oral histories

What was it like growing up in Japan?

My grandma said, because I was born a girl, “You don’t need education. Just finish high school and then find a good husband and get married and then your life will be guaranteed, you will have a great life.”

I had a lot of dreams myself but if I said something, my father said, “No, this is wrong. It’s not a good idea, no good for your future. So you have to do this.” Everything was for my father. That’s why I couldn’t do anything until I was over 20.

What was school like?

Everything was very structured. Always the teacher controlled everything. There are so many children. The average in the classroom was probably around 30 or 40. There was a hot lunch, so the parent they didn’t have to make lunch for their children. The students, we helped — not making, but setting the table. And then at the end of school, there was no custodian, so we had to clean up our classroom. Sweeping the floor, mopping and everything, we did.

What was your childhood like in Yamagata, Japan?

It’s surrounded by like mountains. Hot and very humid. But it’s a beautiful, beautiful place. We can get a very fresh seafood and because we have a mountain, we get lot of fruit and vegetables.

We had quite a big property, so my father made a little playground in my backyard. We had a set of swings, monkey bars. When I was a kid, after school, all our neighborhood kids came to my backyard. We played baseball or so many different things.

When did you start thinking about travel?

I really admired my uncle because he’d go to different countries and bring unique souvenirs for me. I thought, “Wow, seems so interesting.” When I was maybe ten years old, I thought, “There must be something outside, a different world outside of Japan.” Because Japan, it’s just small island. When I was little, Japan didn’t accept foreigners, not very much. I didn’t know anything about outside of Japan, but because of my uncle, I felt must be something going on outside of Japan. So that’s where I started thinking I wanted to see different countries.

What did your parents say when you quit your job at the bank to study English for a year?

At that time, my father, he knew I’m not married, probably he gave up. My mother was very supportive. She always said, “Do whatever you want, this is your life. I’ll support you.” That’s why I was able to keep my dream. I was 26 years old. I had money because I worked, so I paid all my airfare and all accommodation. I paid everything myself because this was my plan, I could not ask my parents. I bought a ticket and went to England and planned everything by myself.

How did you meet your husband?

He was already living in Canada so he was visiting Japan (Yamagata) to attend his friend’s wedding. We had a mutual friend and she introduced us. I really enjoyed conversations with him because he was already in Canada for two years, and I went to England and came back, so we kind of shared our like experience. It was quite interesting to listen about what he was doing in Canada or the country of Canada. So we started dating. I was close to 30, so I thought maybe I’d like to get a working holiday visa because I could work while I’m there. But I think the deadline was 30 years old at that time. So I was dating this guy, and I had the feeling we could get married in a few years. But my father said, “If you are going to Canada, you cannot just go and stay. You have to make a decision. If you’re getting married to this person, yes, you are allowed to go, but if you’re not, no, you can’t go.” Very particular.

So my father met my [future] husband and they talked and he quite liked him. I met my husband’s parents, but the funny thing was I knew his parents before I met him because my husband’s dad owned a business and he was a good client when I was working for the bank. At that time, I was a bank teller, so his mom used to see me, but, of course, at that time I didn’t know. So that’s why when my husband said I want to introduce you to my parents, I went into his house and I said, “Oh, how are you?” I knew!

What challenges did you have when searching for work in Canada?

The biggest problem for me was I wanted to work in some office, but I couldn’t type! When I was working, I used a computer, but everything was made for the bank, so I only knew how to use a computer or typewriter provided by the bank.

What challenges did your husband face starting a business?

His business is importing dry food from Japan. He supplies local restaurants and now his main product is very fine rice from our home town, Yamagata. It took him a long time to start his own business. As a new immigrant, he didn’t have any anybody who can write a good reference letter because he never worked at a Canadian company before. So that’s why it wasn’t easy for him.

Why did you go back to school after getting a job here with a Japanese company?

I thought, now I am in Canada, but it’s like I’m still in Japan. The country has changed, but the environment is the same. So maybe I wasn’t very satisfied. That’s why I decided to start attending night school when I was working full time. I went to Vancouver Community College to study English Grade 12.

What did you find challenging about starting a family here?

When I had children, I couldn’t work because my husband was self-employed and we had no family here, so I could not ask anybody to look after my children. Also, this was a new country for us. We thought we could not take our kids to daycare because we didn’t really know what it would be like. My husband said, “Better for our kids if you stay home looking after the children and make sure they don’t get sick.”

You now run your own company for Japanese students learning English. What do you offer them?

Our objective is to provide many unique and affordable programs for Japanese people who are interested in visiting Canada to study English and to learn about Canadian culture, by connecting with local Canadians and citizens.

I believe it’s very important to tell the history about the Japanese Canadians who worked very hard to establish their life in Canada. Their life at that time was so different compared to my case.

My mission is to encourage Japanese students to come to Canada to study English, to get involved with the local community, and do some volunteer work. I’m sure they can do a lot of volunteer work even though their English is limited. Their experience would be a great way to improve their practical English. And they can experience a real Canadian way of life, which they’ll never learn just attending school.