1. Post-war immigration from Japan to Canada: Challenging or reconstructing Japanese tradition? Natsuko Chubachi Ph.D. Candidate, Queen’s University Researcher, Consulate-General of Japan in Honolulu email: nchubachi2004@yahoo.co.jp

2. Immigration from Japan to Canada (Kobayashi 2002) Pre-war immigration Primarily for economic reasons As a member of family More male than female Married to a Japanese spouse  Reconstructing Japanese tradition Post-war immigration Not for financial reasons Because of individual decision Majority: female Intermarriage is very common  Escaping Japanese tradition

3. Objective: Explore post-war (im)migration from Japan to Canada, based on interviews with Japanese immigrants in Canada Examine whether it is really to challenge Japanese tradition, considering its reasons, characteristics and meanings

4. Method: Pre-structured interviews with 62 Japanese people living in Canada Question: “Why and how did you come to Canada?” Duration: 1.5-2 hours Language: 60 in Japanese; 2 in English and Japanese

5. Interviewees Gender# Female48 Male14 Total62 Age# 21-253 26-303 31-3512 36-4011 41-456 46-504 51-558 56-607 61-0 Unknown8 Total62 Marital Status Married to a spouse born in Canada 17 Married to a spouse born abroad 10 Married to a spouse from Japan 15 Divorced6 Never married11 Unknown3 Total62

6. Interviewees (continued) Year of coming to Canada for the first time # 1966-19705 1971-19759 1976-19804 1981-19856 1986-199010 1991-199510 1996-20008 2001-20049 Unknown1 Total62  1986: working-holiday visa started

7. Interview #1: ‘[Before I immigrated to Canada,] I travelled abroad every year. The more I travelled abroad, the more I wanted to live outside Japan. I had been to Canada before, with my mother on a group tour. At that time, both she and I were very much pleased with this land, Canada. […] I felt, “Wow, what a big country this is”’ (Female, 35-40, Canadian citizen)

8. Interview #2: ‘I had a friend whom I always travelled with. One day she and I made a reservation for a group tour to Italy, and we requested a vacation from the company we worked for. […] But [after the vacation was approved,] we were informed that the group tour to Italy was cancelled. My friend and I were talking, “We have already taken the vacation. It would be a waste if we didn’t go anywhere”. Then [another friend told me], “My brother lives in Canada, so why don’t you go to Canada?” That’s how we decided to go to Canada. […] Italy [as a destination] turned into Canada.’ (Female, 41-45, Canadian immigrant)

9. Findings: They started the relationship with Canada quite casually. They made a trip to Canada, attracted by touristic images. Their mental map outside Japan at the point of departure: vague and ambiguous  Immigration as an extension of travelling: Attracted by imagined Canada

10. Interview #3: ‘I came to Canada because I admired Anne of Greengables. […] When I was a eighth grade, my textbook had a portion of Anne of Greengables. […] Since then I became absorbed in the story. […] Then I started longing for Canada. […] [After I became an adult,] one day on a train, I saw an ad of training course for people who would like to immigrate to Canada. I really wanted to come to Canada. […] So I obtained a permanent visa to immigrate to Canada.’ (Female, 55-60, Canadian citizen)

11. Interview #4: What attracted me to America was West Side Story. […] [W]hen I saw the movie, I decided to go to America, [especially] New York, some day. […] Also, the movie named Alamo [fascinated me.] […] I was so very moved by the American spirit in Alamo, Texas. […] I saw West Side Story 24 times, and Alamo 40 times. I went to a movie theatre every day as a student. I took a photo at the entrance. […] Whenever I want to go, there is always such a longing feeling in me towards the place. I went to Paris in the same way. I was moved by the movie Last Tango in Paris. […] In Paris I went to the café where the move was shot. Then I had a tea there. […] I was touched, indeed, thinking this place really existed. […] [I go to places] affected by my unconsciousness. Human beings are like that.” (Male, 55-60, Canadian immigrant)

12. Finding: They came to Canada driven by a longing feeling towards popular culture

13. Interview #5 ‘I have longed for America since a child [...,] attracted by nice-looking white people, yeah. […] I was attracted by those movies, like Superman. […] I longed for America when I was small. [After I grew up] I worked for five years or so in Tokyo, and then wondered what I wanted to do next. Then, I thought, “Before I go to the next [stage], I want to live in a place which I so long longed for”. […] Going to America was my dream for a long time, so I wasn’t able to move on to the next stage without realising the dream’. (Female, 30-35, Canadian immigrant)

14. Interview #6 ‘I had a big yearning feeling towards America. […] Once I did a home-stay in California, and learned its taste. […] I started longing for that spaciousness. Well, I became so Americanized at that time. [I liked] American openness […] Plus, [you know,] people are forced to be moulded in Japan. I didn’t want to be framed. […] In Japan, if I don’t do as others do, they look coldly upon me. I didn’t like it.” (Female, 35-40, applying for a immigrant status)

15. Findings: They came to Canada because they wanted to come to America Their longing feeling towards N. America/the West: - constructed through popular culture when they were young - became a driving force to migrate to Canada later

16. Interview #7 I came [to Canada] to change my life. If I continued to work in Japan, it means repeating the same thing over and over again, [making] only a minor difference. […] I guess single women in their twenties come to Canada wishing to change something. Daily life for a working woman [office lady] in Japan means doing nothing out of the ordinary over and over again. […] [Y]our life would never change unless you get married or something. (Female, 25-30, working-holiday)

17. Interview #8 The reason why I came to Canada was that I got married to a Canadian. […] It was also because I was wishing to quit the job I had in Japan. I felt I would be moulded if I continue to live in Japan. It was the last chance to get out of Japan and to experience something. I thought that I wouldn’t be able to do it if I got older.

18. Finding: Immigration influenced by gender and the life course

19. Interview #9 I was already over 30 at that time, and my younger brother had got married long time ago. Only I was single among all my relatives. So their response was like, as far as you can find your spouse, you can be anywhere (laugh). (Female, 30-35, applying for an immigrant status)

20. Interview #10 [M]y mother is a person who thinks it would be nice if at least one of her [four] children lives abroad. […] She doesn’t want her child to live in a strange place, but well, Canada is a place for Japanese people to long for, you know. She was all right as far as my spouse was sincere. (Female, 40-45, Canadian immigrant)

21. Findings: Some female interviewees became a Canadian immigrant with a marriage with a Canadian, being tired of traditional Japanese life course Their parents accepted their immigration to Canada, believing their daughter was following traditional life course

22. Conclusion Post-war Japanese immigration to Canada can be read both as a rebellion against and as reconstruction of Japanese tradition There are multiple meanings attached to immigration which the migrants use cleverly to negotiate their lives.