remember about a year ago i started searching for my roots in japan? yeah, i didn’t forget. i’ve met family members in this past year that i didn’t even know existed. being 4th generation, some of the branches on our family tree fell off. and i went out to find it. it’s a totally weird feeling to know that i have probably a hundred of relatives living in japan that have no clue we’re related. maybe you might even be my cousin?
my grandpa osaki’s younger brother just passed away earlier this year. i went to see him 2 times last year and now i’m really glad i met my grandpa’s brother. they looked so alike that i got chicken skin. looking into his eyes was like looking into my own grandpa’s eyes. they were so distant from each other, but yet so close. the day i left japan to come back to hawaii on my last trip, i went to tokyo to pay my respects for grandpa masao. i didn’t know what i was doing but i lit the senko and prayed. i prayed and told him how happy i was that he is now with my grandpa osaki. they both lived over the age of 90 so they must have had fulfilling lives.
then i started digging into some old photos with my aunty that grandpa masao left behind.
i have never seen a photo of my grandpa osaki when he was young but now i seen a photo of what he must have looked like. this is his younger brother masao. good looking man.
and this is the first time i seen a photo of my great grandma. this is my real great grandma that immigrated to hawaii from hiroshima to work on the plantation fields on the north shore. a branch is back on my family tree and i’m destined to dig even deeper. my roots are important to me and as i realize how japanese i really am, i’m even prouder to be japanese. it’s a weird feeling, but also rewarding. most of my relatives in japan are dead but i know there are a few cousins my age living and i’m going to find them.
P.S. Thank you Aunty Sumiko for the great sushi lunch!
