Discover Nikkei

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/1738/

Stories of Grandfather at a concentration camp in Fusagasuga

Thankfully for us, they treated them well. There's a story that he was given something that he would…I don't remember exactly what they were given good that he would collect, and trade for booze, because he wanted to have some drink, and they weren't allowed to have all those things. So he collected, and traded them. Maybe they had some limited outings, or something.

And there's also a thing that he says that if they were well behaved, they took them out for field trips. So he had gone to a park, or something that he had been impressed by the beauty of the place that they had visited.

And there's also stories that my grandmother had written in Japanese to my grandfather saying, like prearranging that, there were like a lot of faked illnesses in my family, and they would write the notes in Spanish. So the guards would understand that they were telling him that my mom, for example, my mom was very, very sick that what should we do or whatever, so they allowed him time off, and gave him permission to come visit. And he would visit for 15 days, and go back. So they were, I guess every so often, they would fake some illness, or some major event, only so he would be allowed to come visit them.


Colombia World War II World War II camps

Date: September 22, 2019

Location: California, US

Interviewer: Yoko Nishimura

Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum

Interviewee Bio

Monica Teisher was born in Cali, Colombia in 1974 to an Issei father and Nisei mother. She and her large extended family were active in the Cali Japanese community, the largest in Colombia. She moved to the United States after marrying a U.S. citizen of Eastern European Jewish descent. They and their daughters spend vacation time in Colombia, participating in community events. (May 2020)

Nakamura,Eric
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Nakamura,Eric

Father in camp but learning from history books

Giant Robot co-founder and publisher

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Herzig,Aiko Yoshinaga
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Herzig,Aiko Yoshinaga

World War II hysteria against Japanese in New York City

(1924-2018) Researcher, Activist

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Houston,Jeanne Wakatsuki
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Houston,Jeanne Wakatsuki

The only Japanese family in Ocean Park

(b. 1934) Writer

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Houston,Jeanne Wakatsuki
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Houston,Jeanne Wakatsuki

Mixed blood people at camp from a child's point of view

(b. 1934) Writer

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Houston,Jeanne Wakatsuki
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Houston,Jeanne Wakatsuki

Embarrassed to talk about camp

(b. 1934) Writer

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Houston,Jeanne Wakatsuki
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Houston,Jeanne Wakatsuki

Documenting family history for future generations

(b. 1934) Writer

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Kansuma,Fujima
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Kansuma,Fujima

Different learning style in Japan and the United States

(1918-2023) Nisei Japanese kabuki dancer

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Herzig,Aiko Yoshinaga
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Herzig,Aiko Yoshinaga

Family separated in the camps

(1924-2018) Researcher, Activist

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Sogi,Francis Y.
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Sogi,Francis Y.

Being an American soldier and an "enemy alien"

(1923-2011) Lawyer, MIS veteran, founder of Francis and Sarah Sogi Foundation

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Minami,Dale
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Minami,Dale

Not fully understanding parents' World War II incarceration while growing up

(b. 1946) Lawyer

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Nakagawa,Mako
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Nakagawa,Mako

Living conditions at Crystal City, Texas

(1937 - 2021) Teacher

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Nakagawa,Mako
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Nakagawa,Mako

Thoughts on relationship between Japanese Peruvians and Japanese Americans at Crystal City, Texas

(1937 - 2021) Teacher

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Yamada,George
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Yamada,George

Encountering a train full of Japanese Americans being transported to a concentration camp

(b. 1923) Chick sexer

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Oda,Margaret
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Oda,Margaret

Father interrogated by FBI, but not taken away

(1925 - 2018) Nisei educator from Hawai‘i

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Hirose,Roberto
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Hirose,Roberto

The political effects on Nikkei during the war (Spanish)

(b. 1950) Nisei Chilean, Businessman

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