« Aoi Terasake . Once Exot 9 Lynn M. Raymond oo es UWRT 1102 20 January 2015 in [tees O% Why Am I Here? Th¢ title I chose is the question I ee been thinking about. I made a decision to study abroad when I was a junjor year student inapanes fn Japan, students often study abroad ¥g exchange rarely choose to study abrofad to get their degreé® Moreover, at the time I decided to drop ou panese EtagS 30 study a¥foad, | only aft eight credits nook E sraduate/that ‘Therefore many people around me/questioned wAe-why I did not wait to oe sue abroa would graduat ut I knew once I’graduated collage, I would be satisfied nod UP the fact 1 plate collage ad have backelor degree so that [felt I didnot need to study broad 1 ae was determined to come UNCG ip spekmy bachelosdegre but sometimes, I question TT the decision I made was the best choice or f "1 Shoulg ade Japan, As jploting my ancestors I found some similarities sittin me and my ancestors and these similarities remind me *n02" Imade BA choice to come hero, VETWROW- xta inf) wir great My family te stars om my grt grandfther, Saburo Kick who is the most fhe and colorful person in my family. Saburo was born in Niigatahat ise north side of Japan)and his father was the master ofthe village where he was born. He spent his life in Niigata VnTill Phe graduated from junior high school. After that, Saburo decided to go to the U.S.to study mechanical engineering. At that tBime,the only way to gcross the Pacific Ocean was-<€%g a ship soe spent several months ona ship to getin the U.S. Therefore Saburo's mother ftshe would not be able to Set him again We do not have any recordyhere he went or which schoo! he attended in the U.S,but weknow he had been Working for Chrysler Group,LL.C for a while. Saburo gave his son who is my grandfathes an anniversary watch taf yster only for employees who wae WAL atch as my family’s heirloom with a missiondaeie to help the first CEO of Toyota Motor Company,to make TDYOTA 4s a successful automobjle gompany. Today, Japan is known as one POETS! of the most famous countif-4 Ghat id Bd ase, Japan wasn eeeibehind whas but in age, Japan was-aen-mch behind ‘ 7 tM1o ‘iim the U.S, so me Saburo’s experience in the U.S> . Since experi ero oa Lapin Uns Sabino er oer origina membepoF TOYOTR accetlly sated ther Compendia ———— swell-knownrantomobile company imgepan, Saburo pehvosiion the Sethi of Pootn MotorOXO" - Coss Corporation Marketing Cooperative. Right before World War Tearps hoger Saburo went to 9 nuove sete : Hake, pears gen. oo = Tianjin-fektctr ise PER ORChingf© construct a new Ferrets factory Oe re owe x fake >» ‘After Japan was defeated in World War Il, Saburo came back to Japan and moved to Tokyo with MOO4” snow fS his family. He spent rest ofife in Tokyo vB working at TOYOTA’s corporative company. I iH wo Por have been told his story sinés I was litle but for little me, Saburo seemed likeX€ Hve-in another world and there was no similarity between, (wo of us. @RNow I know both, of Saal ia wir ‘PERRESETRSR Tape se tH ohcy work expand our fue, thet 1 ud al order wo parts of the sped (a My grandfather, Hajime Kikuchi was bom on March 10, 1926. Because of his father, an ne nw mised forme to know. Bfére Saburo went to Tianjin Hajime spent his childhood in Toyota where yg WRC TOYOTA’s headquarters in and then moved to Tianjin with Saburo. Hajime spent five years. ¢ paw bP there and graduated, bigh school, He wanted to work with hs father in Tianjin but he was asked q\1SO* to go back to va ton the miliary. ARorhe joined the miliary, he volunteered to become (2% a Kamikaze. was (ayon™ ‘The kamikaze was a special suicide atack unit that Gesigned to destroy the U.S warships, “OM yp The kamikaze aircraft had both missiles and bombs but as itis called as suicide attack unt, pilots Pass Saburo Kikuchi, and the time he was bom and grew up, his life was also unique and interesting attempted to crash their aircraft into the U.S,ships so that it could be more harmful than - saot 7 sot! ¢ VPgaconventional attacks. Therefore the kamikaze aircrafts put fuel only for one way and pilots who went oatlack rarely made itentresize home. In spite of potential risk of death, being a Kamikaze wes the most honorable thing for young men at that time. After Hajime volunteered to bea Kamiar, he was trained and wating forthe ond; Howevey before Haine received the onder Japan accepted the Potsdam Declaration. Sina he eed sas ORCA was two yeas old 1 had no chance to tak tp him in persom;therefore,it was hard to know how he felt to be a Kamikaze.seeemy gratidmother told me he was a talkative person and liked to tlk abouthis catly lite bugnly thing he never wanted otal about was the time he spent asa Kamikaze, Mis not because tee Iemory of Wold War It was psnful fr him bu ajime Ft ity fore 4d not pve Shc o fg for Japan eventhough many of is ends and Japanese young men died fof Bheed My grandmotier also tld ms elthough many people et pinfibbethe memorgos of World War Ih especially those who actual Spent time in World War tin see they sed to el the story boat ito therm to pass gu Ae 1945, the tine World War I was over, in ore & Hiajime came back to Tokyo and started working at an electricity company where he met my grandmother. Because of his experience of boing a Kamikaze, he taught my mother and aunt tive ther bout py regrets in cate someting bad happens asientally.In ation Hajime also gave them Boportunity to goto the U. siti father did and he wanted tod. My mother spent six months inthe U.S.and this experts helped her ose the new wortd andi ~7r Aivse ip changeg her se566#-vakxein good way. a Values of When Itold my mother about my decision to drop out ollage and study abroad, she was not upset ot mad at me. She said “You ae definitely your-drond grandfather's eanke” granddaughter.” At that time, I simply felt my mother said it because oily my. gee grandfather Went to the U.S not for travel but for study. However as T was exploring my family and relatives, it tumed out that there are so many people in my family,went to the U.S and most of them were inspired by my france Lerandather ema answered my question why’I am here now. There ‘were some reasons 1 decided to come here but tmight be inspired by my-grand-grandfather Grea Thuy many hag boos, en koonsinggPeaeine without any Totiessr Therefore for me, the family tree project wes not only helpfil to know about any family and ancestors but also helpful to know myself 4