Home
Back

Dear visitor, if you know the answer to this question, please post it. Thank you!

Note that this thread has not been updated in a long time, and its content might not be up-to-date anymore.

Page 1 of 2: Posts 1 - 20 of 31
 
1 2
next

Locating lost relatives (resources?) 2004/5/25 13:36
Hello. I am a US resident. My grandmother is 100% Japanese. She moved to the US in 1955 after meeting my American grandfather after world war 2. she has lost touch with her family over the years, and doesn’t really feel the need to try to contact them, but, I hate living my life knowing that I have family in Japan; Uncles, Aunts, Cousins, and so forth that I cannot contact. I would really like to meet some of these people, but the ancestry resources in the US are mainly modeled for people who’s ancestors were born here, or in Europe, and certain other countries surrounding.

Can ANYONE help me find online resources to aid me in my search? (they must be in English, as I don’t speak Japanese unfortunately.)

I think a phone book MAY help, however, I don’t know which cities or towns any of my relatives live in. I’m sure that since 1955 they have all moved around quite a bit.

Thank you everyone in advance for their help.

Mitchell
by Luis Berry  

Get your grandmother to talk 2004/5/25 23:42
Actually, searching people by phone books are really difficult in Japan. On the other hand, it's quite easy to track all your family if you know where you can find your "koseki".

"Koseki" is an official document that every Japanese citizen has, and it tells you about your birth date, birth address, parents' names etc. People usually have it registered to the birth place.

Get your grandmother to tell you where her koseki is registered to, as well as her official Japanese name in Japanese writing. Then you could contact the municipal in Japan and have them check.

But war brides may have many things from the past that she'd rather not reveal. It would be best for both of you if you could honor her wish to not have contact with her family, and also to convince her that it's important for you to know the whereabouts of them.

But if this does not go well, and you have to deal with it, just know that you're not alone.
by Uco rate this post as useful

thx 2004/6/3 02:54
thank you Uco
by luis rate this post as useful

reaction to A/J relatives 2004/6/27 00:34
what reaction do you fill your japanese relatives will have of you. Being mixed and not knowing the language. i'm in a simular situation. Only, it's my mother. she was the only one to marry outside of the race, comes from a buddist family with temple in a small rural town. she was the oldest daughter, one of 9 children. her father had arranged 3 marriages to choose from, she chose none, then meet my father (US Navy) and they asked her father if they could marry.
they has 4 girls in the US 1960's. you are not alone.
by soster rate this post as useful

clueless 2004/6/27 16:58
I am kind of in the same boat and would love any help that can be gotten for finding someone in Japan. My mother was from Japan, she is now deceased. I know I have family, but have not had any contact with them in 20 years, and even then it was very very minimal.

Any help to point me in the right direction would be great.

Yuki
by Yuki rate this post as useful

I could also use some help 2004/7/11 15:14
Luis, I hope you find answers to your predicament.

My anguish does not seem as great as yours, but I am also eager to find an answer to my solution. During my High school days, 1983 - 1985, I had a penfriend in Japan. I have her name and address. I would like to know how I can obtain the friend's current contact information.

regards,
Narasimha
by Narasimha Bhogavalli rate this post as useful

lost relativs 2004/8/18 04:28
hi everybody,
i am also trying to find my relativces in japan. Does anybody know the (official)webaddress of a phonebook of Tokyo ?
Many thanks,
Christian
by Christian rate this post as useful

answer &question 2005/8/20 07:05
i have an answer for "Chritian"
www.kdd.com/index_ie.html
plus 1800-543-0051
this is main directory(ask to speek japanese.
how i have a question ???
any one know of the "Takeda "
famly in "Tatebayashi-shi gunma-ken" ???
write e-mail "melfor@cebridge.net mel
by mel rate this post as useful

looking for family, last name is Honda 2007/1/13 13:36
My mother was born in tokyo. Her father was an american during Korean war. Met Yayuwei honda(not sure how to sprell grandmothers first name) I know she was disowned by her father formarrying an american. I know her brothers name was Nabihiko honda. My mothers name is Linda. Her fathers name was Ellis Lange. unfortunatly my grandmother died when mom was 8 and her father never told my mom much about her. or where she was buried. i have 2 pictures one of her by herself and another with her and my mom. My mother was born in tokyo , october 17th, 1957. I am trying to locate any family I may have in Japan. My mothers story is a long and sad one.
by sherry whartenby rate this post as useful

relatives in japan 2007/1/29 10:42
i was disappointed to find my relatives after 7 years of searching on pc and was disappointed. my mother nariko kusumoto does not acknowledge me at all after all the search. my heart is sad and heavy. but i am trying to find her sister and brother name hoping maybe they might accept me. my family is from hiroshima area-nada-ku kobe-shi hyogo japan area. my koseki says my grandfather is jiro and grandmother is hisayo kusumoto and minoru kusumoto i guess was his dad and my mother lived on banchi street with her grandparents when i was born in 1948 mother was born in march 20 1922 i was born on same day but different year. after i was born i was put in orphange in beppu at garden of light orphange where i stayed until i was older. i still remember the white orphange on the hill. i still remember the layout of the orphange until i was adopted in 1956-1957 and came to usa. i may never be accepted in my mothers family but i forgave her a long time ago in my heart-she did to survive and go back to her family.and to be accepted by her own family for having a baby out of wedlock and australian on top of that. i wish luck to anybody that the japanese family that accepts them they are lucky. thank you kimiko kusumoto i live in the states have 6 sons and 8 grandsons and 2 granddaughters i am proud to say.
by francescaholloway kimiko kusumoto rate this post as useful

