Washington County Oral Histories

Toshio Inahara oral history audio recording on being a Japanese American in Oregon during World War II, Part 2

Part 2 of an audio recording of an oral history of Dr. Toshio Inahara, speaking about his experience as a Japanese American in Washington County, Oregon. Topics in this section include: birth in 1921 in Tacoma, WA; moving to Hillside near Forest Grove, OR in 1931; his father learning to farm and raising strawberries; education in a one-room schoolhouse; playing baseball; going to the Japanese School in Banks on Sundays; driving a truck beginning at age 10; moving to other farm properties near Hillsboro and Helvetia; building a house near Hillsboro in 1941; hearing about Pearl Harbor and facing discrimination and restrictions; getting a special permit for his family to spend the war farming in Eastern Oregon, avoiding detention at Minidoka internment camp; moving to Vale, Oregon; renting a former chicken hatchery as a house; losing most of their land in Washington County; leasing their house to a white family during the war; going to college to become a doctor; the postwar Japanese community; and other topics. There is a transcript of this interview.

Inahara, Toshio

Japanese American collection

Washington County (Or.) -- History

Japanese Americans -- History

World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives, American

Washington County (Or.)

Forest Grove (Or.)

Hillsboro (Or.)

1 sound file (45 min.)

English

WCM_OH_333

In Copyright

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Five Oaks Museum

Dehn, Beth

Goss, Lauren

MP3

Sound