Interviews
Mother founded Japanese language school in neighbors’ backyard
I went to Japanese language school. My mother actually founded the Japanese language school. In our neighborhood, since we were the only family initially — our neighbors were Dutch. And they had a back guest house type of area, where the Buddhist reverend came all the way out to where we lived in the suburbs, and there were three of us in the Japanese language class: my sister, myself, and I can’t remember who the third person was.
Eventually my mother went to a different Buddhist church where she knew people, and she knew the bishop, and they were willing to come out to try to start a Japanese language school. So we were in a nursery area, and then people were from outlying areas coming into it, and they eventually were able to raise funds and build an actual building where the Japanese language school still remains. And when I had children later in life, my sons did go to that Japanese language school briefly.
Date: July 27, 2018
Location: California, US
Interviewer: Kiya Matsuno
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum; Japanese American Bar Association
Explore More Videos
Growing up outside of Portland’s Japanese community
(b. 1921) Nisei businessman. Established "Made in Oregon" retail stores
Education in a Buddhist temple and a country school
(1914-2018) Founder of the largest gladiolus bulb farm in the United States.
Closing the Japanese school and deportation (Spanish)
(b. 1932-2016) Peruvian painter
Learning Japanese at school and at home with family
(b.1951) Co-founder and managing director of San Jose Taiko.
Going to Japanese school
(1923-2011) Lawyer, MIS veteran, founder of Francis and Sarah Sogi Foundation
Feeling closer to Japan as a Japanese American
(1923-2011) Lawyer, MIS veteran, founder of Francis and Sarah Sogi Foundation
To think in one language and live in another (Spanish)
Sansei Argentinean
Initial struggles with the language barrier (Japanese)
(b. 1917) Okinawan, Issei Argentinean
School life in Japan (Japanese)
(1928 - 2008) Drafted into both the Japanese Imperial Army and the U.S. Army.