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 Community Picnic (ddr-one-1-378)

Black and white photographic negative of a group sitting around a picnic table at a community picnic at Viking Park hosted by the Oregon Buddhist Church (now known as the Oregon Buddhist Temple) being photographed by Ted Tamaki. Woman sitting second from the right is identified as Shiz (Fujita) Inaba.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-378/

img Obon Festival- Dancers (ddr-one-1-312)

Black and white photographic negative of two Obon dancers in costume, Mrs. Okayama is holding an "uchiwa" (fan), Yukiye Itoyama is holding a tenugui (light cotton towel). Obon is an annual event hosted by the Oregon Buddhist Church (now known as Oregon Buddhist Temple) and attended by the wider Nikkei community. Original print ONLC 3261 (ddr-one-1-437).

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-312/

img Community picnic (ddr-one-1-453)

Color slide of people sitting around a picnic table at a community picnic. From left to right: Ted Tamaki, Shizuko "Shiz" (Ochiai) Ota Okazaki, Eddie Tamiyasu, Nobuko (Ochiai) Susaki, and unidentified. According to donor processed on September 12, 1952.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-453/

img Portland Rose Festival Parade- float 18 "Sailing" (ddr-one-1-472)

Color slide of Rose Festival Parade float 18 driving down W Burnside in front of a crowd gathered outside the Noon Bag Company building. On the side of the building is an advertisement for San Juan Slacks. The float is a large sailboat with six women riding inside, one is holding a pink ribbon. The sail …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-472/

img Chinese Wedding Celebration (ddr-one-1-238)

Black and white photographic negative of Fred Lee and Betty Jean (Chinn) Lee's wedding guests watching a dragon dance performance outside.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-238/

img Frank Hirahara at New Tokyo Bar (ddr-one-1-80)

Black and white photographic negative of Frank Hirahara and Rose Mae Hara at the New Tokyo Bar in Portland, Oregon. For original print please ONLC 2855 (ddr-one-1-79).

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-80/

img Wedding portrait of Fred Lee and Betty-Jean Lee (Chinn) (ddr-one-1-132)

Black and white photographic negative of Fred G. Lee and Betty Jean (Chinn) Lee in wedding attire including a large bridal headdress.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-132/

img Picnic at the Oregon Coast (ddr-one-1-58)

Color slide of two unidentified Japanese American men sitting on a blanket at the Oregon Coast enjoying a picnic.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-58/

img Obon Festival Dance Rehearsal (ddr-one-1-303)

Black and white photographic negative of Obon dancers practicing an Odori folk dance inside Norse Hall in Northeast Portland. Second dancer from the left is identified as Atsuko "Alice" (Matsumoto) Ando. Young boy and third standing audience member from the left is identified as Eddie Tamiyasu. Obon is an annual event hosted by the Oregon Buddhist …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-303/

img Roses (ddr-one-1-521)

Color slide of a row of pink rose bushes. Other rows of red and pink rose bushes are visible in background. 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-1-521/

img Sorelles Group Photo (ddr-one-1-16)

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, Astuko "Alice" (Matsumoto) Ando, Jean Matsumoto, …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-16/

img Portland Rose Festival Parade Float- Vancouver, Washington Cenaqua (ddr-one-1-162)

Color slide of the back of a Rose Festival Parade float driving down W Burnside in front of a crowd outside the Grant Hotel and the intersection of NW First Ave. The Noon Bag Company building is visible in the background. The float depicts a carousel with a clown and three women in pink dresses and …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-162/

img Portland Rose Festival Parade- float 19 "Junior Court" (ddr-one-1-490)

Color slide of Rose Festival Parade float 19 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 six visible young couples dressed in white suits and pink dresses. They are standing …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-490/

img Portland Rose Festival Parade- float 38 "Alice in Wonderland" (ddr-one-1-463)

Color slide of Rose Festival Parade float 38 driving down W Burnside in front of a crowd outside the Shoreline Hotel. The float contains a depiction of Alice from "Alice in Wonderland" wearing blue dress with a white apron made from flowers. Sitting on the float in front of Alice next to a yellow sign with …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-463/

img Sorelles Beach Outing (ddr-one-1-392)

Black and white photographic negative of crowd of Nisei at a beach outing planned by the Sorrelles (a high school social group).

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-392/

img Obon Festival- Odori folk dance (ddr-one-1-207)

Black and white photographic negative of Obon dancers in a partial circle in front of a crowd that encloses the dancers. Obon dancers: left corner of image in front of dancer wearing a headscarf is Phyllis Midori (Ando) Muramatsu, behind woman in headscarf is Mabel (Maekawa) Ota followed by Kathleen "Kathie" Haruko (Matsuda) Sato, ninth from …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-207/

img Obon Festival- Odori folk dance (ddr-one-1-191)

Black and white photographic negative of Obon dancers waving small Japanese flags. Left line from left to right: Hisano Sakamoto, Kaoru Funatake and unidentified women. Right line from left to right: Grace Mieko (Muramatsu) Ouchida, Shizuko "Shiz" (Ochiai) Ota Okazaki, Betty Nakashimada, Shiz (Fujita) Inaba and an unidentified woman. Obon is an annual event hosted by …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-191/

img Hanamatsuri (birth of Buddha celebration) Odori Performance (ddr-one-1-406)

Black and white photographic negative of two unidentified dancers with fans performing an Odori folk dance on stage for Hanamatsuri (birth of Buddha celebration) inside the Oregon Buddhist Church (now known as Oregon Buddhist Temple). Two woman sit on stage in western style clothes, one playing a shamisen. A man is visible looking around the curtain …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-406/

img Congregation (ddr-one-1-328)

Black and white photographic negative of a Christian congregation sitting in pews looking forward. Man setting on the far left is Tsugo Ikeda. No one identified in first pew. Second pew from left to right: Betty Ishida, and Jayne (Katada) Furukawa, others unidentified. Note on identification sheets says saddle shoes worn in image were made by …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-328/

img Wedding Reception (ddr-one-1-133)

Black and white photographic negative of a unknown wedding reception with a group of wedding guests standing next to the gift table. Standing in the back behind the gifts is Mitsy (Kiyomura) Takeoka.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-133/

img Dance (ddr-one-1-101)

Black and white photographic negative of a room full of unidentified couples dancing together at an informal dance.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-101/

img Portland Rose Festival Parade Float- "Pacific Telephone" (ddr-one-1-533)

Color slide of the side of the Pacific Telephone float in the Rose Festival Parade driving down W Burnside and the intersection of NW Second Ave, the corner of the Shoreline Hotel is visible in the background. The side of float has purple, white and red flowers and reads "Pacific Telephone." On the float five women …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-533/

img Portland Rose Festival Parade- float 35, "Boyd's Coffee" (ddr-one-1-465)

Color slide of Rose Festival Parade float 35 driving down W Burnside in front of a crowd gathered outside the Noon Bag Company, two advertisements are visible on the side of the building. The float is made out of pink flowers and has a large wheel on top that is upside down, but reads "Boyd's Coffee". …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-465/

img Sorelles Group Photo (ddr-one-1-5)

Original black and white photographic print of the Sorelles, a high school social group. Back Row (left to right): Elsie Okazaki, Agnes (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-1-5/

img New Tokyo Bar (ddr-one-1-84)

Black and white photographic negative of unidentified bar patrons at the New Tokyo Bar. Bartender George Ninomiya is behind the bar.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-84/