information looking for lost relitives 2007/1/30 01:26
Uco do you know where camp chickamauga is in beppu japan i need to know the new name of the orphange there used to be the garden of light. my problem is i now speak english only i would likw to get the address and fax number of where i was raised at i have my adoptions papers but want more info. i have my kosei but i was also told you can get papers of your ancestors when they die? i was looking for jiro-hisayo kusumoto. i want to do a genealogy for my 6 sons. Uco please me back. thank you kimiko lakeland florida usa dps do you happaned to know the japanese genealogy website in japan here in america its ancestery.com
by francescaholloway kimiko kusumoto rate this post as useful

Ms. Kusumoto 2007/1/30 09:59
I'm sorry, but I don't know about the orphanage, and neither could I find it from a quick search on the Japanese internet. Perhaps you can contact Beppu city hall for more details.
http://www.city.beppu.oita.jp/

About your ancestor's records, you can ask for details to the people in charge of your koseki, because that's how you get them.
by Uco rate this post as useful

searching 2007/1/31 11:06
Wow! From reading all these, am happy to know that I am not alone in searching for my ancestors. My grandma's father is from Hiroshima, Japan. From what I know, his name is Soichi Tanaka. My grandma is 83yrs old now and she hasn't seen her father once. He came to the Pacifics in early 1900's and left before World War 1? I just hope that at least there will be someone out there who will help me lead me to his family information.
Thank you
by Pausen rate this post as useful

koseki 2007/2/9 10:19
uco o emailed beppu and no reply do they speak english there . thanks kimiko
by uco rate this post as useful

Emailing 2007/2/9 12:05
Kimiko,

If you write your request in clear, concise English, someone at the city hall there may be able to help you. But if your email was written in the same minimal-capitalization, minimal-punctuation style you use here, then I wouldn't be particularly surprised if your request went straight into the rubbish bin along with all the other English-language junk mail they no doubt receive.
I wish you good luck in your quest.
by Dave in Saitama rate this post as useful

To Kimiko, 2007/2/9 12:35
http://www.arnn-es.pac.dodea.edu/Students/major.htm

Looks like this is the person who founded the orphanage.
by AK rate this post as useful

reply 2007/2/9 12:43
Kimiko-san,

I have no idea about the answers to your question, but I'm happy to see informative posts from Dave and AK. In particular, I have to agree with Dave.
by Uco rate this post as useful

orphange in beppu jp 2007/2/18 07:18
you 3 guys are awsome to me. thank you so much ak dave and uco started crying when i went to the website it got to me. it was i was searching for all these years.god bless you all. so sorry i did not get back right away i was helping another japanese girl from my same orphange name yokoyama she is tracing her roots. i told her first get copies of her citizenship paper in birmingham ala at the court house then apply to the justice dept then to get visa-immigration papers and in it will be her adoption papers signed by her mother address then get koseki japanese birthcertificate then we will get death registery. her american name is lwanda her mother put all the kids at garden of light orphange and her father was dead.there is other siblings but i told her after we get her papers we will have something to worek with. my goal now in life to help others from my orphange getting their papers. her adopted parents are both dead also and just like me we needed to find our roots. i told her maybe we can help her find her people also i do hope she will have better luck on her findings. the third japanese girl from our orphange was dispointed her mother is married with a family of her own but promise she will tell her husband about the daughter but has not-she talks to her aunt and relates messages for her mother. the fourth girl but the time her mother has been dead foor a long time but has not found her people yet. if i lived in japan i would taske pity and help people like i do in the states but i do not speak japanese anymore and only remember what i remember of the orphange as a little girl in a baby bed thats where my life started. i still visual that and i can tell the outlay og the orphange on the hill even down to the telescope by the rail in the courtyard. now i wish i could get pictures of that orphange back in 1948 and on. i have searched all over pc and people did not know of camp chickamauga and garden of light orphange in oita-ken beppu japan. i myself was so ingornt i did not put the camp chickamauga was in beppu. i am self taught on pc so please excuse bad typing . thank you agan ak dave uco. i get involved when helping other 100% that i forget what i was doing before. thank you all again god bless you all kimiko kusumoto kure city francescaholloway2000@yahoo.com lakeland florida usa
by ak-dave-uco rate this post as useful

orphanges in beppu japan 2007/2/18 07:46
so sorry i got excited i put you alls name in the wrong place.my typing is bad but i try to get across. yokoyama-lwanda was so happy about the garden of light website is now writing to the orphange now. thank you 3 people who helped me again. uk is there more of the orphange itself on the web without the school i think it was a hospital orphange maybe?? wait for your reply. thanks a million to you 3 guys helping me out. francescaholloway lakeland florida
by ak-dave-uco rate this post as useful

orphange in beppu 2007/2/18 07:52
can i ask you 3 guys what does yokoyama surname means and what area do they live at and goto name and what area are they from. mine kusumoto is kobe area hiroshima. thanks kimiko
by uk dave uco rate this post as useful

Page 1 of 2: Posts 1 - 20 of 31
 
1 2
next

reply to this thread