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 Nisei women (ddr-one-1-426)

Black and white photographic negative of four unidentified Nisei women holding bags and notebooks and looking at the camera inside Seattle Buddhist Church.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-426/

img Portland Rose Festival Parade- float 13 "Bozo's Circus" (ddr-one-1-141)

Color slide of Rose Festival Parade float 13 driving down W Burnside in front of a crowd gathered outside W.L. Reid Company Building Hardware Specialties and the Riverside Hotel and Cafe. The float has three tiers with a large clown made of flowers on the top tier and two female riders sitting on middle tier, one …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-141/

img Portland Rose Festival Parade- float 9 "Dist 1" (ddr-one-1-477)

Color slide of Rose Festival Parade float 9 driving down W Burnside in front of a crowd gathered outside the Grant Hotel and Blue Eagle Cafe. The float is of a pink and red school house with "Dist 1" written above the door in red. A yellow sign sits on the front with the number 9. …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-477/

img Portland Rose Festival Parade- Float 4 "Portland Centennial" (ddr-one-1-444)

Color slide of Rose Festival Parade float 4 driving down W Burnside in front of a crowd outside Dr. Geo Chan's office and the Chinese Medicine Company. In the background a sign for a drug store can be seen. The float is of a large birthday cake with the words "Portland Centennial" on the side, on …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-444/

img Obon Festival- Dancer (ddr-one-1-259)

Black and white photographic negative of an unidentified woman performing in front of a crowd at 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-1-259/

img Buddhist Convention (ddr-one-1-335)

Black and white photographic negative of a large crowd of Buddhists gathered outside Collin's Field House in Seattle, Washington. Reverend Tatsuya Ichikawa sitting in right hand corner. First row far left: Kiku Fujita, fourth from left: Yasuko (Hashimoto) Morita. Second row: fifth from left is Irene (Fujii) Mano, sixth from left: Elaine Miyake. Fourth row directly …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-335/

img Sorelles Group Photo (ddr-one-1-15)

Black and white photographic negative of the Sorelles, a high school social group. Back Row (left to right): Elsie Okazaki, Beti ann (Minamoto) Wantroba, Jean Matsumoto, Lillian (Niimi) Mikariya, Rose Haruye (Muramatsu) Ouchida, Kathleen “Kathie” Haruko (Matsuda) Sato, Frances (Kinoshita) Mayeda, Grace Mieko (Muramatsu) Ouchida, and Mitsy (Kiyomura) Takeoka. Third Row: Nami (Miura) Koida, Miriam (Koyama) …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-15/

img Obon Festival- Dancers (ddr-one-1-245)

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-1-245/

img Northwest Buddhist Convention Banquet- Kitchen (ddr-one-1-420)

Black and white photographic negative of guests at the Northwest Buddhist Convention banquet dinner in the basement of the Seattle Buddhist Church. Sitting from left to right at table in foreground: unidentified, Sumiye (Fukei) Kato, and Ken Kagita, others unidentified.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-420/

img Hanamatsuri (birth of Buddha celebration) Odori Performance (ddr-one-1-404)

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

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-404/

img Portland Rose Festival Parade- float 4 "Now I lay me down to sleep" (ddr-one-1-482)

Color slide of Rose Festival Parade float 4 driving down W Burnside in front of a crowd gathered outside Bekins Storage, a sign for Edwards Furniture is visible in background. The float depicts a young girl praying at the edge of her bed. Along the side of the float reads "Now I lay me down." On …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-482/

img Wedding of Sam Sakamoto and Hanaye (Fujiwara) Sakamoto (ddr-one-1-39)

Original black and white photographic print of bride and groom standing and receiving guests. Left to Right: Sam Sakamoto and Hanaye (Fujiwara) Sakamoto.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-39/

img Portland Rose Festival Parade- float 33 "General Petroleum" (ddr-one-1-514)

Color slide of Rose Festival Parade float 33 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 made of white and blue flowers, with a large red Pegasus flying over top. …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-514/

img Third Annual Oregon Nisei Bowling League Tournament Dance- Admission Table (ddr-one-1-113)

