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 (277)
Leaving camp (372)
Returning home (1150)

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1150 items

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/

img Reed College (ddr-one-1-356)

Black and white photographic negative of siblings Carlos Ogimi and Ayame Ogimi at Reed College, where they both attended school.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-356/

img Cliff side (ddr-one-1-451)

Color slide of a mountain cliff side. According to donor processed on June 20, 1951.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-451/

img Portland Rose Festival Parade- float 30 "Big Top" (ddr-one-1-146)

Color slide of Rose Festival Parade float 30 driving down Burnside in front of a crowd outside the Shoreline Hotel and Cafe. The float has small opening in the front with the word "Enter" written in flowers and a small yellow sign next to it with the number 30 on it. A woman dressed in yellow …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-146/

img Odori folk dance (ddr-one-1-70)

Color slide of an unidentified woman in a pink kimono outside performing a Odori (a traditional Japanese folk dance) at night.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-70/

img New Tokyo Bar (ddr-one-1-83)

Black and white photographic negative of an unidentified patron in the New Tokyo Bar sitting in a booth near two unidentified guitar players.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-83/

img Third Annual Oregon Nisei Bowling League Tournament Dance- Couple seated (ddr-one-1-125)

Black and white photographic negative of couple sitting alone in a booth at the Third Annual Nisei Bowling League Tournament Dance at McElroy's Ballroom in Portland, Oregon. The couple is posing for the camera. Woman identified as Frances (Sono) Gale, man unidentified.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-125/

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 Wedding of Sam Sakamoto and Hanaye (Fujiwara) Sakamoto (ddr-one-1-32)

Original black and white photographic print of Bride and Groom, Hanaye (Fujiwara) Sakamoto and Sam Sakamoto, in front of the alter standing at an angle to the camera.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-32/

img Reed College (ddr-one-1-355)

Black and white photographic negative of siblings Carlos Ogimi and Ayame Ogimi at Reed College, where they both attended school.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-355/

img Obon Festival- Dancer (ddr-one-1-232)

Black and white photographic negative of Harue Akiyama, the Obon dance instructor, posing for camera wearing straw hat. 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, Oregon.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-232/

img Sorelles Group Photo (ddr-one-1-11)

Original black and white photographic print of the Sorelles, a high school social group. Back Row (left to right): Elsie Okazaki, Anges (Inouye) Kitayama, Atsuko "Alice" Kida, Atsuko “Alice” (Matsumoto) Ando, Nami (Miura) Koida, Kimi Wakabayashi, Grace Mieko (Muramatsu) Ouchida, Masae “Elsie” (Morita) Onishi, and Betty Nakashimada. Middle Row (left to right): Rose Haruye (Muramatsu) Ouchida, …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-11/

img Third Annual Oregon Nisei Bowling League Tournament Dance- Couple seated (ddr-one-1-124)

Original black and white photographic print of couple sitting at table at the Third Annual Nisei Bowling League Tournament Dance at McElroy's Ballroom in Portland, Oregon. The couple is smiling for the camera. From left to right: Bob Luck and Doris Chan. Negative ONLC 2940 (ddr-one-1-123).

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-124/