Joseph Nakamura was born in 1923 in Randale Cannery, a fishing village north of Prince Rupert, BC. In this interview, he discusses his childhood & the Japanese Canadian community growing up in the fishing community, moving to Vancouver for school, and his memories of having to leave after the bombing of Pearl Harbour. With three other boys, he travelled to work in the road camp in Schrieber, ON, before moving to Fort William, ON to work in logging. Eventually, he made his way to Toronto, where he reconnected with his family who had been in Slocan, established a career in the battery business, and raised his own family. He also discusses his memories of volunteering at the JCCC in its early days.
Format
Videotape
Video File
Length of Interview
2 hr 8 min
Period
World War II
Event
Relocation
Location
Japan
Prince Rupert, BC
Vancouver, BC
Haney, BC
Schreiber, ON
Slocan City, BC
Toronto, ON
Topic
family
immigration
fishing
boat works
canneries
communities
travel
living conditions
housing
recreation
education
martial arts
newspaper
Japanese language school
recreation
British Columbia Security Commission
curfew
radio
road camps
logging
dance
religion
Christianity
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)
deportation
funeral
travel
career
recreation
children
festivals
marriage
volunteer
Number of Physical Tapes
3
Permission
For uses other than research or private study, researchers must submit a Request for Permission to Publish, Exhibit or Broadcast form.
Citation
Joseph Nakamura, interview by Lisa Uyeda, January 18, 2012, 2012.018, Sedai: The Japanese Canadian Legacy Project Collection, Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre.
