Partial Transcript: James grows up in a rural community. When he attended grade school, there were approximately 80 students. At Gresham High School, there were about 250 students. After the war, the community doubled in size. James felt everyone got along after they knew one another. When the people from the Midwest moved into the community, they were there to work and not socialize.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: family; high school; Issei; Japanese Americans; Nisei; primary school; rural communities

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Partial Transcript: James felt the Japanese American community did not rebel against the racism after the war. They are happy to start their lives over again. He also thought the discrimination was worse for the youths than for the adults because the adults got along better.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: Americans of Japanese Ancestry; children; Issei; Japanese Americans; Nisei; World War Two

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Partial Transcript: James says the Japanese Americans were about ten percent of the neighborhood makeup. On James' family farm, there were Filipino labor workers. They were hard workers, and James' father provided housing for them on the farm. James also mentions his mother would get upset when his father was drunk. However, she always made homemade sake for him.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: farm; farming; Issei parents; Japanese Americans; Nisei

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Partial Transcript: James discusses his father's personality after drinking. James also mentioned his lifestyle change with his AA sponsor and offered advice to others struggling with alcoholism.

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Keywords: Issei; Nisei

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Partial Transcript: In grade school, there were approximately 80 students. The school was clean and had three classrooms. In middle school, there were three grades, and in junior high school, there were two grades. Overall, three teachers taught at the school. James' elementary teacher was his favorite teacher, and he enjoyed playing baseball.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: education; Japanese Americans; Nisei; primary school; sports

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Partial Transcript: In Nyssa, OR, James was on a boxing team in high school, and he also played baseball. James recalls winning two championships. He says it was a big accomplishment since the high school was small. James' boxing class was 120, and his record was five draws and five wins (within two years). His coach was John Young.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: high school; Japanese Americans; Nisei; sports

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Partial Transcript: James recalls after the war started, there was racism towards the Japanese Americans. The Japanese Americans did not retaliate when they were placed in the camp. There were also armed guards around the camp area. James did not think racism was that bad in Oregon. In Nyssa County, there were about three Japanese American families in the neighborhood. In grade school and high school, there were four Japanese American students.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: "evacuation"; "Jap"; Japanese Americans; Nisei; racism; World War Two

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Partial Transcript: James discusses prejudice and how the treatment of Japanese Americans was similar to African Americans. He shares a story about his foreman, who was African American.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: Americans of Japanese Ancestry; civil rights; humanity; Issei; Nisei

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Partial Transcript: James discusses family farm and movies (interview stops at 29 minutes, 3 seconds. Resumes at 29 minutes and 9 seconds). On December 7, James heard about Pearl Harbor and was scared to go to school the next day. Two weeks before going to camp, James was treated well and did not experience discrimination. After the war, James acquires the family farm.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: high school; Japanese Americans; Nisei; Pearl Harbor; post-war; World War Two

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Partial Transcript: After the Pearl Harbor attack, there was outreach from the community to James and his family. James' father was the boss of the family, and his attitude influenced the entire family's mood. James recalls his brother asking their father if they could go to Japan because of the unknown certainty from December 7. However, their father said he immigrated to the United States for a reason. Their father's words gave strength to the family.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: Americans of Japanese Ancestry; family; farm; Issei; Issei parents; Nisei; Pearl Harbor; siblings; World War Two

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Partial Transcript: James said his family is lucky because they have people who will help them with their home and farm when they go to camp. After Pearl Harbor, there were restrictions. James recalls a curfew. When the family was preparing for evacuation, they could only bring what they could carry to camp.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: "evacuation"; Americans of Japanese Ancestry; Assembly Centers; Executive Order 9066; family; farm; interment camp; Japanese Americans; World War Two

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Partial Transcript: After December 7, they did not return to James' family farm. At the end of October or middle of November, the Filipino laborers would leave for California for other work and return in March. However, they never came back. When James' family was evacuated, their farm, crops, and dog were looked after by the Cunninghams. James was a sophomore in high school when they left home. He only brings clothing with him.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: farming; Issei parents; Japanese Americans; Nisei; Pearl Harbor

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Partial Transcript: The Fujii family goes to Portland Stockyard. He describes the living conditions. There was a recreation hall for activities, and the meals were not awful. Post-war, James inherits the farm and later gives it to his son to run.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: Executive Order 9066; family; farm; Issei; Japanese Americans; Nisei; Sansei; siblings; World War Two

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Partial Transcript: At the Portland Stockyards, there were sports leagues for activities. There were three baseball fields with stands. Later, in northern Oregon, there was a shortage of farm laborers in the sugar beet farms, and they were looking for volunteers. James' father told the children to go, and they went by train to northern Oregon. They worked on the farm for two months and lived at the Pacific Livestock Center for three months.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: "evacuation"; Executive Order 9066; farming; Japanese Americans; living conditions; Nisei; World War Two

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Partial Transcript: The Fujii family went to Nyssa, OR, to work in the sugar beet farm. The Farming Security Administration (FSA) ran the tent camp in Nyssa. James recalls the housing was not good. However, his mother took the responsibility of cooking the meals and making the tent space livable for the family. The Fujii family lived at the tent camp for two years, and James recalled the winter months being cold.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: family; farming; Issei parents; Japanese Americans; living conditions; Nisei; World War Two

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Partial Transcript: The winter months were cold at the tent camp in Nyssa, OR. James was not sure how they made it for two years. For heating, they used a camp stove. The hardest part being at Nyssa was the living conditions. However, there was comfort the family could turn back to their farm when the war ended. James recalls Frances Kumazawa. Frances was close to James' sister, Kimiko.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: farming; Issei parents; Japanese Americans; living conditions; Nisei; siblings; World War Two

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Partial Transcript: At Nyssa, there were many people from Troutdale and Gresham area. Ten miles away from Nyssa, there was a CCC camp. The families from Nyssa were supposed to move there in the third year. However, the war ended. The CCC camp was an upgrade from Nyssa's tent camp.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: barracks; family; farming; Japanese Americans; living conditions; rural communities; World War Two

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Partial Transcript: James' brother, Kazuo, went into service and visited the family on furlough. James recalls Kazuo went through a personality change after being overseas. Post-war, Kazuo took over the farm and ran it well.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: draft; farming; Issei parents; Japanese Americans; Nisei; post-war; World War Two

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