A large cover photo fills the screen: it is a still image of Kimi-yay looking upon her desk, which has a ledger, a vintage calculator, papers, booklets, and mail. The whole image has been artistically tinted in a blue tone.
Instructions:
Join Kimiye at her work desk at the end of the day. Ask her questions about her background and the choices that she makes for her family. Look around the room and discover hidden objects that illuminate themes related to her experience.
(The cover image falls away from you in 3D, revealing an animated film reel, spinning upward like it's running through a movie projector. Suddenly the screen scrolls down to a new region of the page which has just appeared.)
The same black and white scene of Kimi-yay at her desk appears again, but the scene is animated: you can see Kimi-yay moving ever so slightly as she writes into her accounting book. Four glowing buttons hover above specific parts of the scene. If you want to avoid tabbing repeatedly to each button, use the first button to activate keyboard shortcuts. You can explore the details in any order you wish.
Hotspot, hovering over Kimi-yay, hovering over a magazine at the edge of the desk, hovering over the envelope, hovering over the accounting book#1#2#3#4
You tap at her open door and say hello...
“Hi, I’m Kimiye. I own and operate a dry cleaning shop in Chicago. My business helps me support my aging father, Sam, and 15-year-old daughter, Mary.”
(Press Escape to close the conversation.)
What would you like to ask her about?
Expanded Hotspot
(Press Escape to close.)
On Kimiye’s desk is the 1949 Chicago Guidebook, a magazine made by and for Japanese Americans who resettled in the city. Imagine someone migrating to your neighborhood. What would you include in a guide to help them navigate your neighborhood physically, emotionally, and socially?
Tucked away in the desk is a letter to Mary from her father George Yamamoto, who lives in Los Angeles, California. If you could interview the Yamamoto family, what would you ask?
An accounting book for the dry cleaning business sits on the desk, a record of how Kimiye has worked to build financial security for her family over the years. If you could save $10 a day for a year, what would you do for your family or community with that money?
For users of JAWS, you may need to temporarily turn off your "Virtual PC Cursor" to use these keyboard shortcut commands.
If you want to ask Kimiye a question, press Q (for Question). To examine the magazine more closely, press M (for Magazine). To look at the envelope, press E (for Envelope). To examine the accounting book, press A (for Accounting).
(NOTE: to turn off these shortcuts, please reload the page in your browser.)
Bottom of your screen
A toolbar hovers over the bottom of the screen, but if you are done exploring the scene, the webpage continues below.
Why did you start a dry cleaning business in Chicago?
Transcript
[Kimiye finishes what she was writing, then looks up to answer.]
Guidebook: Finding Home in Chicago
A modal dialog covers the entire screen. There are four tabs to explore,
and you are on Tab 1 which introduces the topic. Tab 2 is labelled "Watch" with a symbol of a video player. Tab 3 is labelled "Explore" with a symbol of a map. Tab 4 is labelled "Reed".
But you don't have to explore them in order. To jump around easily, you can press #2, #3, or #4 on your keyboard, to switch to that tab. Press #1 to come back to this first tab.
Hmmm, the screen is too small to show this activity. Please make your browser window taller.
;Button to define the term;Here is the definition ofWar Relocation AuthorityChicago Resettlers Committee
The Chicago Guidebook was one of several publications made by and for the growing population of Japanese Americans in the city, which increased from a few hundred to over 20,000 in the 1940s. Despite the War Relocation Authority’s
push for Japanese Americans to disperse throughout the city, they faced severe housing discrimination. Many landlords would not rent to them unless the rentals were located in racial “buffer” zones between Black and white neighborhoods. From the 1940s through the 1960s, many Japanese Americans lived on the Near North Side near Clark and Division Streets and on the South Side in the Oakland, Kenwood, and Hyde Park neighborhoods. How would you react if your government forced you to “resettle” in a place you’ve never been to?
On Kimiye’s desk is the 1949 Chicago Guidebook, a magazine made by and for Japanese Americans.
The fourth tab (titled "Read") is now softly glowing.
CITATION: Courtesy of the Japanese American Service Committee (JASC) Legacy Center (2017)
facing housing discrimination and bed bugs
In this video, Ben Chikaraishi recounts his experience arriving in Chicago and searching for housing in the South Side neighborhood of Hyde Park. He describes being turned away multiple times by landlords and discusses the poor quality of housing available to him.
These two maps show the restaurants, religious institutions, commercial businesses, and residential rentals of Japanese Americans living in Chicago from the 1940s to the 1960s. White landlords discriminated against Japanese Americans, leaving them with limited housing options. Japanese Americans were only able to rent or buy in two main areas: the South Side neighborhoods of Oakland, Kenwood, and Hyde Park; and the Near North Side around Clark and Division Streets.
