Wartime Memories

Tag: Niigata

  • Mariko Shibata

    L14, Mariko Shibata ‘04, Grandmother, 1923,Yokohama: Kanagawa–ku, Niigata On November 9, 2002, I interviewed my grandmother, who was born in 1923. She is 79 years old now. Q: When the war started, was there a change in your daily life? A: There was not a drastic change at first, because I could go to school…

  • Tatsuya Kotake

    M02, Tatsuya Kotake ‘06, Yoshiko Kitano, Grandmother, 1929, Tōkyō, Niigata When World War II began, my grandmother, Yoshiko Kitano, was twelve years old. She had been born in 1929 (Shōwa 4). She was living in the working-class shitamachi area of Tōkyō with her family. Her neighborhood had a narrow street with five houses on each…

  • Hana Shiraishi

    R04U, Hana Shiraishi ‘16, Toshii Saitō, Family Friend, 1937, Niigata, Yokohama: Minami-ku On November 2, 2014, I had the privilege of interviewing my neighbor, who experienced life under poverty, intense hunger, and confusion as an innocent little girl unable to understand the situation during World War II. Her name is Toshii Saitō, and she was…

  • Aya Kurasawa

    G05, Aya Kurasawa ‘99, Masa Maekawa, Neighbor, 1923, Niigata, Tōkyō Mrs Masa Maekawa is a 74-year-old woman who is a neighbor of mine. She lives with her married son, since her husband passed away a few years ago. Although I was not familiar with her, she and my mother became friends, so she arranged a…

  • Yurika Terada

    G11, Yurika Terada ‘99, Seiji Terada, Grandfather, 1931, Fukuoka, Niigata, Philippines World War II was the harshest war in world history including the most countries and with the most people killed. Most of the young men were forced to go to war as soldiers, and many people had very hard lives. My paternal grandfather is…

  • Sayo Kondō

    H14, Sayo Kondō ‘00, Haru Kirioka, Grandmother, 1915, Tōkyō, Niigata On November 15th 1998 I interviewed my maternal grandmother, Haru Kirioka, who is 83 years old. I asked her about her experiences during World War II and what happened to her after the war. My grandmother was living in Tōkyō before the war with her…

  • Masaru Takebe

    J09, Masaru Takebe ‘01, Seiichi Aiki, Grandfather, 1915, Niigata, Yokohama: Kōnan-ku, Manchuria The best way to find out about a major historical event is to ask someone who was actually there. Often, though, they might be too old or no longer alive. If the events which took place were not too long ago, there is…