Interviews
Traveling from Manila to Tokyo
They took us out to the airport. I said, “Wow, where am I going to go out to the airport?” There’s a plane sitting out there, and here come some other trucks. There were, oh, I’d say about twenty of us got on that plane. The officer came aboard, he was a lieutenant. No high ranking officer. And we didn’t say a word, nothing to him. He said, “I bet you all want to know where we’re going.” He said, “I don’t know where we’re going either. And I hope the pilot knows where we’re going.” But he says, “As soon as we get off the ground, I can open up my orders.” So he opened it up about, it could have been a half an hour later, after we were up in the air. He says, “We’re going to Tokyo.” I said this guy is pulling our leg, going to Tokyo. That would be the last place you’d think we’d go. That’s where we ended up, we went to Tokyo.
Date: February 6, 2015
Location: California, US
Interviewer: John Esaki
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum
Explore More Videos
His views on nuclear weapons
(b. 1938) Japanese American. Hiroshima atomic bomb survivor
Loss When Leaving for Manzanar
Japanese American animator for Walt Disney and Hanna Barbera (1925-2007)
Forcibly deported to the U.S. from Peru
(b. 1936) Japanese Peruvian incarcerated in Crystal City
Stories of Grandfather at a concentration camp in Fusagasuga
(b.1974) Japanese Colombian who currently resides in the United States
Her grandfather in a concentration camp in Fusagasuga (Spanish)
(b.1974) Japanese Colombian who currently resides in the United States
Family welcomed at Crystal City
(b. 1936) Japanese Peruvian incarcerated in Crystal City
First meal at Crystal City
(b. 1936) Japanese Peruvian incarcerated in Crystal City
His sister Kiyo was like a second mother to him
(b. 1942) Japanese Peruvian incarcerated in Crystal City
Discover Nikkei Updates
Be in our video celebrating Nikkei worldwide. Click to learn how to submit! Deadline extended to October 15!
November 12
5pm PDT | 7pm PET
Featured Nima:
Graciela Nakachi
Guest Host:
Enrique Higa
Presented in Spanish