This 1947 progress report by the Chicago Resettlers Committee (CRC)
Definition:
Established in 1945 and later renamed the Japanese American Service Committee (JASC), this organization focused on helping resettled Japanese Americans find housing and work. The JASC continues to provide social services and cultural activities today. Read more on Densho.org (opens in a new Tab). Or press Escape to close.
provides an update on the Japanese American resettlement process. The report shares the status of ongoing efforts to integrate Japanese Americans into Chicago's white community and develop youth programs to lower teen crime. In 1945, Japanese Americans established the CRC to assist the War Relocation Authority
A modal dialog covers the entire screen. There are four tabs to explore,
and you are on Tab 1 which introduces the topic. Tabs 2, 3, and 4 are all labelled "Watch" with a symbol of a video player, but they contain different videos.
You don't have to explore them in order. To jump around easily, you can press #2, #3, or #4 on your keyboard, to switch to that tab. Press #1 to come back to this first tab.
Hmmm, the screen is too small to show this activity. Please make your browser window taller.
;Button to define the term;Here is the definition ofIsseiFBIbombing of Pearl HarborDepartment of Justice campsconcentration camp
Before being incarcerated, Japanese American parents worked hard to make a life for their families on the West Coast, but incarceration took away their livelihoods and their ability to provide for their families. Unable to fulfill their roles as providers, some parents lost their sense of self-worth. In addition, the incarceration experience also physically separated many family members from each other. More than 5,500 Issei
During World War II, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated and arrested select Japanese residents in the U.S. after the attack on Pearl Harbor and monitored and investigated Japanese Americans throughout the war. Read more on Densho.org (opens in a new Tab). Or press Escape to close.
Department of Justice camps held Japanese, German, and Italian aliens who the FBI labeled as dangerous after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Unlike their Italian and German counterparts, most Japanese Americans held in these camps were sent to War Relocation Authority camps if granted parole after trial. Read more on Densho.org (opens in a new Tab). Or press Escape to close.
separate from their families. Kimiye divorced Mary's father George because of how the concentration camp
During World War II, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated and arrested select Japanese residents in the U.S. after the attack on Pearl Harbor and monitored and investigated Japanese Americans throughout the war. Read more on Densho.org (opens in a new Tab). Or press Escape to close.
arrested her father without giving any information about where they were taking him or his alleged crime. He was transferred between several Department of Justice camps
Definition:
Department of Justice camps held Japanese, German, and Italian aliens who the FBI labeled as dangerous after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Unlike their Italian and German counterparts, most Japanese Americans held in these camps were sent to War Relocation Authority camps if granted parole after trial. Read more on Densho.org (opens in a new Tab). Or press Escape to close.
during the war while Mizuta and the rest of the family were incarcerated at Minidoka camp in Idaho. Mizuta’s father died before she was able to reunite with him.
In this video clip, Jean Mishima explains why her parents divorced after the war ended and talks about the impact incarceration had on her father’s self-esteem. Mishima and her family resettled in Chicago after being incarcerated at Gila River concentration camp
CITATION: Produced by Katherine Nagasawa, courtesy of Full Spectrum Features (2021)
CITATION: Courtesy of the Densho Digital Repository (2017)
"my father was very, very bitter"
In this video, Fumino Tsuchiya-Knox talks about how the experience of being unjustly incarcerated humiliated her father and disrupted his career as a museum curator. Tsuchiya-Knox was born at Manzanar concentration camp
A modal dialog covers the entire screen. There are four tabs to explore,
and you are on Tab 1 which introduces the topic. Tab 2 is labelled "Watch" with a symbol of a video player. Tab 3 is labelled "Look" with a symbol of some photos. Tab 4 is labelled "Reed".
But you don't have to explore them in order. To jump around easily, you can press #2, #3, or #4 on your keyboard, to switch to that tab. Press #1 to come back to this first tab.
Hmmm, the screen is too small to show this activity. Please make your browser window taller.
which led to the forced removal of 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry living on the West Coast. Japanese Americans had no choice but to sell their land, homes, belongings, and businesses for very little money — often for pennies on the dollar — or abandon them. When Japanese Americans were released from the concentration camps,
the majority of them only received a one-way train ticket and $25, the equivalent of about a month of rent at the time. In Chicago, Japanese Americans experienced job discrimination, but because of wartime labor shortages many were able to find factory work. Some families opened small businesses such as dry cleaners, restaurants, and beauty shops. How would you react if you had to start over from scratch in a new city with a month’s worth of rent and a suitcase of belongings?
An accounting book for the family dry cleaning business sits on Kimiye’s desk, a record of how Kimiye has worked to build financial stability for her family over the years.
