Akita talks about his early life in Hawaii. He describes his mother, father, and grandparents. He discusses what life was like on a sugar plantation. He talks about the Japanese language and Japanese language school. He briefly discusses his siblings…
Akita describes his worst experiences during World War Two. He shares his knowledge of American Concentration Camps. He talks about his photography work. He describes photographs that are shown on camera.
Fukushima discusses about his experiences in post-war Japan. He details his interactions with the Japanese civilians. Fukushima also discusses about the importance of Nisei linguist
Hagiwara continues talking about his time growing up in Ketchikan, Alaska. He would take an interest in basketball, and even be able to travel to different areas for competitions. Next, he talks about the population of his neighborhood and the…
Hashisaka discusses his family background, including his children and grandchildren and their involvement in the oral history program and continuing the history of the Japanese Americans. Next, he discusses telling his own personal story to his…
Mr. Hayashi introduces himself and offers some background information about himself and his family. Mr. Hayashi speaks at length about his parents, why they came to his hometown of Grand Junction, Colorado, their occupations, and where they were from…
Sameshima and Hayashi are joined by George Hayakawa as they remember Joe Hayashi, who served with the 442nd Regiment and earned a Medal of Honor while in Italy. They talk about various memories of him, including a time during kendo practice, where…
In this segment, Benjamin Hazard continues discussing his childhood. He recalls memories involving two of his close friends and their experiences during school. He also talks about his interest in learning several different languages and also about…
Ishimoto continues his discussion on the importance of Nisei linguists during the military occupation of Japan. He talks about the various campaigns and things that the MIS had to deal with, that were much more than just interpreting and translating.…
Iso discusses how he ended up in Japan during military occupation and what he did while he was there. He also details about the starvation and devastation he witnessed in Japan. Iso discusses what it was like interacting with the Japanese people.
Kanada talks about receiving the Purple Heart and a unit citation; returning home; marriage; teaching dance; and provides a message to future generations.
Kawaguchi discusses training at Fort Snelling for an anticipated invasion of Japan and having to learn Japanese language as part of his training. He also provides his thoughts about the future of Japanese Americans and Japanese culture, and the…
Kobayahsi discusses about joining the Military Intelligence Service (MIS) and about his post-war experiences in Japan. He details about his experiences with the war crimes tribunals. Kobayashi also discusses about the legacy of the Nisei and gives an…
Kodama begins the interview talking about his parents and how they came from Japan and settled down in Mountain View, California. They would become farmers, specializing in fruit, and help to run an on-sen as well. He also talks about his sisters and…
Kodama continues to discuss growing up as a Seventh-Day Adventist, having many restrictions such as not being able to go to football games or movies. After this, he talks about the holidays he grew up celebrating, including New Years and Christmas,…
Kosaki continues his discussion on his time in occupied Japan. He speaks about how he was able to travel through different areas of Japan, such Hiroshima and Kochi, where he had family. Next, he talks about his other assignments and duties which were…
When Tony Koura goes back to Japan after the occupation, the locals have changed. The people have money, there is no food shortage, no one is starving, and every one is employed. There are thousands of linguists during the occupation. Tony says the…
Kuida speaks about the end of the war in Europe, where he spent the last leg of the trip visiting Rome, attending courses at the University of Florence and guarding an ammunition depot. Next, they were sent back to the United States and he would get…
After returning from Japan, Matsui would settle in Seattle, noticing the differences between American and Japanese community and culture. He would work as a houseboy for a caucasian family, earning $15 a month and working at the salmon cannery in…
In October 1949, Ray Mayeda worked at the Civil Censorship until it was dissolved. Then Ray worked at Allied Translator and Interpreter Section (ATIS) as a translator. He translated classified documents into English for a year.
