A family history ( 2 ) immigration to the States

 Long time ago, my mother took me to meet one of my distant relative – my grandmother’s aunt – at a hotel in Tokyo. I vaguely remember that she was a charming lady, very warm and kind. My mother chatted away with her, and when we leave her hotel room, she gave me a little brown coin – very small one which I have never seen before.

My great-aunt was affectionately known as “Aunty in Hawaii”. She and her family immigrated to America few years after the World War II. My mother, who was born on the year of the end of the War, remembers when the great-aunt’s family left Japan from a port by a vessel. My mother remembers her cousins threw some paper tapes to them, bidding farewell.

 I heard from my grandparents that the USA offered immigration program to Japanese people, especially those people who lived in war-devastated areas such as Okinawa, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi and Okayama prefectures. Many people participated the program and sought their future in the States.

My great-aunt’s family went to live in Hawaii. I have not heard much about their life after they settled there. My great-aunt kept in touch with my grandmother, sending letters and sweets from Hawaii. For some years when I was small, my grandmother treated us with Macadamia nuts chocolates and honey-coated peanuts at teatime.

My great-aunt’s little brother also immigrated to the States, before the World War II. He went to live in the West coast of the States, somewhere near California.

These must be one of the popular immigration destinations for Japanese people who emigrated after the war. Every time I meet someone from Hawaii, I talk about my distant relatives in Hawaii and near California. They usually ask the family name of my great-aunt and great-uncle. However, apparently their family name is just so popular name in Hiroshima area, loads of people had the same family name. No one can detect whether they knew my distant relatives in the USA.

Sometime I recall my great aunt and wonder what sort of life she has lead after arriving in Hawaii. They must have been through some hardship of immigration, adopting to local culture and language.

As my great-aunt has passed away long time ago, our family gradually lost in touch with the family in Hawaii. I wonder whether my mother’s cousins are still well, or had children there. Everything is now in a mystery. But thinking about visiting Hawaii, perhaps passing through my distant relatives became one of my dream which I wish to do after COVID-19 is over.