In the photo below,
MK san (left, an Issei) and MY san (a Nisei).. whom I talked with at the big senior residence - a .Japanese-founded, HUD aided residence on the North Side..
It was wonderful encounter - although other people were saying.., there are no more old Issei people surviving.. it wasn't true.
You can still meet ..some, wholesomely living senior people even in our neighborhood..
Although they are few, they are some Issei ..the pre-War 1st generation people...who were the war-time Internment Camp evacuees.. surviving in this area! ...e.g. MK san is 96 years old..and she said, her husband is becoming 100 years old!.. later I sent him the flower for his birthday..
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| MK san on the left.. who talks with her quick humor |
They came from California in 1940s and lived in Andersonville- MK san said her husband used to be a dancer and singer in CA ..prior to the war..Surprisingly, all of these elderly Japanese people ..in their 80s, 90s..or 70s..look very young and mentally agile..(generally they look almost 20 years younger than the elders in same age who live in Japan..).
- The natural environment to live in Chicago seems to be comfortable to anyone. in spite of the cold winter.
..Actually, they said.. the reason must be because..you can spatially relax in this country. than in the crowded country like Japan,. therefore, you can keep yourself mentally healthy for your life...
Of course, most of them in 80s drives the cars by themselves to go anywhere, and it also makes them young..!
- lately I made some research about them, and found..the camp returnees had mass-relocated from the West Coast to Chicago from 1945 to 1950.. about 30,000 returnees eventually "passed through the City" after the war, and about 20,000 of them settled here..- MK san with her husband was one of them, who came back from Manzanar Internment Camp...
although there used to be tens of thousands of businesses run by Japanese inside the City, such as in Lincoln Square, Belmont..(before the urban renewal,) today most of them were moved out to the suburbs ..and wiped out.. to live in the "bigger house."...I noticed there was quite a history of Japanese Americans in Chicago..
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| The Japanese senior residence.. at Sheridan- Lawrence.."The best senior house in the Midwest"? |
(right) I also met some Japanese senior people at Devon Church on the North Side.
The church was founded by Japanese Americans in 1960s. (first built in downtown..)
Now headed by the minister Sato.. while this church is turning into a typical multi-ethnic church, and now very few Japanese gathering is remaining ..due to the generation change..
.. I thank to Mr. Sato and his wife, and all the other people who kindly welcomed me.. There are also some internment camp returnees here, like from Tule Lake Camp. A lot of astonishing life stories were heard from them.. .
(The church is now being taken over by its English department.with a lot of people of different ethnicity...since Mr. Sato is retiring.. their Japanese department is said to be closed by next spring..sorry to hear.)
- While I scarcely met any group of Japanese people within last 3, 4 yrs in this area..who were shrouded in mystery.. finally they are coming out..!
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| "Residence Pattern of Japanese Americans in the Near North: Lakeview, Lincoln Park, Uptown circa 1965" (from the dissertation of a female Japanese Uof C student in '60s) |
..This is amazing old map since currently Japanese are mostly moved out, except a few shops in Belmont..etc.
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