HIST 114 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Santa Barbara City College, Semi-Arid Climate
Document Summary
The act of breaking open the top of a sake-containing wooden barrel is considered good luck. Kagamiwari is a part of vacations including new year"s day, japan"s most popular holiday. It also forms part of wedding ceremonies, as a way to wish good fortune to newlyweds. Also, kagamiwari is frequently made when a new company is formed or when a ship is launched. The practice of working on land owned by others has been extremely attractive, with the prospect of owning and cultivating their own land. The fertile california valleys gave the hopeful immigrants an almost unlimited supply of land and jobs. Japanese employees quickly gained a reputation as hard workers who, without complaint, tolerated low pay, long hours and tough conditions. As field workers paying by the quantity of produce they picked, japanese usually received twice as much as other workers because they were so good at their jobs. Eventually many japanese farm workers became their own landowners.
