Interviews
Memories of my infancy: Japanese 1, Japanese 2… (Spanish)
(Spanish) I was born on the San Nicolás Hacienda, where there was a place for the Japanese community, let´s call it “of the north,” one of many such places. I recall one in Cañete and then another called…well, I don’t remember, perhaps near Trujillo I believe, forgive me, Chiclayo, places where the Japanese settlement was near. The hacienda belonged to a Peruvian, naturally, and what he needed was cheap labor.
And I remember that one of the things that I considered amusing– I don’t know if you will also find amusing what I am about to tell you – I was a child who walked alone, and on Saturdays I remember going to the site where the workers received their pay; then they finished paying the Peruvian workers -- of course by their respective names, Luis Collantes, what I recall, and then when they began to pay the Japanese, they shouted out not a name but rather “Japanese number 1,” “Japanese number 2,” which made me laugh aloud because they [the Peruvian bosses] couldn’t say, for example, Shinki, Hitotuishi, these are difficult names for them to pronounce, and even worse to write. This is the strange thing that I saw when I was a child, I realize now.
Date: September 6, 2007
Location: Lima, Peru
Interviewer: Harumi Nako
Contributed by: Asociación Peruano Japonesa (APJ)
Explore More Videos
Identity crisis (Spanish)
(b. 1969) Former president of Centro Nikkei Argentino.
Dancing in Japan as an American, in the US as Japanese
(1918-2023) Nisei Japanese kabuki dancer
Lack of political power led to camps
(1924-2018) Researcher, Activist
World War II hysteria against Japanese in New York City
(1924-2018) Researcher, Activist
His testimony has more credibility because of his race
(1922 - 2005) Former U.S. Army counterintelligence officer
Different tension between East Coast and Los Angeles
Japanese American Creative designer living in Japan
Being an American soldier and an "enemy alien"
(1923-2011) Lawyer, MIS veteran, founder of Francis and Sarah Sogi Foundation
Not relating to Japan Americans' experiences on the mainland
(1923-2011) Lawyer, MIS veteran, founder of Francis and Sarah Sogi Foundation
Less information about Hawai‘i in mainland
(b.1944) Founder of Kobayashi Group, LLC
A teenager's memories of how a local newspaper misrepresented Japanese Americans
(b. 1925) Draft resister
The role of the media in influencing people's opinions
(b. 1925) Draft resister
Living conditions in prison while serving time for resisting the draft
(b. 1925) Draft resister
Talking to children about decision to resist the draft during World War II
(b. 1925) Draft resister