Discover Nikkei

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/921/

Grandparent's unspoken past

I heard a little bit about the history Japanese Americans and their struggle but, my grandparents rarely spoke of it. I think that they had gone through so much and really wanted to put it behind them and they never talked about it. It was really strange. Unless you specifically asked them what happened or what was it like for you. You know they just wanted to face forward and look into the future and they raised their own kids purely American.


families

Date: January 16, 2000

Location: California, US

Interviewer: John Esaki

Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum

Interviewee Bio

Kristi Yamaguchi was born in 1971 in Fremont, California, a fourth-generation Japanese American. She was born with a foot deformity and at the age of six her family encouraged her interest in skating to develop her coordination and balance. In 1992, she captured the gold medal in womens’ figure skating at the Winter Olympics in Albertville, France. (January 16, 2000)

BJ Kobayashi
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Kobayashi,BJ

Three important things learned from father

Hawaiian businessman, developer.

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Jimmy Murakami
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Murakami,Jimmy

Losing his sister in camp

(1933 – 2014) Japanese American animator

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Kathryn Doi Todd
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Todd,Kathryn Doi

On Getting the Call from J. Anthony Kline

(b. 1942) The first Asian American woman judge

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Stan Sakai
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Sakai,Stan

Family’s acceptance

(b. 1953) Cartoonist

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Tamio Wakayama
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Wakayama,Tamio

Father's Sacrifice

(1941-2018) Japanese Canadian photojournalist and activist

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Terry Janzen
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Janzen,Terry

Growing Up in Japan

(b. 1930) Half Japanese and grew up in both Japan and the United States.

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Rose Ochi
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Ochi,Rose

Fifty Years and Going Strong

(1938-2020) Japanese American attorney and civil rights activist

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Rose Ochi
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Ochi,Rose

Pop and Balls

(1938-2020) Japanese American attorney and civil rights activist

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Harunori Oda
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Oda,Harunori

Getting started in America

(1927-2016) Shin-Issei businessman

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Hachiro Ohtomo
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Ohtomo,Hachiro

Facing discrimination in America (Japanese)

(b. 1936) Shin-issei welding business owner

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George Takei
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Takei,George

George's Mother & Brad

(b. 1937) Actor, Activist

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Willie Ito
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Ito,Willie

Parents

(b. 1934) Award-winning Disney animation artist who was incarcerated at Topaz during WWII

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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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Kazumu Naganuma
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Naganuma,Kazumu

His sister Kiyo was like a second mother to him

(b. 1942) Japanese Peruvian incarcerated in Crystal City

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Masato Ninomiya
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Ninomiya,Masato

How he met his wife

Professor of Law, University of Sao Paulo, Lawyer, Translator (b. 1948)

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