Journey to Topaz: A Story of the Japanese-American Evacuation

Published in 1971 by Japanese American author and educator Yoshiko Uchida (1921-1992), Journey to Topaz is the first children’s novel to address the United States government’s forced relocation of people of Japanese descent to wartime prison camps during World War II. The novel follows the Sakane family’s life as they are forced to move from their comfortable home in Berkeley, California, to the Topaz War Relocation Center, a concentration camp, in the harsh Utah desert. Written from the perspective of 11-year-old Yuki, the novel maps the ways that her view of the world changes as she is forced to give up the life she knows and must watch those around her respond to the unjust situation that her community is forced to endure. While Journey to Topaz depicts the racism and prejudice experienced by the Japanese American community during the war, the novel focuses primarily on the complex feelings and responses of the Issei and Nisei (first-generation and second-generation Japanese immigrants), who were unjustly imprisoned as “alien enemies” by a country that most of them loved and were loyal to. Witnessing both embitterment and selfless acts of kindness and patriotism, Yuki gains a greater understanding of betrayal, forgiveness, and what it means to be American.

Yoshiko Uchida grew up in a middle-class area of Berkeley, California, and her parents were notable community leaders before the family was forced to relocate to concentration camps, along with many other Japanese Americans whose civil rights were similarly violated. In her Prologue, Uchida stresses that although her characters are fictional, her own family experienced most of the injustices described in the novel. Uchida went on to write four more books concerning Japanese incarceration, including a sequel to Journey to Topaz titled Journey Home (1977), which depicts the Sakanes’ lives after their release from Topaz. Uchida received multiple awards for her work, including two Commonwealth Club of California Medals for Samurai of Gold Hill (1972) and A Jar of Dreams (1982).

This guide refers to the 1971 Charles Scribner’s Sons edition.

Content Warning: This guide contains descriptions of racism, incarceration, violent death, injustice, and violence toward a minoritized population. The source text includes racist slurs against Japanese Americans.

Plot Summary

Yuki Sakane lives with her parents, her brother, Ken, and her dog, Pepper, in Berkeley, California. The Sakanes are well-respected both in the Japanese American community and among their white friends, neighbors, and associates. Yuki is best friends with Mimi Nelson, a neighbor and schoolmate, and she is also close with Mrs. Jamieson, an elderly widow who lives nearby. Members of the family's church congregation, particularly Japanese immigrants, are frequent guests in the Sakane household. One such guest is Mr. Toda, an elderly bachelor who is quite fond of Yuki and who never visits without bringing her treats.

Yuki’s comfortable world is turned upside down when the Japanese military attacks Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The Nelsons and Mrs. Jamieson stand by the Sakanes, but most of white American society turns against people of Japanese descent—even Nisei, second-generation Japanese American citizens, like Yuki and Ken. Suddenly, Mr. Sakane is arrested and taken to a prisoner-of-war camp in Missoula, Montana. In Mr. Sakane’s absence, Ken leaves university because he must now become the head of the family.

When President Roosevelt signs Executive Order 9066, the Issei and Nisei of the West Coast are forced to sell their homes, businesses, and possessions in preparation for their forced removal to concentration camps. The experience is traumatic for Yuki and her family, who scramble to make the necessary arrangements before they are ordered to leave. Yuki has to give up her beloved dog; with Ken’s help, they give Pepper to a kind UC Berkeley student. Mrs. Sakane destroys letters and memorabilia connecting them with Japan and packs the items they will need in the concentration camps. Yuki says goodbye to Mrs. Jamieson, who gives her a pearl ring to remember her by.

When the day finally comes for the family to depart, the Nelsons drive the Sakanes to the Japanese church that is being used as a mass removal depot. After a hasty goodbye, they are loaded onto buses. From the bus windows, Yuki sees crowds of people gathered along the streets to watch the Japanese community’s departure.

Their first stop is Tanforan Assembly Center, a racetrack hurriedly converted into a concentration camp. Their home for several months is a horse stable, which has barely been remodeled for human habitation. They quickly become friends with the Kuriharas, their next-door neighbors. Yuki becomes best friends with Mr. and Mrs. Kurihara’s granddaughter, Emi, an orphan girl who is Yuki’s age. They reunite with Mr. Toda in Tanforan. Emi overhears him arguing with a bitter bald man who thinks that Japan will win the war. Ken is offered the opportunity to attend a college on the East Coast, but Yuki does not want him to leave. Rumors begin to circulate that they will soon be moved to another camp. Once again, Yuki and her family must pack up all of their worldly possessions.

After a miserable bus ride, they arrive at the Topaz War Relocation Center in the Utah desert. It is difficult to get used to the altitude, the cold, and the ever-present dust and sand. The camp is still incomplete, but as improvements are made, life becomes more tolerable. To Yuki’s relief, Ken decides to stay in the camp. However, as time passes, he becomes more and more distant and less like himself. One day, Emi collapses in the sand. She is rushed to the hospital and put under observation. Yuki sneaks out to visit her, but on the way back to her barracks, she is caught in a dangerous dust storm. When she gets home, Mrs. Sakane forbids her from visiting Emi because the doctors believe that the girl has tuberculosis. Yuki is shocked. When the diagnosis proves accurate, Yuki writes to Emi, keeping her informed about events in camp, such as the start of school.

As time wears on, many of the prisoners become restless and agitated, including Ken. Yuki grows closer to Mr. and Mrs. Kurihara in Emi’s absence. When insulation is finally installed in the barracks, Yuki hopes that Emi will be able to come home. The families plant a tree outside the barracks, but Mr. Kurihara thinks that it will die. Mr. Kurihara befriends Mr. Toda, and the two old men enjoy taking evening walks around camp, searching for trilobite fossils and arrowheads. On one such evening, a guard shoots and kills Mr. Kurihara for no apparent reason. He is the first person to die at Topaz. At his funeral, Yuki leaves an arrowhead on his grave.

Mr. Sakane is released on parole on Christmas Eve, and Yuki is overjoyed to see her father again. They spend a happy Christmas together, although Ken’s distant attitude sours the festivities for Yuki. In February, an army recruiter heads an assembly, announcing the formation of an all-Nisei army unit. This development sparks controversy, given the way the Nisei have been treated; however, many young men wish to enlist, including Ken. The family respects his decision, and his parents and Yuki are proud. Ken’s behavior reverts to his normal self. He leaves for basic training.

Meanwhile, Mr. Sakane establishes himself as an important figure in the camp. