Midnight in Broad Daylight: A Japanese American Family Caught Between Two Worlds

by Pamela Rotner Sakamoto

Kinu was cheered when Harry joined a largely all-nisei powerhouse basketball team as a second-string guard. The nisei were, on average, a few years older, given that they lagged behind academically because of their time abroad. They towered by as much as six inches over the Japanese players, who were only about 5ʹ3ʺ, on account of diet and age. At 5ʹ7ʺ, Harry was among the tallest. The nisei team played a fast-break game, running more than their Japanese counterparts and dominating the court. Wherever they played, they were the talk of the town. They looked Japanese but spoke something else, shouting loudly and gesturing while running the length of the court, so different from the quiet, composed Japanese players. They ultimately competed against college teams, won the Hiroshima prefectural tournament, traveled to the neighboring island of Shikoku, and advanced to the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo, where they represented southern Japan. There the spectacular winning streak came to an end.