding.
• Adoption Continued: Zou Yong Zhong’s Journey Home, by Celia Tower, page 19. This continuation of the adoption story describes the family’s trip to China to retrieve their daughter, discovering she had suffered a water burn injury while in foster care. The family successfully finalized the adoption and has begun paperwork to adopt a second child from China.
• Diverging Roots, by Kathy Lee Jacques, page 22. Kathy Lee Jacques discusses the tension between Chinese cultural expectations of duty to parents and American individualist values, describing her strained relationship with her codependent mother. She reflects on becoming a mother herself to daughter Keara and balancing Chinese, Irish, and French heritage in raising her multicultural child.
• Hapa Culture in the New Millennium, by Velina Hasu Houston, page 26. Playwright Velina Hasu Houston discusses the evolution of multiracial identity and the Hapa community movement, detailing her personal experiences facing resistance to her multiracial identity from monoracial communities. She describes co-founding The Amerasian League and the broader progressive multiracial movement’s fight for recognition in the 2000 census.
• The Traditional Non-traditional JA Family, by Brian Niiya, page 28. Brian Niiya reflects on discovering similarities between himself and his maternal grandfather Shoichi Asami, an Issei intellectual who died when the ship Awa Maru was mistakenly sunk during World War II. He traces his grandfather’s career as a journalist and poet and notes uncanny parallels in their writing careers and family temperaments.
• Adoption, Hapas and the JA Family: High Anxiety in Japanese America, by Stewart David Ikeda, page 30. Stewart David Ikeda writes about his family’s adoption of Guatemalan-born cousin Mariana and reflects on evolving definitions of Japanese American family identity amid increasing multiculturalism. He discusses the challenge of preserving JA culture across generations amid high rates of interracial marriage and adoption from other countries.
• Untitled Poem and Reflections on Widowhood, by Joyce Nako, page 34. Joyce Nako writes about coping with perimenopause and grief following her husband’s death four years earlier, describing the isolation and challenges of being a younger widow. She reflects on finding comfort in her pets and reaching acceptance about aging.
• ‘Thai-ing’ the JA Line, by Glenn Suravech, page 38. Musician Glenn Suravech recounts his childhood struggles with his Thai American identity growing up primarily immersed in Japanese American culture, including teasing over his surname and eventual reconnection with his Thai father in 1994. He reflects on how his mixed heritage shaped his identity as both a ‘Japanese Thai American’ watching his younger half-siblings grow up bicultural.
• Q&A With ‘Older New’ Mom Patricia Kinaga, by P.C. Staff, page 40. Attorney Patricia Kinaga discusses becoming a mother later in life while balancing her career as a partner at a major law firm, describing the physical and logistical challenges of nursing and childcare. She also explains California and federal pregnancy leave laws and a new law requiring employers to provide breaks for breastfeeding mothers.
• A Piece for Junko, by Emily Moto Murase, page 45. Emily Moto Murase writes a letter to her two-year-old daughter Junko recounting the family’s year of events including Oshogatsu celebrations, Ohina Matsuri, a trip to Japan, her grandfather Taniguchi’s death, and news of the September 11 attacks. She reflects on Japanese American family traditions and looks forward to welcoming a new sibling.
• Life as Twins, by Mike Hatchimonji, page 46. Mike Hatchimonji recounts growing up as a fraternal twin with his brother Ike, describing how they developed distinct personalities and deliberately avoided being compared to each other during childhood. He details their experiences at Heart Mountain internment camp and how their lives diverged into different careers while maintaining close family ties.
• Life as Twins (Ike’s Perspective), by Ike Hatchimonji, page 47. Ike Hatchimonji shares his perspective on being a twin born in Imperial Valley in 1928, describing his family’s early hardships and his and brother Mike’s contrasting personalities. He details his career in the foreign service working abroad in agricultural development, contrasted with Mike’s path in engineering and teaching.
• The Bilingual Multicultural Family, by Susan North Tanaka, page 50. Susan North Tanaka reflects on her marriage to a Japanese national and their initial aspirations to raise bilingual, multicultural children, describing how English became their family’s default language. She discusses their renewed efforts to connect with Japanese American community and culture through Japanese language school for their children.
• Family in the Spectre of 1942, by Harry K. Honda, page 51. Harry Honda examines the WRA’s relocation program during World War II, detailing how governors resisted accepting Japanese American evacuees and how families struggled with dependency issues during resettlement. He describes the eventual lifting of the exclusion order in 1944 and the challenges Issei parents faced returning to civilian life.
• Reflections on Growing Up Interracial in Sports and Family, by Beth Au, page 53. Beth Au recounts her decade-long relationship with her Jewish partner Lee and describes a racist incident they experienced in New Orleans that motivated her to become involved in civil rights work. She reflects on how the experience led her to work with JACL and the Asian Pacific Islander community in Los Angeles.
• A Family Christmas Reflection, by Jim Yamasaki, page 54. Jim Yamasaki reflects on his family’s decision after World War II to move to a predominantly white community in Illinois rather than remain isolated in Japanese American enclaves, describing the challenges and successes of integration. He notes the irony that both his sons eventually intermarried despite the family’s initial concerns.
• Single Shin Issei Parenthood, by Mitsuko Omuro, page 55. Mitsuko Omuro describes the challenges of raising bilingual children as a Japanese immigrant single mother in America, detailing the family conflicts over Japanese Saturday school homework. She reflects on balancing cultural preservation with accepting her children’s American identity.
• An Unclaimed Jewel, by Maggie Ishino, page 58. Margaret ‘Maggie’ Ishino reflects on her life as a single woman, describing her educational achievements earned while caring for her aging parents, her writing accomplishments, and the humorous challenges of being single in family-oriented social settings. She shares travel experiences and expresses gratitude for her fulfilling single life.
• Family: Tribute to the Issei, by K. Patrick Okura, page 61. K. Patrick Okura, celebrating his 90th birthday and 60th wedding anniversary, recounts his family’s history from his parents’ immigration to their World War II internment experience and his career in mental health. He describes establishing the Okura Mental Health Leadership Foundation as a tribute to his Issei parents.
• Family Pride, by Floyd Mori, page 62. JACL National President Floyd Mori reflects on the importance of family in Japanese American culture and his own experiences visiting relatives in Kagoshima, Japan. He discusses how families provide essential support during difficult times and calls for strengthening family units within JACL.
• The Future of the JA Family, by Mike Hoshiko, page 63. Mike Hoshiko discusses how increasing rates of intermarriage among Nisei and subsequent generations are diluting Japanese American ethnic identity, tracing the history of anti-miscegenation laws and wartime resettlement patterns. He urges families to document and preserve their genealogical history for future generations.
• East Wind: Examining Wartime Justifications, by Bill Marutani, page 66. Bill Marutani challenges justifications for the wartime internment of Japanese Americans, arguing that the government’s ‘threat of invasion’ rationale was contradicted by its treatment of Nikkei in Hawaii and its roundup of Japanese Latin Americans. He calls for honest historical examination without excusing wartime government actions.
• The Nisei Woman Who Freed the Nikkei, by Stanley Kanzaki, page 67. Stanley Kanzaki profiles Mitsuye Endo, the Nisei woman whose Supreme Court case Ex parte Endo led to the end of Japanese American internment on December 18, 1944. He details her legal battle, personal sacrifice remaining in camp for years, and calls for greater recognition of her contribution to civil rights history.

