Wartime Memories

Category: Uncategorized

  • Angela Lee

    A10C, Angela Lee ‘85, Sister Marie Gabriel, Saint Maur Nun, 1905, Yokohama: Naka-ku Japan suffered two great cataclysms in the twentieth century. One was the great Kantō Earthquake of September 1, 1923, which destroyed half of Tōkyō and most of Yokohama, The other was the bombing in World War II, which flattened most of Japan’s…

  • Kyōko Hirota

    C06, Kyōko Hirota ‘87, Shizuko Hirota, Grandmother, 1908, Tōkyō, Kōchi Q: Can you tell me about the bombing in World War II?A: We escaped from Tōkyō to Chiba. We didn’t have any food or clothing, or anything else. I had to cut up my best kimono to make working outfits and tabi (socks). Q: What…

  • Selena Pang

    C07C, Selena Pang ‘87, Hisa Nagae, Housemaid, 1919, Tochigi, Tōkyō I interviewed Mrs Hisa Nagae, about World War II. She kindly shared her experiences with me, and I was able to learn what those events were like for the people who actually went through them. You are very lucky to be born in such a…

  • Safari Watanabe

    C08, Safari Watanabe ‘87, Yoshie Watanabe, Grandmother, 1912, Hyōgo, Yokohama: Minami-ku, Naka-ku I interviewed my grandmother, Yoshi Watanabe. She was born on February 27, 1913 (Meiji 45). She experienced the Great Kantō Earthquake of 1923 and both world wars. Q: Can you tell me anything about World War II? A: When the war broke out,…

  • Makiko Ōta (Ohta)

    D08, Makiko Ōta (Ohta), Yukiko Sakata, Grandmother, 1923, Tōkyō Q: How old were you when the Second World War began? A: It was when I was about 18 years old. It was a couple of years before I graduated from Gakushūin High School. Q: Where were you living?A: I was living in Kōjimachi, Tōkyō. My…

  • Hiroko Moriya

    B07, Hiroko Moriya ‘86, Grandfather, 1910 In May 1985, I interviewed my grandfather, who is seventy-five years old. He was born in 1910. Q: What was your opinion of World War II? A: Although I did not have to play a role in it, I was not in favor of it, of course. In fact,…

  • Irwine Chang

    A01C, Irwine Chang ‘85, Mother, c 1933, China, Hyōgo The following are my mother’s memories of her wartime experiences. I interviewed her in May 1984. She is 51 years old now and was born around 1933. I came to Japan when I was four years old. I was born in Guangzhou [Canton], but because of…

  • Kinami Furukawa

    A02, Kinami Furukawa ‘85, Grandmother, c 1906, Yokohama: Naka-ku, Isogo-ku  In May 1984, I  interviewed my grandmother about her experiences during World War II. She was born around 1906 and is 78 years old now. I didn’t suffer or have much trouble during the war, compared to other people. I was about 35 years old…

  • Charlotte Hedderman

    A03U, Charlotte Hedderman ‘85, Mother, c 1930, Fukushima, Yokohama: Isogo-ku, Naka-ku I really learned a lot from this interview, but in truth I really didn’t want to do it. There are many reasons, but the main one is that I didn’t want to ask my mother to tell me things that she didn’t want to…

  • Tetsuko Iwasaki

    A04, Tetsuko Iwasaki ‘85, Manabu Iwasaki, Grandfather, 1929,   Tōkyō, Yokohama: Tsurumi-ku, Shizuoka The experience of a world war naturally occupies a large part of a person’s memory. Each day was a struggle to keep on living. Soldiers were in danger of being shot to death at any moment. The constant fear of death over…