About the Author 

I stated in the Preface that I changed my name to Thomas Otani. Here's my short bio. I was born to immigrant Chinese parents in Japan and educated in English since kindergarten at an international school in Yokohama, Japan. I am fluent in both English and Japanese, but can understand only a bit of Chinese. Because of this background, my former colleague always introduced me to others as the most confused kid, but I call myself a true internationalist. My friends are from all cultures and nationalities, and I learned early on that people with diverse backgrounds are really not that different at their core. I am convinced with this, because my sense of humor works with everybody (well, almost, but if it does not, that's not because of cultural difference).

I came to United States to continue my education in 1973 and eventually became a U.S. citizen. I am now a proud employee of the U.S. government (Dept of Defense). In 2001, for a variety of personal reasons, I decided to adopt my wife's last name.

My family members in Japan became naturalized Japanese citizens in 1980s, after living in Japan for many decades. My maternal great-grandfather first arrived in Japan in the late 19th century. My grandfather was half-Chinese and half-Japanese. My mother was born in China (because my grandfather moved back and forth between the two countries) but spent her entire life in Japan since her preteen years. My father, originally from Guangzhou, China, moved first to Hong Kong and eventually to Japan before World War II looking for jobs. His initial thought was to stay in Japan for a couple of years, earn enough money, and return to Hong Kong. But he met my mother. And the rest is the history...

My parents' story is actually not that unique. There is a vibrant Overseas Chinese community in Yokohama with its flourishing Chinatown, one of the major tourist mecca in Japan. I think the Yokohama Chinatown could arguably be the most extravagant and ornate Chinatown in the world. Many of the community members, especially the second and third generation descendants, are naturalized (or natural born) Japanese citizens.

Like many other immigrant communities around the world, Overseas Chinese community in Yokohama has its share of ups and downs. In todays unstable and divided world, I hope people realize that immigrants are really no different from them in core human values, even though the language and custom are different. It is also very important to realize the necessity for immigrants to break and reach out from the shell and acclimate to the host community as quickly as possible.