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)

Related articles from the Densho Encyclopedia :
Alien land laws, Hood River incident, Kazuo Masuda, Return to West Coast

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1049 items
Obon Festival Dance Rehearsal (ddr-one-1-302)
img Obon Festival Dance Rehearsal (ddr-one-1-302)
Black and white photographic negative of Obon dancers practicing an Odori folk dance inside Norse Hall in Northeast Portland. Some dancers wear straw hats. Dancers from left to right: unidentified, unidentified, Dennis Kasubuchi, Mr. Tsujimura, unidentified, and Toraichi Kobayashi. Obon is an annual event hosted by the Oregon Buddhist Church (now known as Oregon Buddhist Temple) …
Methodist Banquet (ddr-one-1-348)
img Methodist Banquet (ddr-one-1-348)
Black and white photographic negative of a banquet inside a church. Guest are seated in pews around tables. Man standing on far right with tray is Kenji Onishi. Seated at table in foreground facing the camera is: Beti ann (Minamoto) Wantroba, unidentified, and Lew Tomita, looking at Kenji Onishi from foreground table is George Nakata. The …
Portland Rose Festival Parade- float 5 (ddr-one-1-551)
img Portland Rose Festival Parade- float 5 (ddr-one-1-551)
Color slide of Rose Festival Parade float 5 driving down W Burnside between Chinese Medicine Co and Blue Eagle Café on NW Second Ave. The float depicts a large fountain made of yellow flowers with pink flowers depicting the water. Four women in yellow and blue dresses sit around the float, one is holding a purple …
Lecture (ddr-one-1-329)
img Lecture (ddr-one-1-329)
An unidentified speaker in front of a seated crowd. Front row far left is Paul Hagiya. Back row left to right: Lillian (Niimi) Mikariya, unidentified, Tats Kumasaka, Jim Ozawa, and unidentified.
Odori folk dance (ddr-one-1-72)
img Odori folk dance (ddr-one-1-72)
Color slide of two women posing in kimonos and straw hats at Odori (traditional Japanese folk dance). From left to right: Ruth Saito and Grace (Tachibana) Ishikawa.
Northwest Buddhist Convention Banquet- Dining Room set-up (ddr-one-1-427)
img Northwest Buddhist Convention Banquet- Dining Room set-up (ddr-one-1-427)
Black and white photographic negative of two unidentified women setting banquet tables in the basement of the Seattle Buddhist Church for the Northwest Buddhist Convention Banquet. Striped flag and a flag with the Wheel of Dharma are visible hanging in the background.
Obon Festival- Obon dancers (ddr-one-1-211)
img Obon Festival- Obon dancers (ddr-one-1-211)
Black and white photographic negative of Obon dancers waving small Japanese and American flags for the camera in front of a crowd. From left to right: Kuni Kitayama, Chieko Yoshihara, Sakae Kobayashi, Hisano Sakamoto, Kaoru Funatake. Obon is an annual event hosted by the Oregon Buddhist Church (now known as Oregon Buddhist Temple) and attended by …
Third Annual Oregon Nisei Bowling League Tournament Dance- Individual Women's Winners (ddr-one-1-117)
img Third Annual Oregon Nisei Bowling League Tournament Dance- Individual Women's Winners (ddr-one-1-117)
Black and white photographic negative of four individual winners at the Third Annual Nisei Bowling League Tournament Dance at McElroy's Ballroom in Portland, Oregon. From left to right: Florence “Flo” (Anazawa) Teshima, Aki (Shiraishi) Dong, unidentified woman, and unidentified woman. Sitting inside a booth to the far left is Kimi Tambara.
Wedding of Sam Sakamoto and Hanaye (Fujiwara) Sakamoto (ddr-one-1-44)
img Wedding of Sam Sakamoto and Hanaye (Fujiwara) Sakamoto (ddr-one-1-44)
Black and white photographic negative of bride and groom, Hanaye (Fujiwara) Sakamoto and Sam Sakamoto, in front of the alter, bride's train twisted and on the stairs. Original print ONLC 2806 (ddr-one-1-33).
Portland Rose Festival Parade- float 42 (ddr-one-1-167)
img Portland Rose Festival Parade- float 42 (ddr-one-1-167)
Color slide of Rose Festival Parade float 42 going down W Burnside in front of a crowd outside the Shoreline Hotel and Cafe. The float has a small pink elephant sitting on its hind legs with two men sitting in front. The float is pulled by a team of Shetland ponies. The Rose Festival Parade is …
Portland Rose Festival Parade- float 20
img Portland Rose Festival Parade- float 20 "Concert in the Park" (ddr-one-1-539)
Color slide of Rose Festival Parade float 20 driving down W Burnside in front of a crowd gathered outside Blue Eagle Café on NW Second Ave. On the float is a large gazebo made of yellow, red and white flowers; inside sits a band in red uniforms, the conductor wears yellow. Two women sit outside the …
Portland Rose Festival Parade float- Chamber of Commerce (ddr-one-1-504)
img Portland Rose Festival Parade float- Chamber of Commerce (ddr-one-1-504)
Color slide of the back of the Chamber of Commerce float driving down SW Third Ave in front of a large crowd outside a drug store in the Portland Rose Festival Parade. Eight women in pink gowns sit on the float, seven in front and one on top in the back with a large white cape- …
Portland Rose Festival Parade float-
img Portland Rose Festival Parade float- "Aluminum Company of America" (ddr-one-1-512)
Color slide of a Rose Festival Parade float driving by a crowd in front of San Francisco Tailor on SW Third Ave. The float has four young girls in white dresses sitting around a May pole, a young woman sits behind them in front of a large harp made of yellow flowers that is being played …
Portland Rose Festival Parade- Marching Band (ddr-one-1-147)
img Portland Rose Festival Parade- Marching Band (ddr-one-1-147)
Color slide of a baton twirler in pink and yellow marching uniform in front of large marching band in red uniforms marching down W Burnside in the Portland Rose Festival Parade. In the background a sign for the Blue Eagle Cafe is visible. The Rose Festival Parade is an annual event in which floats are made …
Pelican (ddr-one-1-542)
img Pelican (ddr-one-1-542)
Color slide of a pelican perched on a rock. Image was most likely at the Portland Zoo in Washington Park (later moved to its current location from what is now the Japanese Gardans and renamed Oregon Zoo). According to donor processed on June 14, 1964.
Obon Festival- Mayoral speech (ddr-one-1-254)
img Obon Festival- Mayoral speech (ddr-one-1-254)
Black and white photographic negative of Portland Mayor Dorothy McCullough Lee speaking at Obon. Playing the taiko drum is Henry Matsunaga. Behind the drum is 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.
Wedding of Sam Sakamoto and Hanaye (Fujiwara) Sakamoto (ddr-one-1-29)
img Wedding of Sam Sakamoto and Hanaye (Fujiwara) Sakamoto (ddr-one-1-29)
Black and white photographic print of a wedding between Sam Sakamoto and Hanaye (Fujiwara) Sakamoto. The couple is kneeling before Reverend Francis Hayashi. Bridal Party from Left to Right: Yoichi "Jack" Nomi, Keso Kuwahara, Tamaye (Fujiwara) Nomi and Lilly (Kobayashi) Irinaga.
Obon Festival- Dancers (ddr-one-1-250)
img Obon Festival- Dancers (ddr-one-1-250)
Black and white photographic negative of Obon dancers performing in front of a crowd. From left to right in foreground: Ruth Saito, Kathleen "Kathie" Haruko (Matsuda) Sato, and Grace (Tachibana) Ishikawa. Obon is an annual event hosted by the Oregon Buddhist Church (now known as Oregon Buddhist Temple) and attended by the wider Nikkei community..
Portland Rose Festival Parade Float-
img Portland Rose Festival Parade Float- "Hot Cross Buns" (ddr-one-1-494)
Color slide of the Bakers of Oregon Rose Festival Parade float as it drives 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.. On the float ride two women in pink dresses and white bonnets, …
Obon Festival- Dancer (ddr-one-1-281)
img Obon Festival- Dancer (ddr-one-1-281)
Black and white photographic negative of Masano Hachiya Yamasaki posing for the camera 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.
Portland Rose Festival Parade- float 13
img Portland Rose Festival Parade- float 13 "Buried Treasure" (ddr-one-1-496)
Color slide of Rose Festival Parade float 13 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 yellow flowers, with an open treasure chest. Three women ride on the …
Third Annual Oregon Nisei Bowling League Tournament Dance- First Place Women's Team (ddr-one-1-116)
img Third Annual Oregon Nisei Bowling League Tournament Dance- First Place Women's Team (ddr-one-1-116)
Black and white photographic negative of the first place women's team at the Third Annual Oregon Nisei Bowling League Tournament Dance at McElroy's Ballroom in Portland, Oregon. From left to right: Toshi (Tamiyasu) Fukuhara, Sachi (Nakata) Nakashima, Kathleen Sasaki, Kimi Tambara, and Florence “Flo” (Anazawa) Teshima. Sitting inside a booth on the far left is Aki …
Wedding Reception Dance at Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (ddr-one-1-96)
img Wedding Reception Dance at Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (ddr-one-1-96)
Black and white photographic negative of a possible wedding reception dance at the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association's main hall. Attendees sit along the wall chatting with other guests.
Portland Rose Festival Parade- Cowboy (ddr-one-1-484)
img Portland Rose Festival Parade- Cowboy (ddr-one-1-484)
Color slide of a cowboy riding a brown horse down W Burnside in the Rose Parade. An advertisement for San Juan Slacks is visible on the side of the Noon Bag Company building. The cowboy waves his hat at the camera. The Portland Rose Festival Parade is an annual event in which floats are made out …
Reed College (ddr-one-1-363)
img Reed College (ddr-one-1-363)
Black and white photographic negative 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. Original print ONLC 3179 (ddr-one-1-361).
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