Discover Nikkei

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/1768/

Trip to Japan as a Boy Scout

As a Boy Scout, we went to Japan, our troop went to Japan. We got this special deal with the government to let us on a military ship, for us to travel with the soldiers. We were like movie stars, people were waiting for us, and they wanted to see us, you know, I guess they'd never seen a Japanese American Boy Scout, it's the first time, it was a big deal. Went to the hotel, big party, you know, Lion's Club of Japan or whatever, they were there, big party, and then we would travel to different cities, and we would go on a train. And when we got to our destination, my god, we got out of the train, there were people waiting for us. And all these girls would come out and they got flowers, all lined up, said, "Wow," we didn't know what's going on. Yeah, that was fantastic.

So soon after all this we went to Osaka, which was our sister city. Then they had a big deal there, too, wow, big field and people all around there, and a big show, taiko and everything, fire burning and everything, and that's where we came out, drum and bugle corps, marched in. At least we did that for them, right, they were showing us all their things, and we had nothing. So the drum and bugle corps was great.


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)

Okasaki,Robert (Bob) Kiyoshi

Wife's family in Japan

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Takeshita,Yukio

Impression of Japan upon arrival

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Kosaki,Richard

Devastation in Tokyo after World War II

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Kanemoto,Marion Tsutakawa

Living in Japan during the war, preparing for U.S. bombings

(b. 1927) Japanese American Nisei. Family voluntarily returned to Japan during WWII.

Kanemoto,Marion Tsutakawa

Participating in military drills in school in Japan during the war

(b. 1927) Japanese American Nisei. Family voluntarily returned to Japan during WWII.

Kanemoto,Marion Tsutakawa

Hearing anti-American war propaganda from a teacher

(b. 1927) Japanese American Nisei. Family voluntarily returned to Japan during WWII.

Kanemoto,Marion Tsutakawa

The hardships of life in Japan during World War II

(b. 1927) Japanese American Nisei. Family voluntarily returned to Japan during WWII.

Kadoguchi,Shizuko

Strict school policy of separating boys and girls in Japan

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Inoue,Enson

The reason for coming to Japan

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Iino,Masako

The Japanese society reacts to Nikkei living in Japan (Japanese)

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Shinoda,Mike

Connecting to Japan

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Kogiso,Mónica

Easier to be a foreigner in Japan (Spanish)

(b. 1969) Former president of Centro Nikkei Argentino.

Ota,Vince

Moving to and living in Japan

Japanese American Creative designer living in Japan

Ota,Vince

The reason to stay in Japan after his third year

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Ota,Vince

Never being Japanese

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