Interviews
Devastation in Tokyo after World War II
The devastation, well, we both saw it -- we saw it both in Manila and in Japan, especially Tokyo, Yokohama, and Osaka, too. These are major cities that were devastated. And you see blocks and blocks of nothing but torn buildings, bricks, devastation very clearly. And I was amazed, we should have known better, but here, what was I, a twenty-year-old or whatever. We should have been more thoughtful, I guess. But I remember the first night we got into town, into Tokyo, my friend and I were, by the time the airplane found the airfield and we got into town, we were, one of the few buildings standing was the Morinaga Building, right next to Hibiya Park, Hibiya Koen, in the middle of Tokyo. So we go out in the streets, and we're hungry, so we see this policeman, and we says, Hey, is there any restaurant open around here? He just laughed at us. He said, "You bombed the heck out of us. We don't have food, let alone restaurants that are open." We should have known better. And it was really a sad situation for the Japanese.
Date: March 19, 2004
Location: California, US
Interviewer: Mitchell Maki
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum.
Explore More Videos
Hearing anti-American war propaganda from a teacher
(b. 1927) Japanese American Nisei. Family voluntarily returned to Japan during WWII.
The hardships of life in Japan during World War II
(b. 1927) Japanese American Nisei. Family voluntarily returned to Japan during WWII.
Neighbor took care of hotel business during the World War II
(1918-2023) Nisei Japanese kabuki dancer
Life after internment in Slocan
(1918-2004) Interned in Slocan during World War II. Active member of the Japanese Canadian community.
Anti-Japanese sentiment at the time of World War II
(b. 1918) Issei businessman in Canada
The reason to stay in Japan after his third year
Japanese American Creative designer living in Japan
Getting a job at the British Army camp in Hiroshima
(b.1924) Japanese Canadian Nisei. Interpreter for British Army in Japan after WWII. Active in Japanese Canadian community
Lack of political power led to camps
(1924-2018) Researcher, Activist
Choice to move east or go to Japan
(b.1920) Japanese Canadian Nisei. Established the Ikenobo Ikebana Society of Toronto
Institutionalization as a bad aspect of camp
(1924-2018) Researcher, Activist
State Department records show concern for treatment of Japanese American internees
(1924-2018) Researcher, Activist
Remembering December 7, 1941
(1923-2011) Lawyer, MIS veteran, founder of Francis and Sarah Sogi Foundation