“Another Russia in the Orient”: the Phenomenon of So-Called “Japanese Branch” of Russian Emigration

Abstract

This article explores the phenomenon of Russian post-revolutionary emigration to Japan and the general differences between Eastern and Western emigration by Russians. Many Russians from different social strata came to Japan to escape from the horrors of the Bolshevic regime. There were three main periods, or “waves”, of emigration to Japan: 1917—1923, 1924—1940, 1945 — late 1950s. Many of the Russian refugees settled in the sea-ports, like Kobe or Yokohama, because of the unique variety of advantages the cities offered to foreigners. Here they turned to become quite a noticable (though not the largest) group of inhabitants of those cosmopolitan cities. The role these emigrants played in the “westernization” of Japan in spheres such as food and light industries was as great as their contribution to Japanese culture in such activities as ballet, classical music and teaching of foreign languages. Some names of those Russians are still well known in modern Japan, giving an illustration of the people who formed the Russian diaspora in Japan in 1920—1950s.