Haruka Takaku

As kids streamed into the Mineta-Simpson Institute, Heart Mountain Foundation Wyoming employees and volunteers prepared to share Japanese culture. Organizers passed on a lecture. Instead, they taught through art.

Heather Schaf and her 5-year-old daughter Catalina had never been to the camp museum and surrounding facilities despite living in Powell. But, when they saw the program offered, they were all in.

“We read Children’s Day, and that was all we needed,” Schaf said, adding “then when I got into reading, I saw the deeper meaning of honoring the children that passed [during their internment at Heart Mountain].”

The fun was intended to introduce the museum and institute to new visitors and to honor the lives of children incarcerated at the 10 camps during World War II. Several families reported the event as being their first visit to the museum.

They spent the morning making crafts including koi nobori (carp-shaped windsocks), tako (kites) and a samurai helmet made from newsprint. There was also a full samurai suit for children to see (but not touch) and Hashimoto-san cartoons played on an endless loop in the Sam Mihara Theater. Those attending were also entertained by Michael Chikuzen Gould on the shakuhachi (bamboo flute) and Nanako Takakura and Nao Fukumoto on the koto (floor harp).

History revealed

Of the more than 120,000 U.S. citizens and legal permanent resident aliens imprisoned in what President Franklin D. Roosevelt himself called “concentration camps,” half were children. Forced to leave their homes and schools, the children soon found themselves surrounded by barbed wire fences and armed guards.

Yet, the prisoners made the most of the situation and a report decades later in 1976 failed to come up with a single act of sabotage by Japanese Americans. Later analysis suggested prisoners were victims of wartime hysteria and racial discrimination rather than being an actual threat to the United States.

While the children had schools, proper health care was scarce and some families were assigned to be sent to different locations of the 10 Japanese-American camps, breaking up families. The lack of health care and stress was hard on the children and resulted in lasting concerns. Studies have shown a two-times greater incidence of heart disease and premature death among former internees, compared to noninterned Japanese Americans.

About 1,900 internees died while in custody, but determining how many were children is difficult due to missing records. Some Japanese Americans died in the camps due to inadequate medical care; 10% of all deaths were caused by tuberculosis as families lived together in poorly insulated, tar-paper-covered barracks. Some were also killed by military guards posted for allegedly resisting orders, according to the book “Japanese Americans, from Relocation to Redress.”

At the same time many died, 5,918 children were born to imprisoned parents.

It was at Heart Mountain that then Boy Scout Al Simpson met internee Norman Mineta during a baseball game. The two stayed best friends for more than 80 years, both ascending in U.S. politics — Mineta a Democrat and Simpson a Republican. The heartfelt relationship between the two titans in government service was the inspiration for the Mineta-Simpson Institute, which first opened to the public last year.

“The history is very important. I mean, once upon a time, this is one of the largest cities in Wyoming and that’s a pretty big deal,” said Andy Goff, who credits his father for teaching his children about the significance of the former internment camp before the museum was built. “It’s important, because I want [my grandchildren] to know as well; just like I know,” he said.

Japan outreach

The festival is part of Haruka Takaku’s participation in an initiative aiming to build goodwill and partnerships between Japan and the U.S. at the grassroots level. As the Japan Outreach Initiative (JOI) coordinator, she is officially at the center to introduce her culture to the local community through workshops and activities, deepening understanding of Japan and the heritage of Japanese Americans.

Prior to her two-year trip to Wyoming, Takaku worked in Shinjuku City, a special ward in Tokyo and one of the busiest places in the world.

Takaku arrived here last summer and has organized several events. The work and her exploration of the Cowboy State has kept her busy. Yet, after nearly a year here she sometimes gets homesick.

“I miss my family and friends — and definitely the food,” she said, although she has developed a taste for burgers and pizza.

From her dining table at home she especially misses sushi, soba noodles and the traditions of a Japanese meal.

During the Children’s Day festival, Takaku had two volunteers assisting her with crafts and entertainment from Japan. Nao Fukumoto is her counterpart in Bozeman as JOI coordinator. A joint initiative of the Japan Foundation and Laurasian Institution, the JOI brings volunteer Japanese coordinators to regions of the U.S. where Japanese culture has been less accessible. JOI coordinators are hosted by U.S. nonprofits and educational institutions with a strong commitment to promoting learning about Japan. During the two-year program, JOI coordinators engage their American community through Japanese-themed programming — from lectures to hands-on elementary school activities to events focusing on traditional Japanese art forms.

For Takaku, who is soon heading into her second year at the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center, she has adopted many of the new challenges in her life. Driving has been very different for her. In Japan her travel is by train, subway and a lot of walking. But there isn’t public transportation available in northwest Wyoming. She drove to Dillon, Montana, solo to visit Fukumoto and to help with their similar festival.

“It took about five hours driving. That was my longest driving,” Takaku said, thankful that her phone did most of the navigating.

But her biggest challenge was her first Wyoming winter. “It was hard, hardest winter in my life,” she said, not realizing it was a fairly mild winter in Park County, but happy it is mostly over. “I made it through it, I am proud of myself.”

During the summer Takaku has several programs scheduled, including origami workshops now scheduled Tuesdays from 11 a.m. to noon. Origami is a traditional Japanese paper craft that uses colorful pieces of paper. Takaku will discuss the symbolism of origami cranes in Japan and among Japanese Americans. Participants can create their own origami crane and take it home with them.

She is also offering a mochi workshop on Fridays from 11 a.m. to noon starting in June. Mochi, a soft rice cake, is an important food in Japanese festival celebrations. Participants will try a sweet mochi and hear stories about mochi at the camp at Heart Mountain.