Interviews

1. His father, the pioneer of acupuncture in Argentina (Spanish)

2. Decision to settle in Argentina after WWII (Spanish)

3. Suffering in World War II (Spanish)

4. Joined Japanese Imperial Army during the WWII (Spanish)

5. Returning Argentina after the war (Spanish)

6. Proud to be a Japanese desecendant (Spanish)

7. A lucky man (Spanish)

Yamada,Luis

(b. 1929) Nisei Argentinean

Decision to settle in Argentina after WWII (Spanish)

(Spanish) I believe that every nihonjin, or Japanese, wanted to [succeed in] America and then afterwards return to Japan to obtain something better. This was everyone’s goal, I believe, the goal of every nihonjin. But after World War II, the majority of the people here did not want to return. Therefore, the people began to buy land [here in Argentina]. Before [they bought land], everything was leased. In the old days, when we were kids, in any town square, moving vans were filled up. After World War II all the nihonjin settled down here [in Argentina] because they already saw that even if they returned to Japan they would be unable to do anything there.

immigration

Date: September 18, 2006

Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Interviewer: Takeshi Nishimura, Ricardo Hokama

Contributed by: Centro Nikkei Argentino

Interviewee Bio

Luis Yamada is a Nisei born in Buenos Aires in 1929. His parents were immigrants who came from the Fukui province. As a little boy he traveled to Japan where he lived during World War II; afterwards he returned to Argentina. He was able to see Japan before, during, and after the war. Today he is the director of the Instituto Argentino de Paisajismo (Argentine Institute of Landscape Painting), one of the most prestigious institutes of its kind in Argentina. (September 18, 2006)