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)

Filters

Facilities

Format

Genre

Usage

Use <Ctrl> or (⌘) keys to select multiple terms

Gallery view
List view

1151 items

img Portland Rose Festival Parade- float 10 "Blowing Bubbles" (ddr-one-1-476)

Color slide of Rose Festival Parade float 10 driving down W Burnside in front of a crowd gathered outside the Grant and Shoreline Hotels. The float is made of pink and white flowers with two female riders sitting and waving to the crowd. The side of the float reads "U.S. National Bank," the front reads "Blowing …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-476/

img Nisei on stage (ddr-one-1-346)

Black and white photographic negative of four Nisei standing on a stage, two additional Nisei sitting to the side. The four standing Nisei are each holding an object- possibly performing some kind of skit. From left to right: Miriam (Koyama) Kiso, Eugene Hayashi, Rose Namba, Nami (Miura) Koida, Toyse "Toy" Muira, and Ko Tambara. This photograph …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-346/

img Obon Festival- Odori folk dance (ddr-one-1-185)

Black and white photographic negative of Obon dancers in two lines approaching the camera with arms in motion. From left to right front row: Betty Nakashimada, Aki (Shiraishi) Dong, Ted Tetsuo Tamaki, Shiz (Fujita) Inaba. Back row fourth from left is Arthur Ojiro “Art” Sasaki. Obon is an annual event hosted by the Oregon Buddhist Church …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-185/

img Portland Rose Festival Parade- float 20 "Fountain of youth" (ddr-one-1-489)

Color slide of Rose Festival Parade float 20 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 depicts the story of the fountain of youth, with three young ladies dressed in gowns …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-489/

img Portland Rose Festival Parade- float 17 "Arabian Nights" (ddr-one-1-492)

Color slide of Rose Festival Parade float 17 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 theme is written on the side as "Arabian Nights." Five women dressed in large colorful …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-492/

img Registration Table at Epworth United Methodist Church (ddr-one-1-339)

Black and white photographic negative of a registration table inside Epworth United Methodist Church, possibly for the Northwest Methodist Rally. From left to right: Lillian (Niimi) Mikariya, Atsuko "Alice" Kida, and Loretta (Fujii) Kaneko, remaining unidentified.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-339/

img Portland Rose Festival Parade- float 14 "Shell" (ddr-one-1-169)

Color slide of Rose Festival float 14 driving down W Burnside in front of a crowd outside W.L. Reid Company Building Hardware Specialties and the Riverfront Hotel and Cafe. An advertisement for Chevrolet is visible in the background on the side of the Portland Commons Annex. The float depicts a tiger jumping through a hoop. A …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-169/

img Third Annual Oregon Nisei Bowling League Tournament Dance (ddr-one-1-119)

Black and white photographic negative of unidentified couples dancing at the Third Annual Nisei Bowling League Tournament Dance at McElroy's Ballroom in Portland, Oregon. Jimmy Amato and his Orchestra are playing in the background.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-119/

img Portland Rose Festival Parade- float 21 (ddr-one-1-175)

Color slide of Rose Festival Parade float 21 driving down W Burnside in front of a crowd outside the W.L. Reid Company Building Hardware Specialties and the Riverfront Hotel and Cafe. The float is a truck made of red and white flowers with animal cages, a small yellow sign is visible on the front with number …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-175/

img Nisei at Epworth United Methodist Church (ddr-one-1-330)

Black and white photographic negative of four Nisei girls wearing white gloves, large, fake ears and a newspaper bib inside Epworth United Methodist Church, possibly during the Northwest Methodist Rally. Each girl is also holding a conductor baton. Third girl from the left is identified as Sophie (Tomita) Imai.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-330/

img Sorelles Group Photo (ddr-one-1-21)

Original black and white photographic print of the Sorelles, a high school social group. Left to right: Grace (Ebihara) Akiyama, Betty Nakashimada, Jean Yasuko (Kida) Tomita, Nami (Miura) Koida, Masae "Elsie" (Morita) Onishi, Beti ann (Minamoto) Wantroba, Mitsy (Kiyomura) Takeoka, Betty Ishida, Elsie Okazaki, Agnes (Inouye) Kitayama, Atsuko "Alice" Kida, Atsuko "Alice" (Matsumoto) Ando, Jean Matsumoto, …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-21/

img Portland Rose Festival Parade- float 23 "Sears, Roebuck and Co" (ddr-one-1-149)

