Discover Nikkei

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/765/

Leaving to Argentina (Spanish)

(Spanish) I left from the port of Kobe, with forty-six days of travel on the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Atlantic Ocean. It was more or less forty-six days. But my leaving Japan was not so emotional, because I received orders to board and I went to the port of Kobe. There was a workers’ strike…and the ship did not leave. The ship was unable to depart until the strike was settled. We had to wait. Everyday I went to the port at 8:00 A.M. I was staying at the home of my uncle and aunt, and I told them: “Uncle and Aunt, you accompanied me. Forget it. I leave everyday at 8:00 in the morning. If the ship doesn’t leave, I will return…and if it doesn’t leave again, I will return the following morning, and if I don’t return you can assume that I left with the ship.” This going back and forth lasted for about ten days…everyday I returned to my uncle’s house at 12:00…and he had become accustomed to me coming back. [He would say,] “Ah, again! “You will return!” Until one day I didn’t return. In reality, at that time, to leave by ship made for a sad departure. Many people cried, the ship had a banner, and with the port and Hotaru music (not Hikari music), of saying goodbye (bon voyage)…that was dramatic enough. But nobody came to see me off. [Then my life became] “At what time do you leave?” “At 8:00 P.M.” “I am going to sleep a little and at 8:00 I woke up, at least I want to say goodbye to Japan.” I awakened, looked at my watch, it was 8:00. I went to the window, it was still clear. “How strange! The day was so long,” and I called the porter. “Did we leave?” He answered, “The ship left at 8:00 but yesterday.” When I awoke we were in the middle of the Pacific Ocean…thus, it was for the best, I didn’t feel sentimental or anything like that.


Argentina immigration migration

Date: February 23, 2007

Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Interviewer: Takeshi Nishimura, Ricardo Hokama

Contributed by: Centro Nikkei Argentino

Interviewee Bio

Takagi Kazuomi was born in Japan on March 27, 1925, in the Mie province. He arrived in Argentina as a tourist and never returned to Japan. By chance he started out in journalism, a profession that provided employment for more than fifty years on radio and in the graphic arts. Today, at eighty-one years old, he continues to fervently work as a journalist for the newspaper of the Japanese collectivity, La Plata Hochi (Japanese Section), including acting stints in various forms of publicity. He passed away on November 10, 2014 at age 89. (January 2021)

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