The large cover photo of this site is a young teenage girl standing with her arms around her grandfather and her mother on either side. The introductory story is shown as 4 stops around a rotating wheel. A button labeled with a right arrow is animated with a pulsing glow to direct your attention; it has the words "Start Here". Pressing this right arrow will rotate the wheel clockwise to advance the story by one step. (Whereas the left arrow button rotates the wheel backward one step.) On the fourth step, you will watch a short film, which is the centerpiece of this educational site.
After Japanese American incarceration came mandatory resettlement.
A short film & web experience
Top of the rotating wheel
(Wheel is turning)
Incarceration
Resettlement
What happens next?
シカゴ 物語
Resettlement
Chicago Story
First slice of the rotating wheel.
;Press the Right arrow to advance the wheel.
Historical black and white photo of a young Japanese American woman sitting amid a pile of luggage, most of which are marked with the family name 'Takemoto'
INCARCERATION.
During World War II, the United States government forced the Yamamoto family to leave their farm in California and live behind barbed wire in a concentration camp in Arizona. The Yamamotos were among 120,000 people of Japanese descent imprisoned during the war solely because of their ancestry, without due process or regard for citizenship rights.
Historical black and white photo of over 50 long, rectangular barracks buildings that stretch out to the horizon of a desert landscape.
RESETTLEMENT.
When the war was almost over, the U.S. government permitted the Yamamotos to leave the concentration camp. But instead of letting them return home to the West Coast, the government “resettled” them to Chicago and demanded they reject their Japanese language, culture, and traditions.
Historical black and white photo shows a spectacled man on the left side facing a Japanese American woman on the far right, both standing in front of a bookshelf full of travel guides to different states in the USA. A poster behind them is titled "WHERE ARE YOU RELOCATING?" and has a montage of photos laid on top of a map of the United States, and then strings are attached from each travel guide to be pinned at the appropriate place on the map.
What happens next?
What’s it like to be forced to leave your home, deny your heritage, and start over? Follow Mary and her family as they navigate life in Chicago.
Watch the first scene now— The full film is coming soon!
A vintage black and white photo of three elderly gentlemen sitting peacefully next to a storefront
After Japanese American incarceration came mandatory resettlement.
A short film & web experience
Incarceration
During World War II, the United States government forced the Yamamoto family to leave their farm in California and live behind barbed wire in a concentration camp in Arizona. The Yamamotos were among 120,000 people of Japanese descent imprisoned during the war solely because of their ancestry, without due process or regard for citizenship rights.
Resettlement
When the war was almost over, the U.S. government permitted the Yamamotos to leave the concentration camp. But instead of letting them return home to the West Coast, the government “resettled” them to Chicago and demanded they reject their Japanese language, culture, and traditions.
What happens next?
What’s it like to be forced to leave your home, deny your heritage, and start over? Follow Mary and her family as they navigate life in Chicago.
Step into 1950 Chicago and visit Mary at school, Kimiye in her office, and Sam at the cleaners. Interview each family member about their backstories and choices they made. And, if you look closely, you’ll discover hidden objects containing historical photos, videos, and documents that reveal more about the Japanese Americans who lived through incarceration and resettlement.
Photos of the three main characters of the film are shown in a rotating wheel. By navigating to the left and right arrow buttons, you can turn the wheel to choose a character to explore more deeply. They are in no particular order, and each character will open a new page.
To use keyboard shortcuts for the rotating wheel, press Activate shortcuts.
These keyboard shortcuts are available
If you prefer, press one of the following letters on your keyboard, rather than navigating through the arrows on the wheel. For users of JAWS, you may need to temporarily turn off your "Virtual PC Cursor" to use these keyboard shortcut commands.
To visit Mary Yamamoto at her school, press M (for Mary). To visit her mother Kimiye in her office, press K (for Kimiye). To visit her grandfather, Sam, at the cleaners, press S.
(NOTE: to turn off these shortcuts, please reload the page in your browser.)
