Wartime Memories

Category: Uncategorized

  • Anzu Hoshino

    F02, Anzu Hoshino ‘97, Grandmother, 1930, Nagano In December 1995, I interviewed my grandmother, who is 65 years old. When she was seven years old, a war broke between China and Japan, and it continued into World War II. I asked her how she felt during the war and what she was doing at that…

  • 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…

  • Din Idriss

    E06Bn, Din Idriss ‘94, Mr Idriss, Father, 1934, Brunei In November 1992, I talked with my father about his memories of the war. Q: What year were you born in? Do you remember the war years? A: I was born on January 15, 1934, and yes, I remember World War II. Q: When and why…

  • Mai Kawasaki

    F03, Mai Kawasaki ‘97, Itoko Kawauchi, Grandmother, 1929 I interviewed my maternal grandmother over the phone on December 3, 1995. She was born on May 5, 1929, and she is 66 years old now. Q: Where were you during World War II?A: I was evacuated with a lot of other people, along with my mother…

  • 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…

  • Chiari Iwasaki

    E07, Chiari Iwasaki ‘94, Grandmother    When we think of World War II, sometimes we don’t consider the pain and suffering that millions of people underwent. I realized then when I asked my grandmother about the war. She told me things that I had never even thought about. My grandmother’s parents were poor farmers, so…

  • Miya King

    F04B, Miya King ‘97, Shigeko Hoshikawa, Grandmother, 1920, Tōkyō, Aichi, Yamagata My maternal grandmother was born on August 3, 1920, and she is now 75 years old. I interviewed her in December 1995 Q: Could you describe your life when the war started?A: I was attending Kyōritsu Joshi Tandai [a women’s junior college] in Tōkyō.…

  • 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…

  • Ayako Kimura

    E09, Ayako Kimura ‘94, Chieko Kusunoki, Grandmother, 1923, Wakayama In November 1992, I asked my maternal grandmother to tell me about her memories of World War II. She was born in 1923 and will turn 70 next year.  Q: What was the first signal or incident that you remember about the beginning of the war?…

  • Mayumi Miyajima

    F05, Mayumi Miyajima ‘97, Grandfather, 1917,  Tōkyō (Miyake-jima) My grandfather was born in February 1917 in Kawasaki, so he is now 78 years old. I talked to him in December 1995 about his memories of the war. He went to elementary, middle, and higher school, and then to a medical university. Two years after he…