Wartime Memories

Prefecture: Tōkyō

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • Motoni Katayama

    A05, Motoni Katayama ‘85, Mrs Ishikawa, Piano teacher, 1925, Tōkyō On Tuesday, May 15, 1984, I interviewed my piano teacher, Mrs Ishikawa, about her experiences during and after World War II. Q: How old were you in 1945? A: Well, it’s such a long time ago! [Laughs] I was twenty years old then. Q: Where…

  • Mari Tamura

    A08, Mari Tamura ‘85, Keiji Sugiyama, Grandfather, 1906, Tōkyō My grandfather, Keiji Sugiyama, was born in the year 1906. Although he did not actually go fight in the war, he has very vivid memories of it. The following is my interview with him about his experiences during World War II. I talked to him in…

  • 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…

  • Eika Ōtake

    D03, Eika Ōtake ‘91, Nirō Ōtake, Grandfather, 1931, Tōkyō In November 1989, I interviewed my paternal grandfather about World War II. He was born in 1931 and is now 58 years old. Q: How old were you when the war broke out? A: I was about ten years old then, I think. Q: Where did…

  • Eriko Shinozaki

    D04, Eriko Shinozaki ‘91, Grandmother, 1920, Karafuto, Hokkaidō, Tōkyō Q: Hello, Grandma, can I interview you about your life during World War II for my homework assignment? A: Sure, but I was not in Japan during the war. Q: Were you in Karafuto [the southern half of Sakhalin island, under Japanese rule from 1905 to…

  • 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…