Murakami talks about his observations of Japanese nationals during his participation in Occupied Japan. He talks about cultural nuances in Japan and the politics of Niseis interactions with Japanese citizenry. He also discusses his work after his…
Muranaka goes through his work in the Army after the end of World War Two, where he served in the Korean War. Next, he discusses the importance of Nisei soldiers during the occupation of Japan, and how big of an impact communication is in order to…
Following the Korean War, Nakamura would return to Japan for a short time before returning to the United States. He would first head to Los Angeles to complete his college degree and begin his career. He talks about working for Chevrolet on the…
Nakasone talks more about the occupation of Japan and the recreational activities such as dancing and the caucasian soldiers that were there. Next, he goes back and talks about his language courses at Fort Snelling, learning kanji and the root…
In this segment, Nakawatase talks about his time training at the Military Intelligence Service Language school. He talks about negotiating his time of service as a recruiter for MIS. He also talks about the experts he met in language school and…
Oda provides substantial information regarding her family of origin. She talks about her mother's higher education in Japan, and how her father settled in California; she also shares details of her siblings growing up. In addition, Oda provides…
M. Oda talks about racial tensions in California before and after the attack on Pearl Harbor. She also talks about her family members that died while in Manzanar Concentration Camp. In addition there are anecdotes regarding: how her father acquired…
Oda talks reflects on the totality of her Japanese ancestry and the race discrimination she endured in her youth. She also talks politics regarding America and East Asia. In addition, she talks about the legacy of World War 2.
Oishi continues his recollection of his time arriving in Japan during the military occupation. He would arrive in Yokosuka and head to Camp Zama, where he would see the devastation of Tokyo and the conditions for the Japanese civilians. Next, he…
Oshita begins the interview talking about her family background, her father being born in Hawaii and going back to Japan at a young age and her mother coming from Kochi, Japan. She talks more about how the families came to Hawaii and the jobs they…
Ota begins the interview talking about his family and how his parents came from Nagasaki to Washington. His father would work his way up from being a janitor to owning hotels and restaurants while Kenneth and his siblings went to school and played…
Riess discusses his free time in Japan and how his time in Japan helped his future career path. Next, he talks about visiting Hiroshima and Nagasaki after the atomic bombs and how manufacturing in Japan took off after the war for companies like Honda…
Sakaji discusses his parents including his mother's death, father's employment, and their reasons for immigrating to the United States. He then talks about his siblings; his childhood chores; discusses the differences between past and present day…
Sako discusses his role in Occupied Japan. He details about learning the Japanese language. Sako also discusses about his interactions with Japanese citizens in post-war Japan.
Sako discusses more about his interactions with the Japanese citizens. He details about his role with the 5250th Technical Intelligence Company. Sako also discusses the Japanese mindset in post-war Japan.
Sato first talks about how he came to get the name Robert and how he and his siblings chose their names during grade school. He also talks about how his parents were able to keep them involved in Japanese culture, including Japanese language school…
Shishido begins the interview talking about his family coming over from Japan to Hawaii and then moving back to Japan with his eldest brother and sister, Hiroshi choosing to stay behind with his younger brother. He would grow up on Maui, helping out…
Shishido discusses more about going to the prisoner of war camps in Nagasaki and what it was like to interpret in that situation. He also talks about recreational activities during that time and the high costs for certain foods. After this, he would…
Surh begins by discussing her childhood in Los Angeles by recounting different childhood activities and memories. She also talks about a painful moment at Sunday school where she and her brother were excluded from a party by adults. She later…
Tsuda begins the interview with a brief introduction of himself and his parents. After this, he talks about what it was like to grow up in Honolulu, living in Haleiwa on a pineapple cannery. He would enjoy attending Japanese language school and would…
Tsuneishi speaks about the Christian church being an influence in his life and how the Evergreen Methodist church helped support him during his volunteering in Haiti. He also discusses a multitude of issues including anthrax in Haiti, terrorism, and…
Uesato continues his discussion of his time in occupied Japan. During this time, he was an interpreter for political analysts who were trying to get as much information as they could regarding Japan's population in politics. In this way, Uesato was…
Yamada continues his experiences in occupied Japan, including taking kendo lessons and the reform that was brought about. He talks about the things Americans tried to teach the Japanese such as equality, education and ethics. After his time with the…
Yamasaki begins the interview talking about how his family came from Japan to Hawaii. As his parents were born in Hawaii, he was a sansei, and would speak very little Japanese at home. His father would help to get him into a private elite school,…
Yoshimura begins the interview discussing how he came to be on the USS Missouri with General MacArthur when the emperor of Japan was announcing his surrender. As a child, Yoshimura had moved from America to Japan to begin his education and to learn…
