Understanding Japanese Culture within Fresno from a different Perspective

The Valley of California is home to a rich mixture of beautiful people of all background, especially in Fresno.

Trent Nishimura is a junior at Fresno State, and even though he is of Japanese background, he is not familiar with the culture.

“We don’t go to church or anything,” Nishimura says, “we’re not involved in anything like that.”

According to statistics from Fresno.AreaConnect.com, 11.6% of the population in Fresno is of Asian background, and of that, 0.63% is of Japanese background specifically.

Nishimura’s grandparents came from Japan and were among those who were placed in the internment camp in Fresno.

“My dad was actually born in Sanger, I honestly don’t know much about my grandparents from my dad’s side,” Nishimura says, “just because I was young when they both passed away.”

Nishimura does not know too much about his culture because his family are not involved much with cultural related events within the Japanese community.

Nishimura consider himself to be modern and Americanized.

“We don’t go to church,” says Nishimura. “Neither one of them, my dad could kinda understand [Japanese], but he can’t speak any Japanese, and my mom, same way, she doesn’t understand it, she doesn’t speak it, she’s pretty Americanized as well.”

Even though Nishimura was raised not knowing too much about his culture, he still feel connected to those who are from the same background.

Nishimura keeps his circle of friends open to anyone of any background and culture.

One of Nishimura’s closest friends is also of Japanese background.

“She’s kinda the same way as I am. She’s pretty Americanized,” says Nishimura.

Nishimura says, “I feel like just being born and raised here, I felt like going somewhere else, just, not that it would be hard to fit in too, but just being here, yeah I feel pretty comfortable.”

When going out to events, Nishimura said it’s hard to talk to other Japanese people because even though they’re of the same culture, they may have different background, such as being traditional or Americanized, that may plays an effect of how comfortable and relatable he is speaking to them.

Nishimura said that it is out of his comfort zone to attend Japanese church or events because he was not raised in that way to be involved in his culture and don’t know too much about it.

Nishimura does not know too much about his culture or much about his family’s experience of making it here to the valley, but he does want to learn more.

Nishimura is the only child and has every support from his parents to do whatever it is that he would persuade after college.

Right now, Nishimura is a junior at Fresno State majoring in Business marketing and would like to have a career in something that is sale related because he enjoy persuading others to buy things.

Nishimura says, “it’s kinda stereotypical that Asian parents are really strict and they want you to become nurses, doctors, or like, but mine are, they’re supportive of what I do, obviously they don’t want me to be where I’m working right now for the rest of my life, but they want me to have a real career, but as long as, as I’m happy and I have a pretty good job, they’ll be supportive of me no matter what.”

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For more information, contact:

Trent Nishimura (559) 283-3773