Do You Have Connections in Japan?

Question

Hello, everyone and congratulations on another exciting Connect-a-thon! If any of you found yourselves working on profiles for ancestors living in or with connections to Japan, why not consider joining the newly revamped Japan Project?

See the Japan Project page for information on our goals and resource list. This project is freshly made, and I need your help to make it a useful resource for genealogy research related to Japan! If you are interested in joining the project, please:

1. Introduce yourself by answering this post. (Please post an answer, not a comment.) Let me know why you are interested in joining and what you'd like to see the Japan Project work towards. (A Global Project badge will be awarded to you soon after I respond to your comment.)
    
2. Add japan to your followed tags

Please post your request to join the Japan Project as an answer by clicking on the 'ANSWER THIS POST' link below.  (Don't click the comment link.) And if you have any questions, feel free to send me a private message.

Thank you!
Caitlin McCann

Coordinator, Japan Project

Answer 1

I live in Japan and my wife is Japanese. I am interested in finding more about her ancestors.

Comments

Welcome to the Japan Project, Jonathan! I have added you to our membership page (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Project:Japan). Due to a system glitch, it may take some time to get the Global badge assigned to you. I apologize for the wait! If you have any questions or need some help, please reach out to me directly or feel free to post in G2G using the "japan" tag. I'm happy to have you!

Answer 2

My wife is 1/2 Okinawan and we are very interested in finding out more about that side of her ancestry. Her mother comes from Zakimi in Yomitan on Okinawa, and we have her ancestry for a couple of generations back (surnames Toyama/Tohyama, and Kinjo).

Comments

Welcome to the Japan Project, Gilbert! I have added you to our membership page (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Project:Japan). Due to a system glitch, it may take some time to get the Global badge assigned to you. I apologize for the wait! If you have any questions or need some help posting your wife's family tree, please reach out to me directly or feel free to post in G2G using the "japan" tag. I'm happy to have you!

Answer 3

Hello all, I'm looking into my wife's "Ohnuma" Onuma roots

Thanks for being here.

Dan

Comments

Welcome to the Japan Project, Dan! I have added you to our membership page (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Project:Japan). Due to a system glitch, it may take some time to get the Global badge assigned to you. I apologize for the wait! If you have any questions or need some help, please reach out to me directly or feel free to post in G2G using the "japan" tag. We only have one Onuma ancestor currently in our global family tree so hopefully we can grow that line all together. I'm happy to have you!

Answer 4

Hello! I am interested in different writing systems and languages generally.

A cousin of my maternal grandfather married a Japanese woman, Tsukiko “Carrie” Ohno. [[Ohno-3|Tsukiko (Ohno) Joseph (1937-2011)]] While I never had the chance to meet her and her husband [her late brother-in-law was a genealogy mentor for me and a huge part of the reason that side of my family is so fleshed out], I would be interested in learning more about where she came from. Specifically, I would also like to determine the writing of her name in her native language. I have names for her parents and siblings, though all are romanized.

It is also my understanding that a lot of Japanese genealogical records are very hard to access if you’re not a direct descendant. This would make things harder as the couple had no children.

Comments

Welcome to the Japan Project! I have added you to our membership page (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Project:Japan). The Global Project badge will be assigned to you shortly. If you have any questions or need some help, please reach out to me directly or feel free to post in G2G using the "japan" tag.

It is true that gaining access to genealogical records in Japan as anyone other than a direct descendant can be very difficult, but hopefully the Project can create some steps and suggest some resources for people just like you trying to piece families together! That is definitely on our list of to-dos. I am happy to have you joining the Project and will reach out to you directly regarding possible kanji spellings for your family member soon!

Answer 5

Hello Caitlin,

I happen to visiting Japan as I write this - my very first trip! My brother-in-law and his Japanese wife live in Tokyo.  I would like to join the project.

I will follow-up further with you upon my return to the United States.

Comments

Welcome to the Japan Project, Robin! I have added you to our membership page (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Project:Japan). The Global Project badge will be assigned to you shortly. If you have any questions or need some help, please reach out to me directly or feel free to post in G2G using the "japan" tag. I hope you enjoy your trip to Japan and am happy to have you joining the Project!