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 (231)
Leaving camp (287)
Returning home (1049)

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1049 items

img Portland Rose Festival Parade float- "A Garden of Eden" (ddr-one-1-508)

Color slide of a small Rose Festival Parade float with a pink ribbon on a yellow sign 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 a waterfall that is surrounded …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-508/

img Obon Festival- Odori folk dance (ddr-one-1-193)

Black and white photographic negative of Obon dancers in front of crowd. Obon dancers: second from left Mrs. Okayama, third from left Mr. Yoshihara, fourth from left Beti ann (Minamoto) Wantroba. Seated first from left is Mr. Maekawa. Obon is an annual event hosted by the Oregon Buddhist Church (now known as Oregon Buddhist Temple) and …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-193/

img Obon Festival- Odori folk dance (ddr-one-1-181)

Black and white photographic negative of Obon dancers in a line performing in front of a crowd. From left to right: Marjory "Marge" (Ando) Smith, Patricia “Pat” (Ikata) Iboshi, Loretta (Fujii) Kaneko, Joe Shiraishi, and Harue Akiyama. Obon is an annual event hosted by the Oregon Buddhist Church (now known as Oregon Buddhist Temple) and attended …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-181/

img Portland Rose Festival Parade Float- "Our Queen" (ddr-one-1-554)

Color slide of the Rose Festival Court float driving down W Burnside in front of a crowd outside Blue Eagle Café on NW Second Ave. The princesses sit on the float and hold red roses, the Rose Festival Queen, Gloria Krieger, sits behind them in a chair of blue and pink flowers. The front of the …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-554/

img Obon Festival Crowd (ddr-one-1-279)

Black and white photographic negative of crowd at Obon Festival. 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-1-279/

img Roses (ddr-one-1-525)

Color slide of red and pink rose bushes. Image was most likely taken at the Rose Test Garden in Washington Park. According to donor processed on June 14, 1964.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-525/

img Portland Rose Festival Parade- Women's Drum Corps (ddr-one-1-178)

Color slide of drum majorettes in white uniforms leading an all female drum team in red and gray uniforms down W Burnside in front of a crowd outside the Shoreline Hotel and Cafe. The Blue Eagle Cafe is visible in the background. One woman is carrying a banner with writing that reads "Knights __ Girls Drum …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-178/

img Wedding of Sam Sakamoto and Hanaye (Fujiwara) Sakamoto (ddr-one-1-46)

Black and white photographic negative of organist and a singer standing in the choir's pews inside a church. Performance for the wedding of Sam Sakamoto and Hanaye (Fujiwara) Sakamoto.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-46/

img Obon Festival- Odori folk dance (ddr-one-1-288)

Black and white photographic negative of Obon dancers performing an Odori folk dance at Obon. Second from the left in the front row: Masano Hachiya Yamasaki. 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-1-288/

img Obon Festival Dance Rehearsal (ddr-one-1-308)

Black and white photographic negative of Obon dancers rehearsing an Odori folk dance in front of a small audience inside Norse Hall. Obon dancers from left to right: Mr. Tsujimura, Dennis Kasubuchi, Masa Maekawa, Kojiro Yoshida, unidentified, and Ben Kasubuchi Jr. First row of audience: Josephine Kato, Minoru "Bob" Ando, Roberta Ando, and Sakae (Fujii) Ando. …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-308/

img Ladies Bowling Team- Oregon Nisei Bowling League Photo #4 (ddr-one-1-564)

Black and white photographic negative of a Nisei women's bowling team. The team is posed on a staircase with monogrammed shirts. From left to right: Yoko (Hishikawa) Iwata, Takako Inukai, Toshi (Tamiyasu) Fukuhara, Kathleen Sasaki, and Sachi (Nakata) Nakashima. Original print ONLC 3430.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-564/

img Obon Festival- Dancers (ddr-one-1-282)

