Discover Nikkei

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/1762/

Kids activities in Crystal City

I remember playing with my friends, I guess, we would go out and collect lizards and go catch little fish, minnow, in the creek, things like that I remember. Climbing trees, and, of course, going swimming. I learned how to swim on my own, it was just a natural for me, we just went swimming. And, of course, we found out two people drowned, right? But going swimming was fun. And after swimming we would walk home, and it's a big orchard, they were growing grapefruit, and we'd just go there and help ourselves to grapefruit, I remember that. And they had lot of sugar cane growing everywhere, and oh that was good, we used to go and eat that almost every time we had a chance walking home.

I remember I went to see people having some kendo lessons. There was a school where we used to go in the morning, we all lined up in the yard and we'd do exercise like they do in Japan, I guess. Then also used to have movie nights, they used to show movies at night outside, and we used to bring food and enjoy our movie.


Crystal City internment camp Department of Justice camps Japanese Peruvians movies sports swimming Texas United States World War II World War II camps

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)

Mako Nakagawa
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Nakagawa,Mako

Not recognizing father after reunion at Crystal City, Texas

(1937 - 2021) Teacher

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Mako Nakagawa
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Nakagawa,Mako

A child's memories of activities at Crystal City, Texas

(1937 - 2021) Teacher

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Jimmy Ko Fukuhara
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Fukuhara,Jimmy Ko

Hearing about Pearl Harbor

(b. 1921) Nisei veteran who served in the occupation of Japan

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Jimmy Ko Fukuhara
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Fukuhara,Jimmy Ko

Traveling to Manzanar

(b. 1921) Nisei veteran who served in the occupation of Japan

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Margaret Oda
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Oda,Margaret

Victory Corps Work during World War II

(1925 - 2018) Nisei educator from Hawai‘i

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Jimmy Ko Fukuhara
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Fukuhara,Jimmy Ko

Jobs in Manzanar

(b. 1921) Nisei veteran who served in the occupation of Japan

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Jimmy Ko Fukuhara
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Fukuhara,Jimmy Ko

Sugar beet and potato farming in Idaho

(b. 1921) Nisei veteran who served in the occupation of Japan

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William Marutani
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Marutani,William

Recalling Pinedale and Tule Lake concentration camps

Judge, only Japanese American to serve on CWRIC.

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Kathryn Doi Todd
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Todd,Kathryn Doi

On the Impact of the Camp Experience

(b. 1942) The first Asian American woman judge

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Jimmy Ko Fukuhara
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Fukuhara,Jimmy Ko

Being called out of Reserves

(b. 1921) Nisei veteran who served in the occupation of Japan

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Jimmy Ko Fukuhara
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Fukuhara,Jimmy Ko

Fort Snelling

(b. 1921) Nisei veteran who served in the occupation of Japan

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Jimmy Ko Fukuhara
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Fukuhara,Jimmy Ko

Traveling from Manila to Tokyo

(b. 1921) Nisei veteran who served in the occupation of Japan

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Holly J. Fujie
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Fujie,Holly J.

Camp stories impact on her career

Sansei judge on the Superior Court of Los Angeles County in California

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Yumi Matsubara
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Matsubara,Yumi

Concentration camp from a Japanese mother’s point of view (Japanese)

Shin-Issei from Gifu. Recently received U.S. citizenship

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Masao Kinoshita
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Kinoshita,Masao

Makegumi - Movement to regognize the defeat of Japan (Japanese)

A central figure for the “Makegumi” (defeatists)

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