Interviews
A lucky man (Spanish)
(Spanish) When we were students in high school we went to Aichi Ken (prefecture), in the Nagoya province. From Nagoya some sixty kilometers away, before there was a marsh where you couldn’t do anything, there was a plane factory. We were working there, but the soil was very loose, and at the time there was an earthquake and only four of my classmates survived; the rest died. For that reason I was as sad as I was lucky. Afterwards, [I was] a survivor in many ways, I believe that I am very lucky, because they told me, “you have to go to Argentina.” It was in 1948, you know, that in Japan, I left from Yokohama and the following week I arrived in San Francisco, and there was an earthquake [in Japan] and many perished, including many relatives. The earthquake was centered in the Fukui province where I was; thus, I truly saved myself. I always think: I become nervous and many times I don’t say to anybody, but I analyze [my past experiences] and I say to myself: “shut up if you are a dead man, [but] you are still alive.” And many times I am relieved by [that thought].
Date: September 18, 2006
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Interviewer: Takeshi Nishimura, Ricardo Hokama
Contributed by: Centro Nikkei Argentino
Explore More Videos
Picture brides and karifufu
An expert researcher and scholar on Japanese immigrant clothing.
Kibei schoolchildren in Hiroshima, Japan
(b.1913) Kibei from California who served in the MIS with Merrill’s Marauders during WWII.
Mother's immigration to U.S. as a treaty merchant
(b. 1927) Japanese American Nisei. Family voluntarily returned to Japan during WWII.
Arranged marriage
(b.1912) Japanese Canadian Issei. Immigrated with husband to Canada in 1931
Her early life in Canada
(b.1912) Japanese Canadian Issei. Immigrated with husband to Canada in 1931
Coming to America
(b.1943) Shin-issei grand master of taiko; founded San Francisco Taiko Dojo in 1968.
The reason for coming to Japan
(b. 1967) Hawai`i-born professional fighter in Japan
Treatment of Japanese Paraguayans during World War II (Spanish)
Nisei Paraguayan, Researcher
Yobiyose system in Canada
(b. 1922) Canadian Nisei who was unable to return to Canada from Japan until 1952
Reason to come back to Canada in 1954
(b. 1922) Canadian Nisei who was unable to return to Canada from Japan until 1952
Impressions from interviews with Issei women (Japanese)
Tsuda College President, researcher of Nikkei history
The various realities of Nikkei in Latin America (Spanish)
(b. 1950) Nisei Chilean, Businessman
Tango makes him to stay in Argentina (Spanish)
(1925-2014) La Plata Hochi, Journalist
Initial struggles with the language barrier (Japanese)
(b. 1917) Okinawan, Issei Argentinean