Japanese American Documentary

The program starts out talking about European history and their voyages of exploration which eventually led them to Japan.

Then he talks about Admiral Perry and how the first Japanese came to America.

He talks about how his own grandparents immigrated to Hawaii from Japan to work on a sugar plantation.

These are the first generation of Japanese to immigrate to America.

These are the first Japanese actually born in America, making them the second generation of Japanese to be here. Be being born in the America they automatically became American citizens where, for a long time, the Issei were, by law, not allowed to become American citizens.

This is the third generation, born of the Nisei. It can be fun to examine your own family tree. On my father's side, for example, I can trace that line back at least to the earliest 1800's, meaning his relatives had been in American for many years. On my mother's side, though, I am actually a third generation American since her parents were born overseas and she was born in America.

Various places first, second and so on generations of Japanese in America were put in during WWII.

The older woman talks but how the Japanese-American churches became centers for the Japanese-American community. The film shows some Japanese dancing that was being taught here. It's quite beautiful to watch.

Then the main narrator talks about the discrimination pre-WWII against Japanese in America and the kinds of laws passed to control what they could and couldn't do.

A newspaper from that time.

The official notices that the Japanese-Americans were being kicked out of the west coast.

Two-thirds of those interned were actually full American citizens. The narrator talks as you advanced from the Nisei to the Sansei and so on, their ability to speak Japanese declined sharply.

A woman that runs an all-Japanese grocery store. She also teaches people how to cook traditional Japanese dishes. It's fascinating to watch her fix the food.

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