We were talking about Nikko Garden again and how much we all miss it and I wrote a little about the Kimura family. I think this belongs as a stand alone post because this is the 100 birthday of Anchorage and they are such a huge part of our history. The Kimura family is a great Alaskan family that has left an indelible mark and legacy on Anchorage. Yusuke “Harry” Kimura was born in Nagasaki, Japan and earned his bones cooking for President Theodore Roosevelt on board U.S.S. Arizona. Teddy like his food so much he made Yusuke a U.S. citizen by executive order. Everyone knows about Nikko Gardens but his family had many businesses and restaurants in Anchorage. H & K Hand Laundry, Chop Suey House, Snow White Laundry and Cleaners, and Golden Pheasant Café. Like most Japanese American families they lost everything when they were sent to interment camps during WW2. They came back to Anchorage and rebuilt their business and were successful again this time adding that most beloved Nikko Gardens that everyone who ever ate there misses. Many of the family still live in Anchorage and are members here on this site. One of the great things about writing is you get to indulge you own fancy and whims and write about anything you want. I had come across the Kimura family history several times while doing research on other things. So here are a few writers notes and opinions... Mr Kimura came to America at a time when we were not very nice or friendly to people who didnt look western European. From there it went down hill. When the Kimura family was interned they lost every thing to... back taxes. Yes back taxes! So the U.S. government took away the private property of a US citizen for not being able to pay their taxes while they were in the American equivalent of a concentration camp. My Granfdfather (on my fathers side) did not speak English until he started school, he only spoke German. He was given an airplane and sent to the Pacific to fight. They felt it was too dangerous for him to get shot down over Europe. Mr Kimura could have been bitter he could have thrown his hands up. No, he rolled his sleeves up and went back to work and paid all his back taxes and got his businesses back. The Kimura family represent everything great about America and particularly the Alaskan spirit. They came here looking for an opportunity not a handout. With hard work they overcame hardship that would have turned others around and sent them packing home. As I said when you write you get to indulge your whims, so these are the long winded ramblings of.... Me. :)
Posted on: Sun, 25 Jan 2015 11:28:37 +0000
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