Toisan Boy

Han is a concept allegedly unique to Korean culture, collective feelings of oppression and isolation, loss of identity in the face of overwhelming odds resulting from unavenged injustice. It is a relatively new phenomenon which was recognized by Westerners in the early 20th century, and many attribute its development as being a consequence of the Japanese occupation of Korea and Japan's subsequent belittlement of Korean culture. The point is that t he idea that  han  is a specifically Korean characteristic was adopted and popularized by Koreans in the 20th century. Furthermore, it's difficult to describ e or quantify as  Koreans will forgive even the gravest sins, kill even for the smallest slights, or lament endlessly over a past han that one has endured or was subjected to, all depending on the shifting reminders of han.  While han may be a uniquely Korean characteristic, I personally felt a strong resonance the first time I heard han described to me and  I su...

By 1989, I had decided to leave Ohio and I moved to Los Angeles. Looking back, I can see that I was motivated by a desire to 'find my people',  to be an Asian Kunta Kinte (from "Roots") and be reunited with my 'tribe'. What I didn't realize was that no such 'tribe' with its own heritage and sense of tradition exists. (More on that in another post.) I managed to connect with some Toisan who like me were born of Chinese immigrants, who had grown up in Chinatown and were still attending the First Baptist Church in Chinatown, and in the initial conversations I had with them, one question/topic stuck out: "Have you seen the movie Living in Tokyo Time?". The movie was a romantic comedy about a Nisei (American born Japanese) aspiring rock musician who agrees to marry a Japanese immigre who would otherwise be deported because her visa had expired. While the movie explores the culture clash between Japanese and American culture, the dynamics were ...