Returning home

When the camps closed, Japanese Americans were handed $25 and put on trains headed for the places they had been forcibly removed from nearly four years earlier. Harassment was common -- many returning Japanese Americans were greeted with signs reading "No Japs Allowed." Other discovered their property had been vandalized or stolen. Homes and businesses that had been boarded up or left in the care of others were abandoned and stripped of furnishings and goods. For the majority, who did not have homes to return to, housing was the most serious problem. Housing discrimination was severe in many areas and persisted to varying degrees until the civil rights legislation of the 1960s. Former camp inmates with no other options moved into hostels and converted community institutions with conditions not much better than the camps they had just left. Although this period was stressful, it is remembered as a time when people came together to share what they had.

World War II (283)
Leaving camp (430)
Returning home (1151)

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1151 items

doc Letter to a Nisei man from his sister (ddr-densho-153-143)

Excerpt: "Okay, okay! I'm writing! Please don't get angry!" Sent from Los Angeles, California, possibly to Camp Robinson, Arkansas.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-153-143/

doc Letter to a Nisei man from his father (ddr-densho-153-144)

Excerpt: "We got two trunks and a bag yesterday while we are absent." Sent from Los Angeles, California, possibly to Minneapolis, Minnesota.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-153-144/

doc Letter to a Nisei man from his sister (ddr-densho-153-123)

Excerpt: "Thank you very much for your letters." Sent from Manzanar concentration camp, California, possibly to Camp Robinson, Arkansas.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-153-123/

doc Letter to a Nisei man from his sister (ddr-densho-153-140)

Excerpt: "Here it is, exactly one week since we got back to Los Angeles." Sent from Los Angeles, California, possibly to Camp Robinson, Arkansas.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-153-140/

doc Letter to a Nisei man from his sister (ddr-densho-153-141)

Excerpt: "Please forgive me for not writing more often. I guess a little excitement of being home causes me to forget!" Sent from Los Angeles, California, possibly to Camp Robinson, Arkansas.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-153-141/

doc Letter to a Nisei man from his sister (ddr-densho-153-122)

Excerpt: "Today I would like to inform you on some important news." Sent from Manzanar concentration camp, California, possibly to Camp Robinson, Arkansas.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-153-122/

doc Letter to a Nisei man from his sister (ddr-densho-153-128)

Excerpt: "Thanks for your letters. It sure sounds like the army life is teaching you quite a few things." Sent from Manzanar concentration camp, California, possibly to Camp Robinson, Arkansas.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-153-128/

img Picnic (ddr-one-1-59)

Color slide of women sitting at a table eating with chopsticks. From left to right: Mitsy (Kiyomura) Takeoka, Sumi "Sue" (Kaga) Hasegawa, Mrs. Kiyomura, and Jean (Kiyomura) Tamiyasu.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-59/

img Methodist Banquet (ddr-one-1-347)

Black and white photographic negative of banquet inside a church, view of the head table with George Azumano sitting at the head. From left to right: Reverend Hideo Hashimoto, unidentified, and Reverend Paul Hagiya. Sitting at table in foreground staring at her plate is Yone (Kanada) Terada. Poster on side wall reads: "Sing aling: Oh Conference …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-347/

img Obon Festival (ddr-one-1-276)

Black and white photographic negative of two men sitting and looking beyond the camera, Obon dancers perform behind. Man on the right identified as Mr. Akiyama. Obon is an annual event hosted by the Oregon Buddhist Church (now known as Oregon Buddhist Temple) and attended by the wider Nikkei community.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-276/

img Portland Rose Festival Parade- Float 33 (ddr-one-1-139)

Color slide of Rose Festival Parade float 33 driving down W Burnside in front of a crowd gathered outside the Shoreline Hotel, Anchor Inn, Grant Hotel and Sailor's Union of the Pacific. The float is of large elephant and baby, with a rider in blue sitting on the large elephant's trunk waving a purple ribbon. The …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-139/

img Obon Festival- Odori folk dance (ddr-one-1-182)

Black and white photographic negative of five Obon dancers in front of a crowd. Third dancer from the left is Jean (Tsujimura) Takashima. Obon is an annual event hosted by the Oregon Buddhist Church (now known as Oregon Buddhist Temple) and attended by the wider Nikkei community. This image was taken at Holladay Park in Portland, …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-182/

img Dance (ddr-one-1-99)

Black and white photographic negative of three unidentified couples dancing together at an informal dance, possibly a Sorelles (a high school social group) event.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-99/

img Buddhist Convention (ddr-one-1-331)

