- WWII Japanese war brides share their stories of struggle and triumph. Arriving in the US alongside husbands who were their former enemies, they experienced being disowned by their Japanese families and rejection by their American in-laws.
- There are 5 films that make up War Brides of Japan, a docu*memory:
1. "Herstory" ("Dekasegi" & "Japanese Brides, American Wives")
On an Oxnard beach, historian Lily ("Dekasegi") compares early migrants (who left Japan for work hoping to return someday) to Japanese war brides (who left much later) married to their former enemies-the American men who occupied their post-WWII country.
From her West Los Angeles home, another historian, Regina ("Japanese Brides, American Wives"), adds to the discussion about the Occupation and the War Brides Act of 1945 that allowed GI's to marry local Japanese women-even as anti-miscegenation statutes prevented some couples from living in certain US states.
Both historians describe the American Red Cross bridal schools in Japan that trained Japanese brides to become perfect American wives.
2. "The Brides" ("The Best Ambassador" & "Kitchens & a Priest")
From her Laguna Woods California home, Asako-san ("The Best Ambassador"), who married a white American marine, chats with her grandson, Parker. They speak in Japanese, discussing how she met her husband. With her daughter, Margie, Asako-san talks about the exotic locations where they've lived around the world and where she entertained embassy officials.
In Elk Grove California, Fumiko-san ("Kitchens & a Priest"), who married a black American soldier and experienced racism first hand, talks to her daughters Myokei and Diane about why she never learned to cook until after she arrived in the U.S.
3. "The Kids" ("The Entertainer's Daughter", "HAFU" & "Remembering Her Mother")
From her Fillmore California home, Roleta is "The Entertainer's Daughter" explaining the role of geisha in Japanese culture. She also reveals how her talented mother survived in Little Tokyo after divorcing her American civil engineer father.
In "hafu", several adult children of Japanese war brides meet for lunch in Little Tokyo, Japantown (Los Angeles). Over a Japanese meal, they discuss how their parents met, the challenges their Japanese mothers faced in America, and how their own mixed-race identities were forged in the U.S.
Finally, in "Remembering Her Mother", Jean talks about the woman she cared for during her last years; how her mother met and married her father, and the many locations where their family lived until settling in San Jose. A strong relationship with her mother's family has Jean and her siblings visiting Japan often.
4. "The Culture" ("Cactus...Cranes...Cooks", "Tamales 4 Bon Odori" & "Bringing Japan Home")
War bride daughter M Fumie ("Cactus...Cranes...Cooks") gives an origami demonstration from her Tucson home. Later, she prepares several Japanese dishes from her mother's recipes. Meanwhile, daughters Michelle and Stephanie discuss their multicultural identities while fondly remembering their grandmother and their favorite Japanese foods.
In "Tamales 4 Bon Odori", Diana recounts how her Japanese Mexican family was rejected by Japanese Americans in their Clovis community (near Fresno) because they were "hapa". Yet, her mother instilled Japanese culture in her children, and they attended Obon every year. Diana's youngest daughter, Hannah, discusses her plight of being multiracial and the impact of having never known her Japanese grandmother.
"Bringing Japan Home" features Sophia reflecting on the influence her late mother had over her, how it compelled her to study the Japanese language, travel to Japan, and bring back to her Sacramento home so many Japanese souvenirs that they take up her entire house.
5. "BFF's: Buddhist Friends Forever" ("Missing Her Mom", "Family Fortune" & "disowned/reclaimed")
In "Missing Her Mom", Dottie remembers how much her mother relied on Buddhist teachings to help her on a daily basis.
The Farrisons are featured in "Family Fortune" with the adult children recalling how their parents met and married, their parents' decades-long multicultural marriage, and the lifelong friendship their mother shared with another war bride-a member of the same Buddhist temple.
"Disowned/Reclaimed" is the story of siblings Doris and Michael whose Japanese mother was banished by her family for marrying their African American father. Doris' granddaughter, Alana, reveals that late great-grandmother always gave them hugs.
This segment features three different families, all living in Tacoma Washington and all devout Buddhists with two lifelong friends belonging to the same temple.
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