Yamato (California) depicts a young woman´s strong wish to resist boredom, to find creativity and a positive identification with her existence in a small Japanese town dominated by the presence of an US-military base. Her single mother is dating an employee of the base, who hardly contacts her, but he sends his daughter from his previous marriage with a Japanese woman for a visit. When the two young women meet, they clash and are forced to question their identities. Japanese postcolonial critic meets coming-of-age-story with Rap soundtrack.