A Book "Poem of San Mateo" - 10

Fujie was totally correct in thinking there must be a way to bring herself back to US. The law banning Japanese immigrating to US had exceptions. That exceptions included family reunion. Fujie wrote to her sister. Fujie's sister also wanted her family back to US. Her plan was working.

Fujie's sister sponsored Fujie. That was how Fujie could come back to US. Later Fujie's sister and Fujie sponsored entire family so that their parent could come back to US. Of course her father's work record in Japan as a translator for US Army in Japan helped. She remembered nothing mattered for her father's illegal immigration. She was surprised on US Government made an issue on her father's past.

This picture is taken in San Francisco Parking.
Amazing to find something like this.
Even today, it was most practical to immigrate to US if you have part of family already living in the US Green Card Base or Citizenship. It was what I could do with my wife's help. My wife gave up her citizenship in China and sponsored me. I owe her what I could never be able to give her back. Skills and engineering technologies may work. But it was difficult to prove that you are the only one who could bring it to US, and next to impossible to show to Immigration that there are need for your skill in US.

Let's come back to Fujie, it was not easy for living in US, since her English was not as good as her father's. But she could have a job as a house keeper in an American family. She worked hard and studied English through her employer, she said mostly from their children.

Fujie met this guy, 2nd generation Japanese American who was looking for a date one day.

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A Book "Poem of San Mateo" - 9

Fujie, despite her desperate dream of going back to US, had a tremendous amount of problems. English. She spent most of her education ages in Japan. She could not speak English. She was a Japanese now, and Japan is the defeated enemy country for US. Japanese immigration to US was next to impossible. Ordinary people might have given up thinking about the difficulties they have had. Here another interesting facts for successful people is that they always face to tremendous amount of difficulties which cause usual people to conclude that is impossible.

After finishing this "A Poem of San Mateo", I read a book written by President of Toyota America, who established "Lexus" brand. When he started to hear somebody else say it was impossible, he started to think there is a chance. When he was told "NO" from buyers, he recognize real negotiation started. It looks like people successful for something are the ones who can manage difficulties and denials.

Fujie did not give up. She thought there is a way. She studied legal system that time. She talked with American Generals who visited her father. She determined that if her sister still living in US wanted Fujie to join back to her, Fujie would be able to come back to US.


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http://vur.me/shawfunami/SF
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A Book "Poem of San Mateo" - 8

People make a decision or take an action which does not make sense that time, when we look back and think about it once again, we are surprised by the fact that we made a right decision and took a right action. It look as though we were driven from invisible power. I think there are a lot of things which we need ourselves involved in decision making or action taking. But there are some certain things that we cannot control. It may be a right course of action to go "Let it Be". In many cases, it turns out to be OK. This is not easy to explain but some people know it from their experience. Some may call it miracle. Others call it coincidence. I call it "Higher Guidance".

Picture: Night in Japan Town, San Francisco.
Teijiro's family went back to Japan and survived the war. Fujie was 18 years old and thinking seriously about going back to US. Alas, Japan was the defeated enemy country and Japanese immigration was totally banned that time. Teijiro, the father became famous in US stationed army because they used him to be an interpreter and translator because his English was prominent among other Japanese who could communicate with US Marines one way or the other.

Fujie gave up going to college and studied texture design women clothing in Tokyo. Her dream became same as her father's old dream. She needs to go back to US where she was born.


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http://vur.me/shawfunami/SF
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A Book "Poem of San Mateo" - 7

There is no justification for war, in my opinion. War separate people, from loved ones, change people's destiny, sacrifice people's lives including survived ones. My father was one of them. He survived the war, released in Singapore, came back to Japan. But, he was quite sick for almost entire life of his. He was a smart man, but he could not use his intelligence in his work or for his life. All because he was sick. All because the war made him sick.

For the people who immigrated in the US before World War II, the situation must have been even more complicated. Teijiro thought that he could never be able to come back to US once returned back to Japan partly due to war, even either side wins. He would not be admitted to reenter into US because he was an illegal immigrant. He must have driven crazy from thinking all about this. But he decided to go back to Japan. Upon his decision, he did what most of Japanese would never have done. He asked all the members of his family including his 3 daughters if they hoped to stay in US or go back to Japan with him.

As a result, 2 older daughters decided to stay in US. Teijiro, his wife, and young Fujie had gone back to Japan. This interested me a lot. If Teijiro, as majority of Japanese house hold husbands, has asked, or ordered entire family to go back to Japan, they would have. And, then there might not have been a way for Fujie to return back to US.


Picture: Japan Town, San Francisco. Street Names are written both in English and Japanese. I do not know other place like this in US.



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Check my websites to find out what I am doing:
http://vur.me/shawfunami/main
http://vur.me/shawfunami/SF
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A Book "Poem of San Mateo" - 6

One dark night, Teijiro used rope tying his ship to pier to secretly landed on Seattle. Japanese people living there helped him to hide, fed him, even gave local clothes to him so that he did not stand out and caught by immigration.

He succeeded in settling down in California. I always thought that Japanese living here in States do not help new Japanese residents. They always to sell expensive Japanese stuff to newer people and force sightseers to buy in their souvenir shops. But, those days Japanese Americans helped their followers to settle. This part was almost like reading suspense book "Master of the Game".

Picture: Another Japan in San Francisco
Another thing is about illegal immigration. Though I have no intention to promote illegal immigration, but I heard about this Japanese woman who came to US with sightseeing visa base and never went back to Japan. She wrote she could do it if she gave up to go back to Japan. So, there are those kind of people even today, even from Japan. I do not know her in person, for your reference.

Teijiro worked in a plantation owned by a Japanese American and married with Japanese woman who his mother in Japan recommended. In this book, his daughter, Fujie, explains that Teijiro's wife, Fujie's mother, needed to marry with another Japanese immigrant who could legally go back to Japan, bring her US legally, divorced this person, and finally married Teijiro. How complicated! I thought it sounded like watching the movie "Green Card".

Teijiro and his wife worked hard. They could get their own house in San Mateo. They had 3 daughters including Fujie, the youngest. Then the war broke out.


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Check my websites to find out what I am doing:
http://vur.me/shawfunami/main
http://vur.me/shawfunami/SF
http://vur.me/shawfunami/zi

Feel free to contact me:
shaw@zhenintl.ws
Shaw Funami
Fill the Missing Link