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https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/1753/

Food on the ship to the U.S.

We had only cookies, I believe, a can like so big, I don't know how we brought that, but that was something to eat for me and the family. Besides that, I remember I would, at that age, you wander, like you wander around the ship, somehow, I did, with my sister. We looked around and wanted to see what's going on. And my sister opened up this door, and it was a mess hall. And she opened it up and you could smell some of the food. So there were people eating there, and we sat down at a table, and I guess we didn't think about people that were there, and we were kind of hungry, too, at the same time we were sick. And we were fed. They gave us two plates, and it was sauerkraut and sausage. Oh, when you're sick, you don't want smell the sauerkraut, and I still remember, we didn't get to eat sauerkraut, we munched on the sausage and we left right away and went back to our room.


food Japanese Peruvians ships

Date: September 20, 2019

Location: California, US

Interviewer: Tom Ikeda and Yoko Nishimura

Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum and Denshō: The Japanese American Legacy Project.

Interviewee Bio

Jimmy Naganuma was born in Callao, Peru to his Issei parents in 1936. He was eight years old when his family were forced to board a ship, to be incarcerated at Crystal City, Texas, during World War II. They remained there even after the war had ended, without a place to go. They were able to leave via a sponsorship by a reverend in San Francisco, California, where they were able to find jobs and housing.  (June 2020)

Jimmy Murakami
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Paintings reflecting on camp

(1933 – 2014) Japanese American animator

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Francesca Yukari Biller
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What Nikkei means to her

Jewish Japanese American journalist

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Francesca Yukari Biller
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Culture is an important part of one's identity

Jewish Japanese American journalist

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Toshiaki Toyoshima
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Teaching how to eat sushi (Japanese)

(b. 1949) Sushi chef. Owner of Sushi Gen restaurant in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo.

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Michelle Yamashiro
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General reasons why people left Japan for Peru

Okinawan American whose parents are from Peru.

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Michelle Yamashiro
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Working together in Okinawa using three languages

Okinawan American whose parents are from Peru.

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Kazumu Naganuma
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His sister Kiyo was like a second mother to him

(b. 1942) Japanese Peruvian incarcerated in Crystal City

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Kazumu Naganuma
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His sister secured reparations for the family

(b. 1942) Japanese Peruvian incarcerated in Crystal City

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Kazumu Naganuma
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Checking in with Immigration once a month

(b. 1942) Japanese Peruvian incarcerated in Crystal City

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Luis Yamada
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Suffering in World War II (Spanish)

(b. 1929) Nisei Argentinean

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Toshiaki Toyoshima
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Difficulty of spreading authentic sushi (Japanese)

(b. 1949) Sushi chef. Owner of Sushi Gen restaurant in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo.

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Toshiaki Toyoshima
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I’m worried about the future of sushi in America (Japanese)

(b. 1949) Sushi chef. Owner of Sushi Gen restaurant in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo.

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Toshihiko Seki
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Japanese Culture and the crafting Sushi in the States (Japanese)

(n. 1962) Sushi Chef

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Toshihiko Seki
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The Road to Success As a Sushi Chef (Japanese)

(n. 1962) Sushi Chef

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Toshiro Konishi
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World-Renowned Peruvian Cuisine (Japanese)

(b. 1962) Japanese restaurant owner and chef in Peru

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