Interviews
Father’s Optimism
One of the things about my dad, being Nisei, he was very optimistic. You know, the rumor around Japantown was, oh, sell everything. Get what you can, we’ll never come back. All these stories about Nazi Germany and what was going on in Europe. One of the rumors that we would hear was, what’s going to happen. If Japan won the war, or if US wins the war, what’s going to happen? Either way, we’re all just going to be lined up and executed, so we’ll never comeback.
But my dad, he always thought that, yeah we’ll be back. In fact, he was so optimistic that one of his best friends was a Chinese family. And so he offered Chuck, to live in our home, which he had just purchased in 1939. And so Chuck and his family, and had a daughter about my age at that time. They came and lived in the house. And so after the war, when we came back to San Francisco, we had a home to come back to.
Date: August 26, 2015
Location: California, US
Interviewer: John Esaki
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum
Explore More Videos
Reflecting on Japanese Americans' response to incarceration
(b. 1925) Draft resister
Japanese American railroad workers are fired following the bombing of Pearl Harbor
(b. 1923) Chick sexer
A racist encounter at a movie theater following the bombing of Pearl Harbor
(b. 1923) Chick sexer
Encountering a train full of Japanese Americans being transported to a concentration camp
(b. 1923) Chick sexer
Joined Japanese Imperial Army during the WWII (Spanish)
(b. 1929) Nisei Argentinean
Relief fund to support Japanese communities (Japanese)
(1900–1996) The mother of Nikkei Brazilian immigration
Role of Assistancia Social dom Jose Gaspar (Japanese)
(1900–1996) The mother of Nikkei Brazilian immigration
Interrogation by police (Japanese)
(1900–1996) The mother of Nikkei Brazilian immigration
No immediate impact after Pearl Harbor
(b. 1928) Doctor. Former Chair of the Japanese Canadian Redress Foundation.
Treatment of Japanese fishermen in Canada during World War II
(b. 1928) Doctor. Former Chair of the Japanese Canadian Redress Foundation.
Government's permission to publish Japanese newspaper in Canada during World War II
(b. 1928) Doctor. Former Chair of the Japanese Canadian Redress Foundation.
Japanese newspaper supported by Canadian government during World War II
(b. 1928) Doctor. Former Chair of the Japanese Canadian Redress Foundation.
Sneaking out of the Hastings Park camp during World War II
(b. 1928) Doctor. Former Chair of the Japanese Canadian Redress Foundation.
Discover Nikkei Updates
November 12
5pm PDT | 7pm PET
Featured Nima:
Graciela Nakachi
Guest Host:
Enrique Higa
Presented in Spanish
Follow us @discovernikkei for new site content, program announcements, and more!