歴史 - The History

I think most of my desire to go to Japan comes from my background. I always knew my Grandmother was Japanese, and so that propelled me forward to my dream. I've always known there was a cool history of my Japanese ancestry, but I found it shrouded in mystery and rather vague. There were a few things I picked up here and there, but I couldn't really piece it all together.

This last week, my Grandma and Grandpa came and visited us - and I was determined to get as much history and stories I could get out of them. I was successful in my endeavor. Still, there are many holes and things I don't understand, but I feel I made a definite jump forward. I've found myself at the mouth of a cavern leading into a deep and rich history.

Here are some of the things I learned about my ancestry...

My Grandmother's maiden name is Atsuko Ueda - Born of the Ueda and Kubo family. She had two older sisters - Yoko and Kinue, and one younger, Bo-Chan. She grew up in Yokohama, Japan.

For a long time, it was believed that there were only four daughters of the Ueda family, but it turns out that this was not the case. In Japanese culture, when a couple cannot have children a relative must give up one of their own to that family - as dictated by the head of the family line - usually a father, or grandfather. Atsuko's oldest sister, Rieko, was given to one of her aunts. It was not until after the death of Rieko's parents that it became known that she was her sister. In fact, when my mother and father were introduced to Rieko, she was introduced as a cousin - because that information was still unknown.

The Ueda family was a noble family. My great grandfather owned a large estate. My relatives were world wide travelers. An Uncle opened a bank in New York before WWII, another uncle opened the first international bank in Kyoto. Two uncles owned their own towns. Some were diplomats, some opened companies that soon became international and are still opened and highly successful today.


So what happened? How did my grandmother end up in America with nothing?

After WWII, the American's came to Japan for the reconstruction - bringing new ideas, new hope, and a new political system. My grandfather was part of that. A young American Private who loved his country.

One day, his friend was invited to the Ueda residence by Atsuko's sister, who worked with the government. My Grandfather (Joe) was invited to come along. The two met the four sisters while they were there, and Joe started talking to Atsuko, as she had been taught English almost her entire life. When it was time to go, Joe asked if he could see her again. She said yes.

Two months passed and they were in love. But due to the law, American soldiers could not marry Japanese women. Three years passed when the law was finally withdrawn, and they eloped. ( I think they eloped due to the fact that my grandmother was actually betrothed to another noble at this point.)

A year later, Joe was stationed back in America, making Atsuko leave everything she knew behind. But they were in love and so she felt that she wasn't really leaving anything behind. Even to this day, she feels she didn't leave anything behind that was worth more than their love together. Even the hard times were worth it - when she was not accepted into their new home by Joe's family because she was Japanese. Even when they had to travel all the way across America on $500 to start a new life. They had nothing by the time they reached California, only $50 and what they had in the car.

But they had their American dream. Joe found a job, they settled down, and had two children - My father and my Aunt.

I don't think I can give enough justice to this story. It's truely remarkable to me that they had everything and then gave it all up for love. That two people from two very different cultures and two sides from a war came together with such devoted feelings.

I feel honored to be part of such a history.

はじめる －The Beginning.

When I was little, I knew that somewhere out there, there was a place called Japan. I didn't understand the distance or even the reality of it at that time. The world I lived in was small, containing the block I lived in, the grocery store down the street, the school I went to, and on occasion, a place somewhere a little farther off like the grandparents' place in Idaho - in which the world seemed to stretch and strain in order for me to get there and have such a place exist.

Japan was just another place out there somewhere beyond my world - vague and surrounded in mystery. Back then, I knew only a few facts: My grandmother was Japanese, thus making me part Japanese, the kimono my mother kept safely stored away for me was from Japan, and that manju and yokan, a rare treat we sometimes got in the mail from my grandmother was a Japanese food.

For some reason, I only needed those facts to compel me to try and learn the language and pursue the idea of ever going to Japan. That was in third grade.

Since then, I've mostly studied the language and culture on my own, with only one year of study in a classroom setting (that was all that was available for me). When I applied for a scholarship to become an exchange student in Japan for the summer of 2007, it seemed pretty unlikely due to my lack of official Japanese study and the fact that I was a year late in applying. But I guess I got ridiculously lucky and they thought that there was something good was on my resume. I was soon applying for my passport and packing for Japan!

Japan is different from America, and there's a lot that goes unsaid in books and websites. There's nothing out there that can accurately describe the culture. While I did write in journals when I was there, I never really blogged about it. So when I applied for an internship to teach English in Japan for four months - and was accepted - I knew that a blog was a must.

So here it is, that's what you're reading right now. Starting in the month of August and continuing through December 2009, this blog will capture the everyday life in Japan, from the broad ideas to the little quirks of Japanese culture (which there are many odd quirks indeed!).

I hope that those of you who come across this will enjoy the insights and observations I make during my stay - and learn more about the world outside your own.


Because out there, it is a very big world indeed.