"Being Japanese American" (excerpt)

NOTE: This is an excerpt from the first chapter of my book, "Being Japanese American," which was published in 2004 by Stone Bridge Press. It's about the history and culture of Japanese Americans. It was a culmination of an online column I've written since 1998, called Nikkeiview.com. The exchange I've copied here is a common one that not only Japanese Americans, but Asian Americans of many cultural backgrounds, have unfortunately suffered. Japanese Americans hear it often because we've been in the U.S. for up to six generations already. And yet, we're still outsiders.... - Gil Asakawa

"You speak such good English!"

Most Japanese Americans have probably heard this backhanded compliment, and then suffered through a variation of this conversation.

"Really, your English is so good, what nationality are you?"

"American."

"No, really where are you from?"

"California."

"Oh, you know what I mean. Where's your family from?"

"California."

Then the other person walks away thinking you're a jerk who's being difficult. But what's difficult is the inescapable feeling that you were not being taken seriously as an American, not just as an American citizen but as a person who is American.

Non-Asian Americans seem to always think of us as foreigners, even if we happen to be third, fourth, fifth or even sixth generation Japanese Americans. Not even hapas, or mixed-race JAs, are exempt. I've heard of hapas who get this version of the conversation: "Oh, you're half Japanese? Which parent is American?"

The fact is, almost all Americans, Asian or otherwise, came from someplace else. In the case of the majority of Japanese Americans, our ancestors – our great-grandparents, grandparents or parents – came from Japan, or like me, we've arrived recently from Japan. The flip side of the assumption that we're FOB – fresh off the boat – is that to Japanese speakers, we may as well be from another planet. Sure, some of us can speak Japanese fluently, and a lucky few may even work in Japan and eventually "pass" for a Nihonjin. But in most cases, we either speak just a few typical words of Japanese (the ones our parents and grandparents used to yell at us when we did something bad), or we don't speak any Japanese at all.

There are Japanese Americans who have come in recent years to the United States, who are much more connected to contemporary Japan. But it's the JAs whose family arrived in the United States in the early part of the 20th century who have set the image of Japanese Americans in this country. They're the ones whose lives – whose language and food and traditions – define Japanese American culture. It's Japanese culture of a century ago, kept alive through oral traditions, annual festivals, family picnics and even funerals.