Early Days

The Greater Chicago area is a place where many Japanese Americans have visited and lived for various reasons. These reasons range from education and business to pre-WWII Japanese diplomacy. In this part, the focus will be on two of the early activities of the Japanese government in the Chicago area: the Iwakura Mission and the World Columbian Exposition. These events had a significant impact on the subsequent development of Japan and the cultural exchange between the U.S. and Japan. They are highly important in the history of U.S.-Japan relations, as well as the history of Japanese Americans in the Chicago area.

We won’t be introducing the personal lives of early Japanese Americans in the Chicago area on this page. However, a researcher of Japanese American history in the Chicago area named Takako Day notes that one of the first Japanese Americans to live in Chicago was Michitaro Ongawa He came to Chicago in 1871 and grew popular as a Japanese theatrical performer with his American wife. Takako Day has written an article about him, so if you would like to know more about him, Viewers can read her article from the link below.
https://discovernikkei.org/en/journal/2016/12/7/michitaro-ongawa-1/