Black and white photographic negative of members of the Oregon Buddhist Church (now known as the Oregon Buddhist Temple) at a Buddhist convention at Collin's Field House in Seattle, Washington. Back row left to right: Frances (Kinoshita) Mayeda, Aki (Shiraishi) Dong, Mary (Nakata) Fujii, unidentified, Jean (Tsujimura) Takashima, remaining unidentified. Front row left to right: Sumi …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-331/

img Portland Rose Festival Parade- float 31 "Human Cannon" (ddr-one-1-144)

Color slide of Rose Festival Parade float 31 driving down W Burnside in front of a crowd outside the Shoreline Hotel and Anchor Inn. The float has four elephants made of yellow flowers on the front sitting in a circle with trunks raised in the air. A cannon made of green flowers is on the back …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-144/

img Portland Rose Festival Parade- Pistol Creek Fire Department (ddr-one-1-140)

Color slide of the Pistol Creek Fire Department pushing a small wagon up W Burnside, the Noon Bag Company and White Stag Manufacturing building is visible in the background, two large advertisements are partially visible on the Noon Bag Company building. The firemen are dressed in red long-johns and rubber boots with their fire department name …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-140/

img Portland Rose Festival Parade float- Chamber of Commerce (ddr-one-1-565)

Color slide of the side of the Chamber of Commerce driving down SW Third Ave in front of a large crowd gathered outside a Signal gas station and San Francisco Tailor, behind the Signal gas station is the old Multnomah Hotel in the Portland Rose Festival Parade. Eight women in pink gowns sit on the float, …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-565/

img Nisei Bowling League at Rose City Bowling Alley (ddr-one-1-129)

Black and white photographic negative of Nisei women sitting and standing around a booth at Rose City Bowling Alley. A Nisei women's team is still in uniform. Standing left to right: Kathleen Sasaki, Yoko (Hishikawa) Iwata, Sachi (Nakata) Nakashima, Fumi Inukai, Takako Inukai, unidentified, Jane (Kawamoto) Hinatsu, unidentified. Seated left to right: Toshi (Tamiyasu) Fukuhara, Florence …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-129/

img Portland Rose Festival Parade - "Parkrose" (ddr-one-1-464)

Color slide of a Rose Festival Parade float driving down W Burnside in front of a crowd outside White Stag Manufacturing. The side of the float reads "Parkrose." Four women sit on top of the float in gowns holding bouquets of flowers. The Portland Rose Festival Parade is an annual event in which floats are made …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-464/

img Reed College (ddr-one-1-362)

Black and white photographic print of Carlos Ogimi and other students sitting at drawing table working on an unknown project. Carlos is the first seated student on the right, everyone else is unidentified. This photographic negative was taken at Reed College where Carlos was a student. Negative ONLC 3182 (ddr-one-1-364).

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-362/

img Portland Rose Festival Parade- float 26 "At the end of the rainbow" (ddr-one-1-520)

Color slide of Rose Festival Parade float 26 driving down SW Third Ave in front of a large crowd gathered outside a Signal gas station and San Francisco Tailor, behind the Signal gas station is the old Multnomah Hotel. The float is of rainbow coming out of an overturned leprechaun pot with six young women in …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-520/

img Hanamatsuri (birth of Buddha celebration) Odori Performance (ddr-one-1-402)

Black and white photographic negative of an Odori folk dance performance on a stage for Hanamatsuri (birth of Buddha celebration) inside the Oregon Buddhist Church (now known as the Oregon Buddhist Temple). Dancers on stage: second to the right, Shiz (Fujita) Inaba; third to the right, Mary (Nakata) Fujii.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-402/

img Portland Rose Festival Parade float- "Sport of Queens" (ddr-one-1-513)

Color slide of a Rose Festival float driving down SW Third Ave in front of a large crowd gathered outside a Signal gas station and San Francisco Tailor, behind the Signal gas station is the old Multnomah Hotel. The float has "Sport of Queens" written on the side in yellow flowers. The float depicts greyhound racing, …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-513/

img Garden dance (ddr-one-1-529)

Color slide taken from the top of a hill behind a crowd watching what appears to part of an event for the Rose Festival. There are eight girls in colorful gowns, and one girl is leading them in a dance in a short white dress. A military band is seated in the background on the left. …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-529/

img Dance (ddr-one-1-102)

Black and white photographic negative of an unidentified couple sitting at a table in semi-formal attire possibly manning the coat check.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-102/