Interviews
Meeting Mr. Amano
After I arrived in Japan the second time, I went to her father's home in Fujisawa, which was a high-end resort—it was then—high-end resort town south of Tokyo, about 60 miles I think. Anyway, I went to the house and Hamako was inside with her father and she said," There's a GI waiting out there at the gate, wants to talk with you." And the father, of course, knew I was an enemy and he said, "Send him away. We don't want anything to do with him." And Hamako said, "I can't do that, he came here 2 years and he wanted to marry me."
And so the father came to the door—he's a big, tall, fine-looking, serious-looking, scary, Japanese man and I...of course he stood above - the house with floor was up and the mon where you came in was blowing and I looked up at him and I thought, uh oh this is gonna be terrible. And he came with a very serious face and I said, "Sir, I have come back from California to marry to your daughter—for your permission to marry your daughter." Well, his expression changed right away and he said, "Come in" and he showed me to a nice room with a tokonoma and all kinds of Japanese stuff.
Anyway, I was happy as a lark; I could take off my shoes and leave them in the mon and walk on tatami and he was very nice to me.
Date: January 26, 2012
Location: California, US
Interviewer: John Esaki, Yoko Nishimura
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum
Explore More Videos
Being inducted into the army
(b. 1921) Nisei veteran who served in the occupation of Japan
Serving in Tokyo
(b. 1921) Nisei veteran who served in the occupation of Japan
The Dopey bank that survived the war
(b. 1934) Award-winning Disney animation artist who was incarcerated at Topaz during WWII
Evacuated to the Jungle
(b. 1938) Philipines-born hikiagesha who later migrated to the United States.
Captured by Guerillas after bombing of Pearl Harbor
(b. 1938) Philipines-born hikiagesha who later migrated to the United States.
Grandfather picked up by US Army
(b. 1952) Former banking executive, born in Hawaii
Father's business partner operated their farming business during WWII
(b. 1935) Sansei businessman.
Father was convinced the constitution would protect him
(b. 1935) Sansei businessman.
The lack of discussion about family’s incarceration in Amache
Sansei judge for the Superior Court of Los Angeles County in California
Her brother’s reasons as a No-No Boy
(b. 1923) Japanese American poet, activist
Her grandfather was pressured to teach Japanese
Sansei judge on the Superior Court of Los Angeles County in California
Neighbor took care of her mother after grandfather was taken by FBI
Sansei judge on the Superior Court of Los Angeles County in California
Immediately after the bombing
(b. 1938) Japanese American. Hiroshima atomic bomb survivor
Other family members not as lucky
(b. 1938) Japanese American. Hiroshima atomic bomb survivor