Black and white photographic negative of three women sitting at the Third Annual Oregon Nisei Bowling League Tournament Dance Admission table at McElroy's Ballroom in Portland, Oregon. From left to right: Frances (Kinoshita) Mayeda, Aki (Shiraishi) Dong, Sumi "Sue" (Kaga) Hasegawa.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-113/

img Obon Festival- Odori folk dance (ddr-one-1-184)

Black and white photographic negative of the crowd and Obon dancers taken from behind the crowd. Obon dancers wave small Japanese and American flags. 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 …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-184/

img Portland Rose Festival Parade- Float 28 "Truck 3" (ddr-one-1-160)

Color slide of Rose Festival Parade float 28 driving down W Burnside in front of a crowd outside the Blue Eagle Cafe on the corner of W Burnside and NW Second Ave. The float is of a large fireman's helmet with "Truck 3 PDF" written in flowers on the front. The Rose Festival Parade is an …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-160/

img Hanamatsuri (birth of Buddha celebration) Odori Performance (ddr-one-1-405)

Black and white photographic negative of an Odori folk dance on stage for Hanamatsuri (birth of Buddha celebration) at Oregon Buddhist Church (now known as Oregon Buddhist Temple). Dancers front row from right to left: Mary (Nakata) Fujii and Shiz (Fujita) Inaba.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-405/

img Obon Festival- Odori folk dance (ddr-one-1-222)

Black and white photographic negative of Obon dancers performing in front of a large crowd. Obon dancers left line: Tomi Tsujimura and Yukiye Itoyama. Obon dancers right line: Atsuko "Alice" (Matsumoto) Ando and Atsuko "Alice" Kida. All others unidentified. Obon is an annual event hosted by the Oregon Buddhist Church (now known as Oregon Buddhist Temple) …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-222/

img Obon Festival- Odori folk dance (ddr-one-1-258)

Black and white photographic negative of Obon dancers in three partial circles performing in front of a large crowd seated in bleachers. Inner circle: Tom Shigeto Tamiyasu. Middle circle foreground to background: Joan “Janice” (Nakayama) Kimoto, Atsuko "Alice" Kida, and Atsuko "Alice" (Matsumoto) Ando. Outer circle: second from the front: Tomi Tsujimura. Obon is an annual …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-258/

img Obon Festival- Odori folk dance (ddr-one-1-290)

Black and white photographic negative of Obon dancers wearing straw hats performing an Odori folk dance in front of a large crowd at Obon. Obon Dancers: second to the right Grace (Tachibana) Ishikawa, and third to the right Kathleen "Kathie" Haruko (Matsuda) Sato. Obon is an annual event hosted by the Oregon Buddhist Church (now known …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-290/

img Obon Festival- Odori folk dance (ddr-one-1-272)

Black and white photographic negative of Obon dancers performing in front of crowd. Man on far right identified as Tom Shigeto Tamiyasu. 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-1-272/

img Nisei at Epworth United Methodist Church (ddr-one-1-340)

Black and white photographic negative of unidentified Nisei sitting on sofas at Epworth United Methodist Church. This photograph may have been taken during the Northwest Methodist Rally. Original print ONLC 3262 (ddr-one-1-438).

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-340/

img Obon Festival- Odori folk dance (ddr-one-1-194)

Black and white photographic negative of Obon dancers with both arms raised in front of a crowd. From left to right: Rose Haruye (Muramatsu) Ouchida, Tom Tsujimura, Phyllis Midori (Ando) Muramatsu, Shizuko "Shiz" (Ninomiya) Onishi, Toraichi Kobayashi, Hisako (Onishi) Saito, and Henry Matsunaga. Obon is an annual event hosted by the Oregon Buddhist Church (now known …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-194/

img Oregon Buddhist Church Annual Lotus Bazaar (ddr-one-1-110)

Black and white photographic negative of the game booths and crowd at the Oregon Buddhist Church's Annual Lotus Bazaar. The Oregon Buddhist Church is now known as Oregon Buddhist Temple. For print please see ONLC 4945 (ddr-one-1-716)

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-110/

img Obon Festival- Dancers (ddr-one-1-270)

Black and white photographic negative of an unidentified dancer posing for the camera in front of mostly empty bleachers. 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-1-270/