The kimono was put away for many years
After World War II, nearly 45,000 Japanese women married American servicemen and crossed the Pacific. The law barred Asian wives; the door opened in 1952.
Hiroko Furukawa was 21, selling jewelry at the Ginza PX. Tokyo was rubble. 'I couldn't live there, I had to get out to survive.'
Only her mother came to see her off. 'That's it, I'm not going to see Japan again.'
For the train to upstate New York, she picked her favorite kimono. She had heard everyone had beautiful clothes and beautiful homes.
His family was horrified. 'My in-laws wanted me to change. They wanted me in Western clothes. So did my husband. So I went upstairs and put on something else, and the kimono was put away for many years.'
'They also gave me a new name – Susie.'
Home was a chicken farm. 'Chicken coops and manure everywhere... I was devastated to live in these conditions.'
In Louisiana, Atsuko Craft got on a bus divided in two, black and white. 'I didn't know where to sit, so I sat in the middle.'
Hiroko processed eggs, then ran the store on her own after the divorce. 'I finally have a nice life, a beautiful home,' she said. 'I am very much an American.'
There is no Susie any more. Only Hiroko.