"There is a phrase the Japanese us in such situations, when something difficult must be endured...'Shikata ga nai' (It cannot be helped). 'Shikata ga nai' (It must be done)."
-Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, Farewell to Manzanar
-Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, Farewell to Manzanar
General Population
The U.S. Army made no distinction between the Japanese; all people of Japanese ancestry, old or young men or women, were focused to relocate, regardless of citizenship. Over 120,000 people of Japanese descent were forced to abandon their homes and relocate. Out of the thousands of Japanese forced to leave the West Coast, over 62% were Nisei and the remainder were Issei.
General Population
The U.S. Army made no distinction between the Japanese; all people of Japanese ancestry, old or young men or women, were focused to relocate, regardless of citizenship. Over 120,000 people of Japanese descent were forced to abandon their homes and relocate. Out of the thousands of Japanese forced to leave the West Coast, over 62% were Nisei and the remainder were Issei.
Due to the large population in the camps, barracks were shared between families. There were no partitions that separated the rooms unless the internees made them themselves. It was common for multiple generations of a family to share a barrack and live on the camp. While many internees were Issei and Nisei, it was common for Sansei to be within the camps as well.
"Most of the 110,000 persons removed of 'national security' were school-age children, infants and young adults not yet of voting age."
-Michi Weglyn, Years of Infamy
"One had to get used to snores, baby-crying, family troubles, and even to the jitterbugs."
-Mine Okubo, Citizen 13660
"Most of the 110,000 persons removed of 'national security' were school-age children, infants and young adults not yet of voting age."
-Michi Weglyn, Years of Infamy
"One had to get used to snores, baby-crying, family troubles, and even to the jitterbugs."
-Mine Okubo, Citizen 13660
Upon Arrival
Upon arrival to the camps, evacuees and their luggage were searched for contraband and potentially dangerous items. This could include family heirloom swords, razors, and radios. Once their luggage was searched, internees were required to go through a full-body check. Once they were given their barrack numbers, they were to take their luggage and move to their assigned living spaces.
"Straight-edged razors, knives more than four inches long, and liquor were considered contraband."
-Mine Okubo, Citizen 13660
"...I was asked to enter one of the slightly partitioned and curtained compartments and was ordered to undress...When I rejoined my brother, I asked him what they made him do. 'They made up strip', he said."
-Mine Okubo, Citizen 13660
-Mine Okubo, Citizen 13660
"...I was asked to enter one of the slightly partitioned and curtained compartments and was ordered to undress...When I rejoined my brother, I asked him what they made him do. 'They made up strip', he said."
-Mine Okubo, Citizen 13660
Living Conditions
Weather varied in the internment camps. Evacuees had to live in extreme heat, dust storms, heavy rain, or extreme cold depending on the location. Illness and disease became very common within the camps, especially with children.
"...Because the partitions were low and there were many holes in the boards they were made of, the crackling of the straw and the noises from the other stalls were incessant...Moreover, it was very cold and we were shivering. One blanket was not enough to keep us warm. We got up and opened the duffel bags and the suitcases and spread everything over our beds."
-Mine Okubo, Citizen 13660
Many of the barracks in the camps had been built hurriedly with no regard of the quality. Some families lived in barracks with no flooring, holes in the ceilings,
-Mine Okubo, Citizen 13660
Many of the barracks in the camps had been built hurriedly with no regard of the quality. Some families lived in barracks with no flooring, holes in the ceilings,
"I spent a good part of my time playing with my brothers and friends, learned to shoot marbles, watched sandlot baseball, and envied the older kids who wore Boy Scout uniforms... I was learning, as best one could learn in Manzanar, what it meant to live in America. But I was also learning the sometimes bitter price one has to pay for it."
-John Tateishi
-John Tateishi
Mess halls were put into place in the internment camps. Most of the food served consisted of Japanese-related dishes to please the Issei and American-like meals to please the Nisei. Despite this fact, the meals were of very low quality in the mess halls and many internees spent hours waiting before they could receive their meals.
"We stood two hours three times a day with pails in our hands like beggars to receive our meals. There was no hot water, no washing or bathing. It took about two months before we lived half was civilized."
-Misao Sakamoto
"We lined up for mail, for checks, for meals, for showers, for washrooms, for laundry tubs, for toilets, for clinic service. We lined up for everything."
-Mine Okubo, Citizen 13660
-Misao Sakamoto
"We lined up for mail, for checks, for meals, for showers, for washrooms, for laundry tubs, for toilets, for clinic service. We lined up for everything."
-Mine Okubo, Citizen 13660
Privacy was almost always an issue in the camps. Showers and restrooms in the camps generally had no privacy; toilets would be seated without partitions. Men and women in the camps eventually set up partitions in the bathrooms, but could barely do so in the showers.
"Many women could not get used to the community toilets. They sought privacy by pinning up curtains and setting up boards...the women's showers were slightly partitioned." -Mine Okubo, Citizen 13660 It was common for other sorts of life to appear in the camps. Rats and spiders were among the most common found in the barracks themselves. Some families even adopted stray animals, such as cats. "We had to make friends with the wild creatures in the camps, especially spiders, mice, and rats, because we were outnumbered."
-Mine Okubo, Citizen 13660 |
"We were faced with children ill with measles, chickenpox, whooping cough, diarrhea. The only place we had for care were the barracks without heat, no stove, no water... For me, it was a matter of 14-16 hours per day of struggle and frustration." Dr. Yoshiye Togasaki 1981 With a large internee population and only so many medics, illness became common in the camps. Even so, many medics lacked the sources they needed to properly treat sick patients.
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Evacuees were typically supplied with empty sacs in which they would fill with straw to create a mattress. Due to the poor quality of the shelters, many evacuees took on fixing the barracks and creating furniture for their rooms. Food also had a generally poor quality, and evacuees would grow their own gardens and raise livestock for themselves. Evacuees also began creating communities within the camps; sports games, church events, schooling, dances, and ceremonies were organized to simply make the best of their situation.
Some Japanese Americans could not emotionally handle nor psychologically handle living in the camps. John Yoshida (right), committed suicide because he could not handle the shame of internment. A great deal of shame was felt particularly by the Issei, and they continued to exert great bitterness about the event even after the camps were closed. While the Nisei wanted to prove their loyalty to the U.S. and would do anything it took, the Issei felt differently and experienced more emotional damage from the internment.
“If Japan wins this war we have the most to lose. We hope America wins and quickly. We voluntarily evacuated as the only means by which we could demonstrate our loyalty. We want to share in the ware effort. We want to share the gloom of temporary defeats and the joys of ultimate victory. We are deeply concerned with our American citizenship, which we prize above all else.”
-Chiye Mori
-Chiye Mori
Although many internees wished to distract themselves from the hardships they faced in the camps, the war was something that could not be disregarded. The Nisei in particular were supportive of the U.S. during the war and would not hesitate to join the war effort. Despite such morale, many internees shared the belief that the United States absolutely needed to win the war. They feared that their citizenship was at stake if the U.S. lost the war, not to mention the increase in racism that would go along with it.