Discover Nikkei

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/833/

Grandmother convinced his mother to return to Canada

I think she (my mom) was homesick. She said that herself, she wanted to go home, and she wanted to have her second [child], she wanted to have, she was homesick for her mother, so she went, well, she was fairly young, of course, like I said before. Twenty-three, yeah, she would be still in her early twenties by then. And she went home, and she went back to Japan, and she had her second child. And we stayed there for, oh, over a year. And Papa was, used to, continued to work and send, send money back. And eventually, her mother said, "You know, you have to go back to Canada because your father is very faithful to you, sending you money every month and everything. He's put up his, he's doing his part, so you have to do your part." And she, her mother convinced her to come back to Canada. And so by the time we came back to Canada, my sister was a little over one year old, I think. So we were there for about two years, three years, two or three years. 'Cause by the time I came back, I was, I went back, I was almost five, I was four and something. So we were at least two and a half, two years in Japan, came back to Canada, and then of course, we stayed.


Canada migration

Date: July 25 & 26, 2006

Location: Washington, US

Interviewer: Tom Ikeda

Contributed by: Denshō: The Japanese American Legacy Project.

Interviewee Bio

Henry Shimizu was born in Prince Rupert, B.C. in 1928 and was interned in New Denver during the war. After leaving the internment camp, he moved to Edmonton where he still resides. As a medical graduate, Dr. Henry Shimizu specialized in plastic surgery and has been active in the medical community by serving in numerous leadership positions. From 1989 to 2002, he served as chairperson of JCRF. He is an artist and has painted a number of scenes from his internment days. His works were exhibited in several communities. For his outstanding contribution to the community, he has received several awards including the NAJC National Award 1999, the University of Alberta Distinguished Alumni Award 2004 and the Order of Canada 2004. (July 26, 2006)

Terumi Hisamatsu Calloway
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Calloway,Terumi Hisamatsu

Regret (Japanese)

(b. 1937) A war bride from Yokohama

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Hachiro Ohtomo
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Ohtomo,Hachiro

My daughter couldn’t fit in Japan, so I decided to go back to America (Japanese)

(b. 1936) Shin-issei welding business owner

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Akira Takashio
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Takashio,Akira

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Shin Issei – owner of izakaya (Japanese-style tavern) and kappo (small Japanese diner) restaurant, Honda-Ya

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Tom Yuki
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Yuki,Tom

His family's migration to Salinas, California

(b. 1935) Sansei businessman.

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Kishi Bashi
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Bashi,Kishi

His Shin-Issei parents

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Michelle Yamashiro
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Yamashiro,Michelle

General reasons why people left Japan for Peru

Okinawan American whose parents are from Peru.

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Mitsuye Yamada
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Yamada,Mitsuye

Her mother came to the U.S. with a group of picture brides

(b. 1923) Japanese American poet, activist

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Mitsuye Yamada
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Yamada,Mitsuye

Her father bought her mother American clothes after she arrived from Japan

(b. 1923) Japanese American poet, activist

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