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Around 140 years ago, young people began leaving Japan to study abroad. They were known as “shosei,” which meant that they were students who were given room and board in exchange for performing domestic duties. These students began migrating, mainly to the San Francisco area in the United States, around 1881. Many of them were poor. They usually worked at the homes of wealthy San Franciscans during the day and went to school at night. Once they finished their studies, some returned to Japan to play active roles in society, while others stayed and became leaders of the Japanese community in the U.S.
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