Wartime Memories

Author: Glenn Scoggins

  • Lisa Yu

    B15C, Lisa Yu ‘86, Yu Aishi, Mother, 1930, Ōsaka, Okayama My mother, Yu Aishi, experienced her young adulthood during World War II. She was living in Ōsaka at first, but moved to Okayama because of the destruction. I asked her about her memories in May 1985. Q: How old were you during World War II?…

  • Yumiko Ishii

    C01, Yumiko Ishii ‘87, Grandmother, 1922, Kanagawa: Ninomiya-machi, Tōkyō In May 1986, I interviewed my grandmother, who is 64 years old. She explained her experiences during World War II. Q: How old were you when the world war began?  A: I was 19. Q: Where did you live then?A: My family all lived in Ninomiya…

  • Yōko Katō

    C02, Yōko Katō ‘87, Mr Katō, Father, 1937, Fukushima My father experienced World War II as a child. At one time, he had to evacuate to Fukushima prefecture. He is a good example of people who had to endure the war on the home front, as I learned when he talked to me in May…

  • Sylvia Leiser

    C03SwC, Sylvia Leiser ‘87, Chen Suzue, Grandmother, Hong Kong, Manchuria, Korea, Yamaguchi In May 1986, I interviewed my grandmother about her experiences during World War II. Her name is Suzue Chen. My grandmother was Japanese, but after she married my grandfather from Taiwan, she became a Chinese citizen. Q: Where were you when the war broke…

  • Nanako Okayama

    C04, Nanako Okayama ‘87, Shige Okayama, Grandmother, 1906,  Manchuria, Fukuoka My grandmother is named Shige Okayama. She lives with us now. I talked with in May 1986. She is 80 years old, so she does not remember very much about the past. Q: Grandmother, please tell me about World War II. A: Your grandfather and…

  • Kay Tatsumi

    C05, Kei (Kay) Tatsumi ‘87, Grandmother, 1919, Tōkyō, Hokkaidō In May 1986, I interviewed my grandmother. She is 67 years old, and she told me about the events of World War II. Q: What did you do when the U.S. planes bombed Tōkyō? A: We all had to dig a hole in the ground, which…

  • Jumi Hayaki

    D01, Jumi Hayaki ‘91, Kikuyo Tsuchiya, Grandmother, 1909,   Shizuoka The following is an interview, held over the telephone, between my maternal grandmother and myself during November 1989. Throughout, Mrs Kikuyo Tsuchiya (currently aged 80 years) relates her personal wartime experiences, ranging from those within her own household to those for the benefit of the nation.…

  • Aileen Jo

    D02C, Aileen Jo ‘91, “Anyan,” Grandmother, c 1924, Hyōgo, Nagano, China, Yokohama: Naka-ku In November 1989, I asked my grandmother (whom I call “Anyan”) about her wartime memories. She was a teenager and young adult during the worst years of the war.  Q: Anyan, I’d like to ask you some questions about your experiences during…

  • Lina Ritchie

    B11P, Lina Ritchie ‘86, Father, 1932, Hyōgo On Wednesday, May 22, 1985, I interviewed my father at home after supper about his experiences in World War II. He was born in 1932 and is 53 years old now. Q: Where were you during World War II? A: I was in Kōbe when the war began.…

  • Shinobu Suzuki

    D05, Shinobu Suzuki ‘91, Tokiko Suzuki, Grandmother, 1925, Tōkyō In November 1989, I interviewed my paternal grandmother, Tokiko Suzuki, 64 years old, in my living room. Q: Which specific period of time do you remember most clearly? A: The year before Japan surrendered, 1944 and 1945. During that time, the hardest experience was the Great…