ABSTRACT
The senior day care centers established specifically for the Zainichi first generation differ in key ways from other senior centers in Japan. They are bilingual facilities that offer traditional Korean foods and the freedom to use one's ethnic name and speak one's own language. Zainichi Korean elderly can comfortably be themselves in these spaces without the pressure to conform to a uniform Japanese system. Fueled by the idea of “taking care of our own” and inspired by a desire to repay (ongaeshi) their first-generation parents for their work and sacrifice, the younger generation strove to create facilities in which elderly Zainichi could be surrounded by the language, culture, traditions, food, and activities of their homeland, providing them a sense of security and comfort during their final days. Through ethnographic fieldwork and interviews, this chapter spotlights Zainichi Korean senior day care centers that provide an important intergenerational social space where cultural memory is preserved and reinforced. Within this intergenerational space, the way of being Chōsen-jin (Korean people) is illustrated by the first generation's stories, and the reality of their diaspora and displacement becomes part of the collective memory of the members of the second, third, and fourth generations who work in the facilities. Taking care of the first generation familiarizes younger Zainichi with the taste and smell of Korean ethnic foods, the nature of certain Zainichi Korean familial relationships, and the unspoken but innate cultural implications of speech and behavior that convey respect for one's elders. Bringing multiple generations together emphasizes a “commonness” in cultural practices and creates a kind of a makeshift “homeland” that embodies a shared cultural memory.