The fourth tab (titled "Reed") is now softly glowing.
striving for financial independence
In this video, Diana Morita Cole describes how her parents and older siblings worked constantly to make ends meet after they resettled in Chicago from Minidoka concentration camp
CITATION: Courtesy of the Densho Digital Repository (2019)
Before they were incarcerated, the Hidaka family ran dry cleaners in San Francisco, California. When they resettled in Chicago after the war, they established a chain of cleaners across the city called Sun Cleaners, one of which is pictured here. Courtesy of Richard Hidaka (circa 1940s-1950s)
A Japanese American family poses behind the counter at Rainbow Food Market on North Avenue in Chicago in 1949. Photo by James Numata, courtesy of the Numata Collection - JASC Legacy Center (1949)
A group of Japanese American employees pose inside of Co-Ed Beauty Salon, located in the Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side, circa 1949. Photo by James Numata, courtesy of the Numata Collection - JASC Legacy Center (1949)
A Japanese American man sits behind the counter at Philco Service, a radio repair shop in Chicago, in 1951. Photo by James Numata, courtesy of the Numata Collection - JASC Legacy Center (1949)
After resettling to Chicago, the Yamamoto family started “Gila River Restaurant,” named after the Gila River concentration camp in Arizona where they were incarcerated during the war. Credit: The 1947 Japanese American Yearbook, courtesy of Newberry Library (1947)
The National Chick Sexing School recruited heavily from the Chicago Japanese American community. Photo by James Numata, courtesy of the Numata Collection - JASC Legacy Center (1949)
By 1960, there were nearly 40 cleaners owned by Japanese Americans in Chicago, like this one owned by the Hidaka family. Courtesy of Richard Hidaka (circa 1940s-1950s)
An advertisement for the Toguri family’s fresh fish and tofu business, Diamond Trading Co., located on Chicago’s Near North Side. Credit: The 1947 Japanese American Yearbook, courtesy of Newberry Library (1947)
japanese americans at work
These photos show the businesses and workplaces of Japanese Americans who resettled in Chicago during and after World War II. During the 1940s and 1950s, more than 100 Japanese American businesses opened in the areas of the city with the highest Japanese American populations, which included Hyde Park and Kenwood
on the South Side, and the neighborhood around Clark and Division Streets on the Near North Side. Local businesses were listed in a directory in the Chicago Japanese American Year Book, an annual community periodical.
CITATION: Find the source for each of these photos on the Citations page.
This Chicago Defender article from August 1944 describes how the Illinois Central Railroad Company removed Japanese Americans from their jobs based on complaints by other workers who threatened to strike. The unnamed author criticizes the call for a strike and highlights the unfair treatment of Japanese Americans during the war. The author suggests that African Americans could sympathize with Japanese Americans who experienced workplace discrimination and racism.
The Chicago Defender was an influential African American newspaper during the early and mid-20th century that still publishes online today.
JAPANESE - AMERICAN WORKMAN
“We will strike unless the Japs are removed,” was the ultimatum given the Illinois Central Railroad by Frank L. Noakes, general chairman of the I. C. division of the AFL Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees. He was referring to 59 Japanese-American trackmen hired by the railroad. This threat intimidated railroad officials and the Japanese were dismissed.
These Japanese-Americans employed by the Illinois Central, as well as all other persons of Japanese ancestry employed elsewhere, are American citizens who have been released from the internment centers by the War Relocation Authority after a thorough investigation, and are double checked by the F.B.I. Only those whose loyalty is above reproach are-permitted to leave, and yet this fascist-minded group of AFL workers threatened a strike and had these Japanese removed from their jobs.
Noakes said. “This is not a racial Issue.” Yet the loyalty of German-Americans, some of whom are probably members of his own union, is not questioned. Are we not at war with Germany too? From all accounts of sabotage, that caused by Nazi sympathizers leads all the others combined. Yet in some minds the color of the skin is the method of determining the degree of loyalty.
The general treatment given to the Japanese in this country since the declaration of war, has been a blot on the democratic picture of America. All Japanese, including those of American citizenship, who are fully entitled to' the rights guaranteed by the Constitution, were taken from their homes on the west coast and confined to relocation centers. Despite this injustice, certain race baiters still wish to deny rights to those who have been given an A-1 rating in loyalty by the government.
Negroes who have been victims of segregation and discrimination can sympathize with these Japanese-Americans. Doubt must be cast on the statement “This is not a racial issue,” as the record of the railroad brotherhoods would never bear out this statement of “righteousness" in matters of race. Practically all bar Negroes by the written constitution or by agreement.
Democracy in a labor union is its strongest pillar. If a union discriminates against, or persecutes any minority group, it ceases to be a real representative of the working man.
[Annotation at bottom of the PDF page: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.]
Click through the tabs to explore how incarceration disrupted the structure of many Japanese American families. In the mid-20th century, most Japanese American families held a patriarchal structure, where the father was the head of the household and leader of the family.
You can pin this to the bottom of your screen:
How do these sources describe the costs and consequences of that disruption?
Zooming In
The middle of your screen dims to shows you the following educational prompt:
Your screen is too small to show this activity! Please make your browser window taller.
Click through the tabs to explore how Japanese Americans built new lives during resettlement through their work ethic and persistence. Yet achieving financial stability came at a social and emotional cost.
You can pin either prompt to the bottom of your screen:
What complex aspects of starting over do you see in these sources?
For example, how do you see loneliness, solidarity, and pride reflected in these sources?
Zooming In
The middle of your screen dims to shows you the following educational prompt:
Your screen is too small to show this activity! Please make your browser window taller.
