20 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY AUGUST 21-27, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com Just as local Japanese American history is having a moment, its most important chapter comes into focus. By David SchmalzWhen Prince Asaka and Princess Nobuko of Japan came to Monterey on Nov. 20, 1925, their arrival had been kept secret. It was a courtesy the Japanese Consul of San Francisco, and the local Japanese community, had asked of the press. A Nov. 21 article in the Peninsula Daily Herald noted, “The silence was asked for because it was feared political enemies of the Japanese, many of whom are living in the United States, would attack the party en route to its stops.” The royal couple—Nobuko’s brother was the Emperor of Japan—had just spent three years studying in France, and had arrived in New York nine days earlier. They made a few stops on their way out West, including Washington, D.C., where on Nov. 15 they had been among President Calvin Coolidge’s guests on the Mayflower, the presidential yacht. The couple and their entourage, who had been assigned nine U.S. Secret Service agents to provide security during their visit, arrived at Del Monte station at 8:25pm. They were welcomed by the consul and members of the Japanese community, and after detectives from San Francisco, state police and Monterey’s police chief joined the security detail, the royal party was whisked off to Del Monte Lodge in Pebble Beach. The next morning, Asaka and Nobuko went golfing, and per the Herald, “Princess Nobuko is said to wield clubs so skillfully that on more than one occasion she has bested the Prince.” Following golf, the local Japanese community hosted a picnic for the royal couple at Point Lobos; Japanese residents from across the Central Coast were invited, and more than 200 showed to the party. After the royal entourage dined on grilled rockfish, local Japanese fishermen took the couple out fishing, which was followed by an abalone diving exhibition from two well-known Monterey divers. Before leaving for San Francisco the next morning, Prince Asaka and Princess Nobuko gave their hosts, the Monterey Japanese Association, a gift of $100 to show their appreciation for the warm hospitality—the picnic and scenery had been a hit. That money, along with a few other donations from local families, paid for the construction of a hall for the Japanese Association in downtown Monterey. A building permit was secured by the following March and the building was dedicated in May 1926. That two-story, ivory-hued hall still stands today, at 424 Adams St., just across from Jacks Park, and it turns 100 next year. Since 1941, it’s been owned by the local chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), and once stood as a touchstone for the local Japanese community during their THE RHYME OF It was the abundance of abalone that sparked Japanese immigration to the Monterey Peninsula starting in the late 1890s. Nearly all the divers were Japanese born, and they stayed underwater as long as the sun was up, minus a lunch break. Artifacts are on display at the JACL Hall. DANIEL DREIFUSS
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