Interviews

1. Memories of the ship heading to the U.S.

2. Thunder in Crystal City

3. Kids activities in Crystal City

4. Having a house at camp

5. Having nowhere to go postwar

6. Feeling of foreigness

7. Art helped him to feel less foreign in school

8. First Boy Scouts troop in San Francisco

9. Trip to Japan as a Boy Scout

10. Playing basketball in the army

11. Working as a typist in the army

12. Painting murals and signs in the army

George Kazuharu Naganuma

(b. 1938) Japanese Peruvian incarcerated in Crystal City

Feeling of foreigness

That's the only language I knew is Japanese, then, so it's kind of hard for us to live in the U.S.A. Our friends were all Nisei, they're Japanese Americans. And I was from Peru, so even going to school in San Francisco, I always felt that I was, like, I always felt like a foreigner. I had this thing, I would try to pretend that I was a Japanese American, although I wasn't. But inside, deep inside, I know I was different, and that was with me all through my life whenever... as I was growing up, I pretend like I'm being a Nisei, but I always had an accent, my English was... and I couldn't pronounce the word right. And so I'd try to not talk too much. So a lot of my friends didn't know I was from Peru.

I still do; it's still with me. So I try to, not to show that I'm a foreigner. I'm a citizen of the United States now, and that kind of makes me feel better, but always with me, as a foreigner. Even at school, always at school I had that in my mind.

California foreigners identity Japanese Peruvians noncitizens San Francisco United States

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

George Kazuharu Naganuma was born in Lima, Peru to his Issei parents in 1938. 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. George joined the Boy Scouts in San Francisco and was able to visit Japan with his troop. He joined the U.S. Army and worked as a clerical typist. (June 2020)

Explore More Videos

Interviewee

Tag

Keywords

Robert (Bob) Kiyoshi Okasaki

Grandmother's influence on decision to go to Japan

(b.1942) Japanese American ceramist, who has lived in Japan for over 30 years.

Masakatsu Jaime Ashimine Oshiro

A Possible Path towards Happiness… (Spanish)

(1958-2014) Former Bolivian Ambassador to Japan

Masako Iino

What is Nikkei? (Japanese)

Tsuda College President, researcher of Nikkei history

Masako Iino

Learning from Nikkei (Japanese)

Tsuda College President, researcher of Nikkei history

James Hirabayashi

Nickname

(1926 - 2012) Scholar and professor of anthropology. Leader in the establishment of ethnic studies as an academic discipline

James Hirabayashi

Context affects meaning

(1926 - 2012) Scholar and professor of anthropology. Leader in the establishment of ethnic studies as an academic discipline

James Hirabayashi

Testing assumptions of Japanese scholars

(1926 - 2012) Scholar and professor of anthropology. Leader in the establishment of ethnic studies as an academic discipline

Steve Kaji

FOB's

Hawaii born Nikkei living in Japan. English Teacher at YMCA.

Venancio Shinki

Prejudice in Japanese school (Spanish)

(b. 1932-2016) Peruvian painter

Mike Shinoda

Connecting to Japan

(b. 1977) Musician, Producer, Artist

PJ Hirabayashi

Feeling empowered by taiko

Co-founder and creative director of San Jose Taiko

PJ Hirabayashi

Sense of lineage between Sansei and Issei through Taiko

Co-founder and creative director of San Jose Taiko

Ann K. Nakamura

Image of Americans

Sansei from Hawaii living in Japan. Teacher and businesswoman.

Robert (Bob) Kiyoshi Okasaki

Japanese influence growing up

(b.1942) Japanese American ceramist, who has lived in Japan for over 30 years.

PJ Hirabayashi

Diverse membership in San Jose Taiko

Co-founder and creative director of San Jose Taiko

Discover Nikkei Updates

SAVE THE DATE

Discover Nikkei Fest is on February 8! Join us for a community fair, workshops, a panel discussion, and much more. Sign up now for virtual or in-person tickets.

NIKKEI NAMES 2

The Editorial Committee and Nima-kai Community Favorites have been announced! Find out which stories are this year’s favorites 🏆

PROJECT UPDATES

New Site Design
See exciting new changes to Discover Nikkei. Find out what’s new and what’s coming soon!

Interviews

Watch more clips

George Kazuharu Naganuma

Feeling of foreigness

Explore More Videos

Discover Nikkei Updates