A Day in Little Tokyo - Summary

The short story "A Day in Little Tokyo" by Hisaye Yamamoto is narrated by a young girl named Chisato.

Chisato is excited to go to the beach with her family but is disappointed when her father takes them to Little Tokyo instead. She is angry and resentful towards her father and brother for not wanting to go to the beach.

While her father and brother attend a sumo wrestling match, Chisato wanders around Little Tokyo by herself. She recalls past visits to Little Tokyo with her family and friends.

Chisato encounters two white men who give her some money, which she takes reluctantly. She feels guilty for taking the money and wishes she could give them money instead.

Chisato's father and brother return, and they leave Little Tokyo. On the way home, they get into a car accident. No one is seriously injured, but Chisato is shaken by the experience.

They finally make it home, and Chisato's mother is relieved to see them safe. Chisato's father regrets not taking the family to the beach. Chisato knows that the day's events were not simple and feels guilty for taking the money from the men.

Discussion questions

1. What were Chisato's challenges and hopes? 

2. What parts of the story made you feel connected to the girl's journey?

Further reading

1. Cheung, King-Kok. "Double-Telling: Intertextual Silence in Hisaye Yamamoto's Fiction." American Literary History, vol. 3, no. 2, 1 July 1991, pp. 277–293. King-Kok Cheung explores the narrative techniques in Hisaye Yamamoto's fiction​.

2. Yamamoto, Hisaye. "A Day in Little Tokyo." Amerasia Journal, vol. 13, no. 2. .

3. McDonald, Dorothy Ritsuko, and Katharine Newman. "Relocation and Dislocation: The Writings of Hisaye Yamamoto and Wakako Yamauchi." Melus 7.3 (1980): 21-38. Discusses the themes of relocation and dislocation within Hisaye Yamamoto's writings.