National

• The Fight for the ‘Y’: Trial Date Set for April in Soko Bukai Case, by Tracy Uba, page 15. A lawsuit between the Soko Bukai and the San Francisco YWCA over ownership of a historic building purchased by Issei women in 1921 has a trial date set for April 22, 2002. The case centers on a disputed 1921 trust agreement and highlights the historical significance of the building to the Japantown community.

Arts & Entertainment

• dogodogo-DON, by C. Peter Yu, page 18. C. Peter Yu reflects on his involvement with the Kinnara Taiko group and his multicultural identity, including questions about his mother’s possible partial Japanese ancestry that emerged from conversations with his late grandmother. He discusses growing up Chinese American in Montebello and integrating his Asian heritage into his creative pursuits including taiko and writing.
• Book Review: Song of Anger – True Tales From Tule Lake, by Frank Abe, page 82. Frank Abe reviews Barney Shallit’s short story collection ‘Song of Anger,’ which depicts life at the Tule Lake segregation center through vivid characterizations of real historical figures including James Okamoto and Takeo Noma. The book is part of a new multicultural publication series honoring the late Michi Weglyn.
• Winter Picks: New Book Releases, by P.C. Staff, page 83. This roundup reviews several new books including Edward Blight’s novel ‘A Time to Choose,’ Robert Kono’s ‘The Last Fox,’ and several nonfiction works about Japanese American history including ‘By Order of the President’ by Greg Robinson and ‘Born in Seattle’ about the redress movement. Each entry includes ordering information for readers.
• IKEDA Continued: We’re All Hapas Now, by Stewart David Ikeda, page 84. This continuation piece further explores Stewart Ikeda’s reflections on multiracial Japanese American family identity, discussing his cousin Mariana’s Guatemalan heritage and questioning how future generations will define JA culture. He concludes that cultural heritage must be actively taught rather than assumed as birthright.
• Books From Camp to Redress, by P.C. Staff, page 115. This roundup of book reviews covers works related to Japanese American camp experience and redress including Naomi Hirahara’s biography of George Aratani, ‘Through a Diamond: 100 Years of Japanese American Baseball,’ and Kerry Yo Nakagawa’s history of Nikkei baseball. Additional listings cover Asian American social activism and immigrant labor topics.

Sports

• Father and Son: A Generational Look at JA Sports Participation, by Glenn Suravech, page 38. This section of Suravech’s piece describes watching his half-brother Raymond play in a middle school football ‘turkey bowl’ game and reflects on his own experience playing basketball in the Community Youth Council leagues as a child. He notes the contrast between football and basketball as sports typically played by Japanese American youth in his community.

Obituaries

• Ken Hayashi, Longtime Los Angeles Resident, Dies at 83, by P.C. Staff, page 118. Ken Hayashi, born in Seattle, passed away December 4 at UCLA Medical Center at age 83. Funeral services were held at West Los Angeles United Methodist Church, and he is survived by his wife Fujiko Pam Hayashi and several siblings.
• Rev. Yoshikazu Casper Horikoshi, Methodist Minister, Dies at 91, by P.C. Staff, page 118. Rev. Yoshikazu Casper Horikoshi, who served as a Methodist minister for more than 44 years including at the Heart Mountain War Relocation Center, passed away December 3 at age 91 in Richmond, California. He is survived by his wife Hisako and four children, with services held at Lake Park United Methodist Church.
• William Kobayashi, Free Methodist Pastor, Dies at 88, by P.C. Staff, page 118. Rev. William Kobayashi, who began his ministry in 1932 and helped establish churches at the Poston internment camp, died peacefully in his sleep November 17 at age 88 in Santa Maria, California. He served numerous Free Methodist congregations throughout his career including in Phoenix, Los Angeles, Berkeley, and Fresno until his retirement in 1982.

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