Glendale’s Murakami Bridges Gaps in Age, Culture on the Court

Kajiko Murakami sat quietly at the dining room table, poised to answer in her best English a reporter’s inquiries. An antique spoon collection hung on the wall behind the 5-foot, 3-inch mother of three, and an English-Japanese dictionary large enough to warrant its own ZIP code lay in front of her.

Murakami, 48, spoke in soft tones, her head tilted deferentially to one side as she explained her status as the No. 6 singles player for the Glendale College women’s tennis team.

Coach Terry Coblentz had discovered Murakami in an intermediate tennis class two years ago. Murakami was 5-11 last season at No. 4. This season she is 15-2 after dropping her second-round match in the Western State Conference tournament Thursday at Santa Barbara City College.

“Usually your No. 6 player doesn’t have very good skills or concentration,� Coblentz said. “But Kajiko has both. She is the perfect No. 6.

And a perfect mother? Many in her native Japan might think not.

Murakami and her family moved to Glendale from Tokyo in the summer of 1983 when her husband Yasushi, an engineer with Nippon Steel, received a job transfer.

In Japan, her role was that of wife and mother. Period.

“If I were in Japan I couldn’t spend this amount of time on just playing tennis,� Murakami said. “It’s OK to be complacent in Japan. But here, I am very different. Women are very independent here.�

Her oldest daughter, Shinobu, 20, noticed the cultural differences when she returned to Japan to attend college last year. Shinobu and a group of college friends went on a picnic. Her male classmates showed up empty-handed, expecting the women to provide all the food and drink. Kajiko received the first of several overseas calls from a furious Shinobu.

Kajiko believes that it will be even more difficult for her son Tamaki, 18, and daughter Yayoi, 16, to reacclimate to Japan society when her husband is transferred back to Japan later this year.

“It will not be so hard for me,� Murakami said. “But for my children it will be very difficult. At this point they are quite Americanized.�

Murakami’s participation on the Glendale team (12-4 overall, 11-3 in conference play) has helped her understand what that entails. Her teammates are very close in age to her children and she has used their behavior as a cultural yardstick.

“It’s been a chance to help me know about young college students’ behavior,� Murakami said. “Sometimes I feel that even American parents don’t have that kind of insight into their children’s behavior. So when I see my teammates’ behavior, then I know this may be the standard.�

However, Murakami has not taken the position of outside observer. She is well-liked and respected by her teammates, having conquered age and language barriers.

“She’s just like the rest of us,� said Genoveva Guba, who has several times teamed with Murakami in doubles. “I treat her like any other teammate. I really like playing with her.�

Coblentz said that Murakami’s age has been of benefit to the team. Her maturity and mental toughness has made her a team leader, despite being the lowest-ranked singles player.

And tennis has been of benefit to Murakami. She had taught high school English courses after graduating from Tokyo’s International Christian University in 1963. So when she began attending Glendale in 1982, Murakami was trying only to improve her mastery of the English language. However, tennis has motivated her to work toward an associate of arts degree that could facilitate her return to teaching.

For now, Murakami is relishing her status as elder statesman of the Glendale team. As such, she tires quicker than her teammates but compensates with steady ground strokes and a positive outlook.

“She’s a super individual,� Coblentz said. “She’s added to everyone’s education. Particularly mine.