In the early Meiji period, only a handful of Japanese made the journey from Japan to New York.
Beginning with the establishment of the Japanese consulate in 1872, government officials and merchants gradually began to settle in the city.
This article examines the realities of daily life for Japanese pioneers—drawing on historical sources to explore 1870s living costs, boarding house life, extreme frugality, and the formidable language barrier they faced.
How Did Japanese Pioneers Live in Early Meiji New York?
Early Meiji period, the late 19th century.
A very small number of Japanese pioneers crossed the Pacific and arrived in New York.
How did they actually live in this distant and unfamiliar land?
In this article, we take a closer look at daily life in the 1870s, when a Japanese community was just beginning to emerge in New York.
The Birth of the Japanese Community in New York — The Consulate of 1872
One of the earliest and most significant milestones in the formation of a Japanese community in New York was the establishment of the Japanese consulate in 1872.
The first head of the consulate was Tetsunosuke Tomita, whose official title was Consular Agent, though in practice he served as the top representative.
He later became Governor of the Bank of Japan and was also known as a favored disciple of Kaishū Katsu, a leading figure of Japan’s modernization movement.
In 1867, reflecting Katsu’s progressive outlook, Tomita accompanied Katsu’s beloved son, Katsuka, on his overseas studies.
Although Tomita had been a retainer of the Sendai Domain and fought on the Tokugawa side during the Boshin War, his international experience was highly valued. As a result, he was appointed the first Japanese consul in New York in 1872.
Today, Japan maintains a Consulate General in New York, but at that time the consulate itself was Japan’s highest diplomatic authority in the city.
The number of Japanese residents in New York was extremely small.
They consisted mainly of government officials like Tomita, government-sponsored students, and business pioneers such as Rioichiro Arai.
Given the enormous cost of overseas travel and living expenses at the time, these individuals can truly be described as a carefully selected group of super elites.
New York in the 1870s: A City Still in the Making
New York in the 1870s was entering an era of mass immigration.
Irish, Italian, Chinese, and many other communities were beginning to shape the city, giving it remarkable energy and diversity.
Yet this was still an early stage of development.
Grand Central Terminal and the Brooklyn Bridge had not yet been completed.
The modern skyline of skyscrapers was still far in the future, and the city retained an unfinished, transitional atmosphere.
Shockingly High Prices in New York
At the time, the exchange rate was roughly 1 dollar = 1 yen.
However, the cost of living in Japan and the United States differed dramatically.
For example, in New York:
- Two apples cost 50 cents (0.5 dollars)
In Japan:
- A bowl of udon noodles cost 8 rin (0.008 yen)
In simple terms, the price of a single apple in New York could buy more than 30 bowls of udon in Japan.
Even these elite Japanese pioneers were forced to live extremely frugal lives once they arrived.
Life in Boarding Houses
As introduced in a previous article, boarding houses were a common form of housing in New York at the time.
They typically included meals, with rent around $20 per month, usually covering three meals a day.
This was an enormous expense compared to Japan, where a newly appointed police officer earned about 6 yen per month.
Zenjirō Horikoshi, who would later succeed in the silk textile trade, reportedly arrived in New York in extreme poverty and lived for a time in a boarding house hallway for $7 per week.
Studies suggest that 30–50% of New York residents during this era lived in boarding houses at some point in their lives.
Boarding houses often catered to specific ethnic groups—Irish, Jewish, Italian, and others.
Among them were establishments favored by Japanese residents.
Figures such as Ryōichirō Arai and Toyo Morimura are believed to have lived in such boarding houses, which were also frequented by staff from the Japanese consulate—effectively Japanese-only lodgings.
Young Japanese men gathered there, discussing their futures late into the night.
The scene feels almost like the legendary shared apartments of later manga artists—an image that sparks the imagination.
Extreme Frugality — Sleeping on Wooden Crates
Before even entering a boarding house, Toyo Morimura endured harsher conditions.
According to anecdote, he slept on straw laid inside wooden shipping crates used to transport goods from Japan, stored in the basement of a shop.
Another famous story tells of Morimura and Arai splitting a single apple in half.
Even half an apple cost the equivalent of 15 bowls of udon in Japan.
These stories reveal how close the two men were during their earliest days in America.
新Rioichiro Arai on His Early Diet in America
In later years, Arai recalled his early life in America with these words:
“We came to America prepared to cling to our resolve even if we had to chew on stones.”
Breakfast consisted of bread and coffee.
Lunch was three one-cent sweets.
Dinner was taken at the cheapest diner, choosing the least expensive cut of beef.
Arai later remarked that he had wondered why American beef was so tough—only to realize he was always eating the cheapest meat available.
The Great Barrier: English
How proficient was their English?
Both Morimura and Arai had studied English in Japan, but a few years of study could not prepare them for real-life communication in New York.
At the time in Japan:
- Opportunities to encounter the alphabet were rare
- Native English teachers were almost nonexistent
One account of Morimura’s early experiences records katakana spellings such as “Rinkorun”, “Ondorusutando”, and “Ingirishi”—attempts at Lincoln, understand, and English.
Unsurprisingly, these pronunciations were not understood at all.
Even the English education inspired by Yukichi Fukuzawa at Keio Gijuku proved insufficient in practice.
One might say it was a decisive defeat.
And even 150 years later, Japan’s English proficiency remains a recurring topic of debate.
Studying at a Business College
Morimura chose to study English and business at Eastman Business College in Poughkeepsie, near New York, for about three months.
Tuition was $100 for three months—far from cheap—but with a recommendation from Consul Tomita, he decided it was worth the investment.
Founded in 1859 by educator Harvey G. Eastman, Eastman Business College was one of the largest and most prestigious commercial schools in 19th-century America.
One of its most famous graduates was Sebastian S. Kresge, founder of Kmart.
Tomita himself had studied at a commercial school in New Jersey during his time abroad, where he met business educator William Cogswell Whitney.
Recognizing Whitney’s talent, Tomita introduced him to Japan in 1875.
Whitney was subsequently invited to Japan and played a key role in introducing modern commercial education—such as bookkeeping and business practice—at the Commercial Training School, the forerunner of today’s Hitotsubashi University.
Tomita later recommended Eastman Business College to Morimura not as a casual favor, but because he consistently identified institutions that could teach Japanese students practical skills in the shortest possible time.
The school emphasized real-world business training: bookkeeping, accounting, commercial correspondence, and simulated banking transactions.
Its goal was not simply to speak English, but to work in English.
Although Morimura struggled with English conversation, his academic performance was reportedly excellent. He also developed the habit—taught at the school—of always carrying a pen in his pocket.
Legacy and Conclusion
As Morimura Brothers later achieved remarkable success, Eastman Business College gained a strong reputation among Japanese students.
Morimura’s sons and nephews, Kazuchika Ōkura (later president of TOTO), sons of Yukichi Fukuzawa, and many other Japanese students followed the same path.
Japanese-language newspapers in the early 1900s proudly advertised that over 100 Japanese graduates of the school had gone on to successful careers.
Conclusion — A Far Harsher Life Than We Imagine
Even today, Japanese residents in the United States struggle with language and cultural barriers.
For pioneers in the early Meiji period—who traveled alone to New York with almost no information—the challenge of learning English and business customs from scratch was immense.
Through relentless frugality and perseverance, they laid the foundations of Japanese–American business relations.
Behind their eventual success lay years of hardship, discipline, and an extraordinary ability to endure.