Color slide of Rose Festival Parade float 23 driving down Burnside in front of a crowd outside W.L. Reid Company Building Hardware Specialties. The float is of two horses made of yellow and brown flowers pulling a chariot made of green and yellow flowers with a male rider dressed as a Roman chariot rider. Two women …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-149/

img Photographer (ddr-one-1-433)

Black and white photographic negative of an unidentified photographer standing on a pew with a large camera.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-433/

img Portland Rose Festival Parade- float 29 "Paul Bunyan and Babe" (ddr-one-1-518)

Color slide of Rose Festival Parade float 29 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 large flower depiction of Paul Bunyan and his ox Babe. Three women dressed …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-518/

img Oregon Buddhist Church Annual Lotus Bazaar- Refreshments Table (ddr-one-1-106)

Black and white photographic negative of the Oregon Buddhist Church's Annual Lotus Bazaar Refreshments Table. Toyse "Toy" Miura and Phyllis Midori (Ando) Muramatsu are running the refreshments table. Behind them are stacks of empty soda bottles. The Oregon Buddhist Church is now known as Oregon Buddhist Temple.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-106/

img Obon Festival Dance Rehearsal (ddr-one-1-311)

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: Shig Yuzuriha, Shig Oka, Hiro Okayama, unidentified, and Arthur Ojiro “Art” Sasaki. Obon is an annual event hosted by the Oregon Buddhist Church (now known as Oregon Buddhist …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-311/

img Third Annual Oregon Nisei Bowling League Tournament Dance- Seated couple (ddr-one-1-122)

Black and white photographic negative of couples sitting around two tables at the Third Annual Nisei Bowling League Tournament Dance at McElroy's Ballroom in Portland, Oregon. One couple is smiling for the camera. Left to right: Yuri Sasaki, Sam "Pompadour Sam" Sasaki, May Sono, and George Sono. Woman standing in left background is identified as May …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-122/

img Obon Festival- Dancers (ddr-one-1-248)

Black and white photographic negative of Eddie Tamiyasu posing for the camera in his Obon costume. 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-1-248/

img Nisei at Epworth United Methodist Church (ddr-one-1-341)

Black and white photographic negative of Nisei at Epworth United Methodist Church most likely during the Northwest Methodist Rally. Nisei are gathered around a table filling out sheets of paper. Standing at the head of the table leaning over the table is Elsie (Morita) Onishi. Standing on the left side of the table, leaning over filling …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-341/

img Nisei Bowling League Women's Team (ddr-one-1-128)

Original black and white photographic print of a Nisei women's bowling team. The team is posed in front of a Ford sedan with a bowling ball and monogrammed shirts. Back row left to right: Kathleen Sasaki, Yoko (Hishikawa) Iwata, and Takako Inukai. Front row left to right: Toshi (Tamiyasu) Fukuhara, and Sachi (Nakata) Nakashima. Negative ONLC …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-128/

img Oregon Buddhist Church 50th Anniversary Celebration Procession (ddr-one-1-49)

Color slide of procession in front of the US Customs House in Northwest Portland. Women in brightly colored kimonos or yukatas form two lines. Followed by four more women in somber colored kimonos or yukatas. Procession from left to right: Betty Nakashimada, Atsuko "Alice" (Matsumoto) Ando, Jean Matsumoto, Kathleen "Kathie" Haruko (Matsuda) Sato, Aki (Shiraishi) Dong, …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-49/

img Obon Festival- Dancers (ddr-one-1-313)

Black and white photographic negative of two Obon dancers in costume. From left to right: Joyce (Sasaki) Olsen and Susanne Mineko (Sasaki) Myers. 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-1-313/

img Record DJ (ddr-one-1-97)

Black and white photographic negative of Jayne (Katada) Furukawa at a record table with 78 rpm records. She and Oscar Murahashi are exchanging a record.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-97/

img Obon Festival- Odori folk dance (ddr-one-1-219)

Black and white photographic negative of Obon dancers performing before a crowd. First woman in crowd on left side: Marian Hara. Obon dancers left line from right to left: Haru Fujii, Tamuro Miura, and Nobuko Yoshida. Obon dancers right line from right to left: Jimmy Yoshida. Obon is an annual event hosted by the Oregon Buddhist …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-219/

img Valentine's Day potluck at Oregon Buddhist Church (ddr-one-1-61)

Color slide of young men and women filling plates at Valentine's Day potluck at Oregon Buddhist Church (now known as the Oregon Buddhist Temple). From left to right: Ben Ishida, Atsuko "Alice" (Matsumoto) Ando, Frances (Kinoshita) Mayeda, and Arthur "Art" Ojiro Sasaki.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-61/