The first wave of Japanese immigrants in the 1800s were young men who left overcrowded fishing and farming villages in hopes of a better life in North America. An enlightening account of the conditions upon arrival and the discrimination they experienced is accompanied by full-color artwork and eyewitness accounts. Topics include: life in Japan, the Chinese Exclusion Act in America which opened the door to the Japanese, working the railroads, mines, and farms in North America, anti-Japanese discrimination, the bombing of Pearl Harbor, WWII internment camps in the United States and Canada, cultural traditions and festivals still celebrated, and notable North Americans of Japanese ancestry.