Black and white photographic negative of two unidentified women at Obon posing for the camera. 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-1-282/

img Young Buddhist League Convention Queen (ddr-one-1-25)

Black and white photographic print of the Fourth Annual Northwest Young Buddhist League's Convection Queen: Mary (Nakata) Fujii of Portland, Oregon. She is dressed in a dark formal gown, wearing a jeweled tiara and velvet robe. The photograph was found in Frank Hirahara's memorabilia of his time in Portland.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-25/

img Obon Festival- Dancer (ddr-one-1-249)

Black and white photographic negative of Shizuko "Shiz" (Ochiai) Ota Okazaki smiling for the camera in front of crowd during Obon. 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-1-249/

img Obon Festival- Dancers (ddr-one-1-244)

Black and white photographic negative of six Obon dancers posing for the camera holding small Japanese and American flags. From left to right: Eddie Tamiyasu, Atsuko "Alice" Kida, Jean (Tsujimura) Takashima, Jean Yasuko (Kida) Tomita, Shizuko "Shiz" (Ochiai) Ota Okazaki, Atsuko "Alice" (Matsumoto) Ando. Obon is an annual event hosted by the Oregon Buddhist Church (now …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-244/

img Roses (ddr-one-1-522)

Color slide of red rose bush. Image was most likely taken at the Rose Test Garden in Washington Park. According to donor processed on June 14, 1964.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-522/

img Portland Rose Festival Parade- float 29 "Sears" (ddr-one-1-532)

Color slide of Rose Festival Parade float 29 driving down W Burnside in front of a crowd outside the Blue Eagle Café on the corner of NW Second Ave. The float has a carriage made of white flowers with a red trim and purple wheels. The carriage is pulled by a horse made of white flowers. …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-532/

img Horse outside (ddr-one-1-446)

Color slide of a brown horse with a blonde mane outside with a rope tied around its muzzle. According to donor processed on June 20, 1951.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-446/

img Obon Festival- Odori folk dance (ddr-one-1-216)

Black and white photographic negative of Obon dancers holding small Japanese flags performing before a crowd. Second Obon dancer from the left: Shig Yuzuriha. Third Obon dancer from the left: Nobyo Sato. 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-1-216/

img Roses (ddr-one-1-487)

Color slide of a red rose bush, in background white roses are visible. According to donor processed on July 3, 1952.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-487/

img Registration for Northwest Methodist Rally (ddr-one-1-85)

Black and white photographic negative of the registration table for the Northwest Methodist Rally. From left to right: Toyse "Toy" Miura, Ko Tambara, Nami (Miura) Koida, and George Nakata.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-85/

img Sorelles Beach Outing (ddr-one-1-400)

Black and white photographic negative of Lillian (Niimi) Mikariya (right) sunbathing at the Oregon Coast with an unidentified Nisei. Behind them is Beti ann (Minamoto) Wantroba playing with a beach ball at a beach outing planned by the Sorrelles (a high school social group).

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-400/

img Corral (ddr-one-1-450)

Color slide of three horses laying down inside a wooden corral. According to donor processed on June 20, 1951.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-450/

img Portland Rose Festival Parade- Float 27 (ddr-one-1-158)

Color slide of Rose Festival Parade float 27 pulled by two horses down W Burnside in front of a crowd outside the Shoreline Hotel. The sign for the Blue Eagle Cafe is visible in the background. The float is of a large wagon with orange, yellow, blue and white flowers. Five men in top hats ride …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-158/

img Buddhist Convention (ddr-one-1-333)

Black and white photographic negative of large crowd of Buddhists gathered outside Collin's Field House in Seattle, Washington for a Buddhist convention. Reverends seated in front row from left to right: Reverend Seiji Kobara from Seattle, Reverend Shoko Masunaga, Reverend Akira Jotetsu Ono, Reverend Tatsuya Ichikawa, Reverend Bishop Kenryu Tsuji, Reverend Eiyu Terao from Spokane, Reverend …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-333/