Many people are surprised when I tell them that I have Japanese heritage. Because of my skin color (usually white, sometimes brown), my name (Alyssa Loyless), and where I live (in southern California), most people assume that I have Spanish heritage. I’m actually a quarter Japanese, with the rest of my background coming from a mix of European heritage. Japanese culture has always been the culture I identify with the closest.
I grew up with my grandmother, Kiyoe. She was born and raised in Okinawa, Japan, where she met my American grandfather while he was stationed there with the U.S. Marines. When she was 19 years old, they decided to get married and moved to the United States. When she first moved to the U.S. she knew almost no English, but as time passed, she went to college and eventually became a realtor in California.
My grandma is the oldest daughter of seven children, all of whom stayed in Okinawa throughout their lives. This means that I have a lot of family in Japan that I get to visit once a year.
This year, instead of going to Okinawa like I usually do, I went to Tokyo for the first time.
