Seventy-seven years ago, more than 10,000 Japanese Americans were suddenly sent to Manzanar with no legitimate reasons. During my stay in LA, I visited Little Tokyo and interacted with people in Keiro. I learned how Japanese American were treated such as discrimination. Before visiting LA, I could not believe it happened although I learned it was real in the class. However, when I talked with people in Keiro, it taught me it was real.

When I visited Manzanar, my first impression was that there was nothing. I learned where people stayed and what it was like before, but barrack was beyond my thought in the camp. There was no privacy, and I could not imagine people stayed there. Even more, the camp was surrounded by barbed wire and monitored all the time. It might bring lots of stress and mental fatigue. I heard that 541 babies were born in the camp. Lots of people might get pleased with new lives. However, babies’ memories of early childhood were “camp”. Memories that they got first in their life were “camp”. No one can change the memories, but I felt that how sad it is if their memories in childhood were only in the camp. Their parents knew why they needed to stay, but their children did not understand why and the situation. So, I wondered that after the end of the camp, what babies and children thought about their childhood.

What I got surprised the most was people’s efforts to change their life better. When I saw the barrack which was reformed, I was so surprised. The first barrack had only beds which were the only frame, but another was more like home. There were beds which were softer and some furniture. I heard they started reforming after a few months later. At first, they might lose their hope, and they did not want to understand the situation. However, they tried to rebuild life soon. In the museum, I saw the exhibit that said “Manzanar has become one of the largest cities in the valley. I felt that the camp was “cities” than I imagined. They made gardens, and people hung out there. I felt how strong people were, and I should not forget their efforts to create their own life in the camp.

 I learned how terrible, sad, and heart-breaking this history was. Especially, in Keiro, it was my first time to talk with people who experienced the camp. Furthermore, seeing and feeling where they lived was meaningful. People’s efforts to seek their life taught me another side of the camp that I did not know before. I believe that I have something in common between Japanese American in our roots, which means that I need to know this history. Unfortunately, I did not learn the history of Japanese American in my class before, so visiting LA and seeing real in the camp was a good chance. Words cannot describe some of what I felt in the camp, but it will never disappear from my memories.