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Interviews

Mitsuo Ito

(b.1924) Japanese Canadian Nisei. Interpreter for British Army in Japan after WWII. Active in Japanese Canadian community

Chose to go back to Japan

And the war ended, and the Canadian government said, You can't go back to Mission or B.C. You'll either go to, east to Ontario, or we'll give you a free boat ride back to Japan. So my father wanted to go back to Japan to see the son that was living in Japan, 'cause he hadn't been back for a long time. So he took the offer of going back to Japan. And there were quite a few other people that took the offer to go back to Japan.

I*: And did you go, too?

And we all went.

I: You all went?

Yeah. That way we could all stick together, so we all went back. That was in 1946.

* "I" indicates an interviewer (Mary Ito).


Canada migration postwar World War II

Date: March 23, 2005

Location: Toronto, Canada

Interviewer: Mary Ito

Contributed by: Sedai, the Japanese Canadian Legacy Project, Japanese Canadian Cultural Center

Interviewee Bio

Nisei male. Born August 20, 1924, in Mission, British Columbia, Canada. Grew up in Mission, attending school and helping on family farm. Left home to work several jobs, including in a sawmill and on a sugar beet farm. After World War II, moved to Japan, worked as an interpreter for the British Army, and got married. Moved to Toronto, Canada, in the 1950s and raised two sons. Active in Toronto's Japanese Canadian community, and is involved with charitable foundations. (March 23, 2005)

*The full interview is available Denshō: The Japanese American Legacy Project.

Harunori Oda
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Harunori Oda

Next phase

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Sawako Ashizawa Uchimura
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Sawako Ashizawa Uchimura

First Impressions of the US

(b. 1938) Philipines-born hikiagesha who later migrated to the United States.

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Robert T. Fujioka
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Robert T. Fujioka

Great grandfather working in Hawaii

(b. 1952) Former banking executive, born in Hawaii

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Akira Takashio
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Akira Takashio

First impression of America (Japanese)

Shin Issei – owner of izakaya (Japanese-style tavern) and kappo (small Japanese diner) restaurant, Honda-Ya

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Akira Takashio
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Akira Takashio

Longing for a life abroad and getting a chef’s license (Japanese)

Shin Issei – owner of izakaya (Japanese-style tavern) and kappo (small Japanese diner) restaurant, Honda-Ya

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Akira Takashio
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Akira Takashio

Support from Nikkei (Japanese)

Shin Issei – owner of izakaya (Japanese-style tavern) and kappo (small Japanese diner) restaurant, Honda-Ya

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Akira Takashio
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Akira Takashio

Immigration ship Brazil-maru (Japanese)

Shin Issei – owner of izakaya (Japanese-style tavern) and kappo (small Japanese diner) restaurant, Honda-Ya

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Michelle Yamashiro
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Michelle Yamashiro

Great grandfather Asato was a sumo wrestler

Okinawan American whose parents are from Peru.

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Michelle Yamashiro
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Michelle Yamashiro

Grandfather loved to tell her stories of her great-grandfather Arakaki

Okinawan American whose parents are from Peru.

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Michelle Yamashiro
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Michelle Yamashiro

Parents leaving Peru to move to California

Okinawan American whose parents are from Peru.

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Monica Teisher
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Monica Teisher

Grandfather migrating to Colombia

(b.1974) Japanese Colombian who currently resides in the United States

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Masato Ninomiya
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Masato Ninomiya

What made your parents decide to move to Brazil?

Professor of Law, University of Sao Paulo, Lawyer, Translator (b. 1948)

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Vince Ota
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Vince Ota

Moving to and living in Japan

Japanese American Creative designer living in Japan

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Bill Hashizume
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Bill Hashizume

Japanese community in Mission

(b. 1922) Canadian Nisei who was unable to return to Canada from Japan until 1952

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Kazuo Funai
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Kazuo Funai

Company in Tokyo burned down (Japanese)

(1900-2005) Issei businessman

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