Kansha (Gratitude)

Japanese people are taught that they are born with a host of debts to the people who have built the road before us. We owe our lives to these people and should be grateful or deeply thankful by expressing our appreciation to them. The word that describes this deep felt gratitude is "kansha." To the Japanese people, the phrase "kansha site" means to be appreciative or grateful in their relations with others.

The idea of creating this blog is a result of this indebtedness but also because of unanswered questions about my family’s heritage. As a Sansei, or third generation Japanese American, it is my desire to identify more closely with my heritage – to understand better the questions about my own family, ethnicity and culture.

The intent of this blog is to explore the Japanese American experience from a unique perspective – my own family’s experiences in Hawaii and Washington State. I intend to focus on capturing themes of human suffering, perseverance, justice, racism, community and conscience during some of the most turbulent periods in American history. I hope to share with you the importance of human values and protection our civil liberties and freedoms.

I also hope this blog will inspire younger generations of Japanese Americans who I feel are gradually losing their identity as Japanese and with their ancestors. Assimilation into Western culture has caused many of them to lose sight of their roots. I hope this blog opens their eyes to things Japanese, helping them understand the importance of learning more about their culture, the legacy that they have inherited and preserve it for future generations.

Finally, I hope future generations of Japanese Americans will appreciate and perpetuate Japanese culture and traditions, adapting them to their local lifestyle wherever they may reside. I hope to help them feel closer and hold on more dearly to our Japanese culture and traditions with "kokoro" (heart and soul), even though we are separated by distance from our ancestral roots and generations have passed in time. Our Japanese culture has helped define who we are as well as our character as individuals. It serves as a window to our ancestral past and permeates our lives today. My deep desire is to see it continue to live on through the children of tomorrow.

My parents raised me so that I would not have to go through the hardship and racial discrimination they – and their parents – went through, and they instilled proper values and ethics that provided a strong foundation to be successful in America. "Okage sama de" – “I am what I am because of you” because of the struggles, hardship, commitment, perseverance and sacrifice made by my parents and grandparents. I am grateful for my inheritance from the past and moved by my obligation to the future. "Kodomo no tame ni" – “for the sake of the children.”

I say, dōmō arigatō gozaimasu! Thank you very much!