Discover Nikkei

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/765/

Leaving to Argentina (Spanish)

(Spanish) I left from the port of Kobe, with forty-six days of travel on the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Atlantic Ocean. It was more or less forty-six days. But my leaving Japan was not so emotional, because I received orders to board and I went to the port of Kobe. There was a workers’ strike…and the ship did not leave. The ship was unable to depart until the strike was settled. We had to wait. Everyday I went to the port at 8:00 A.M. I was staying at the home of my uncle and aunt, and I told them: “Uncle and Aunt, you accompanied me. Forget it. I leave everyday at 8:00 in the morning. If the ship doesn’t leave, I will return…and if it doesn’t leave again, I will return the following morning, and if I don’t return you can assume that I left with the ship.” This going back and forth lasted for about ten days…everyday I returned to my uncle’s house at 12:00…and he had become accustomed to me coming back. [He would say,] “Ah, again! “You will return!” Until one day I didn’t return. In reality, at that time, to leave by ship made for a sad departure. Many people cried, the ship had a banner, and with the port and Hotaru music (not Hikari music), of saying goodbye (bon voyage)…that was dramatic enough. But nobody came to see me off. [Then my life became] “At what time do you leave?” “At 8:00 P.M.” “I am going to sleep a little and at 8:00 I woke up, at least I want to say goodbye to Japan.” I awakened, looked at my watch, it was 8:00. I went to the window, it was still clear. “How strange! The day was so long,” and I called the porter. “Did we leave?” He answered, “The ship left at 8:00 but yesterday.” When I awoke we were in the middle of the Pacific Ocean…thus, it was for the best, I didn’t feel sentimental or anything like that.


Argentina immigration migration

Date: February 23, 2007

Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Interviewer: Takeshi Nishimura, Ricardo Hokama

Contributed by: Centro Nikkei Argentino

Interviewee Bio

Takagi Kazuomi was born in Japan on March 27, 1925, in the Mie province. He arrived in Argentina as a tourist and never returned to Japan. By chance he started out in journalism, a profession that provided employment for more than fifty years on radio and in the graphic arts. Today, at eighty-one years old, he continues to fervently work as a journalist for the newspaper of the Japanese collectivity, La Plata Hochi (Japanese Section), including acting stints in various forms of publicity. He passed away on November 10, 2014 at age 89. (January 2021)

Akira Takashio
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Takashio,Akira

Immigration ship Brazil-maru (Japanese)

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

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Michelle Yamashiro
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Yamashiro,Michelle

Great grandfather Asato was a sumo wrestler

Okinawan American whose parents are from Peru.

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Michelle Yamashiro
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Yamashiro,Michelle

Grandfather loved to tell her stories of her great-grandfather Arakaki

Okinawan American whose parents are from Peru.

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Michelle Yamashiro
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Yamashiro,Michelle

Parents leaving Peru to move to California

Okinawan American whose parents are from Peru.

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Monica Teisher
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Teisher,Monica

Grandfather migrating to Colombia

(b.1974) Japanese Colombian who currently resides in the United States

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Masato Ninomiya
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Ninomiya,Masato

What made your parents decide to move to Brazil?

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

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Vince Ota
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Ota,Vince

Moving to and living in Japan

Japanese American Creative designer living in Japan

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Luis Yamada
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Yamada,Luis

A lucky man (Spanish)

(b. 1929) Nisei Argentinean

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Kazuo Funai
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Funai,Kazuo

Company in Tokyo burned down (Japanese)

(1900-2005) Issei businessman

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James Hirabayashi
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Hirabayashi,James

Family interrelations between mother and father

(1926 - 2012) Scholar and professor of anthropology. Leader in the establishment of ethnic studies as an academic discipline

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Barbara Kawakami
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Kawakami,Barbara

Going back to Hawaii

An expert researcher and scholar on Japanese immigrant clothing.

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Barbara Kawakami
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Kawakami,Barbara

Picture brides and karifufu

An expert researcher and scholar on Japanese immigrant clothing.

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Roy H. Matsumoto
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Matsumoto,Roy H.

Kibei schoolchildren in Hiroshima, Japan

(b.1913) Kibei from California who served in the MIS with Merrill’s Marauders during WWII.

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Marion Tsutakawa Kanemoto
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Kanemoto,Marion Tsutakawa

Mother's immigration to U.S. as a treaty merchant

(b. 1927) Japanese American Nisei. Family voluntarily returned to Japan during WWII.

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Kimi Wakabayashi
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Wakabayashi,Kimi

Arranged marriage

(b.1912) Japanese Canadian Issei. Immigrated with husband to Canada in 1931

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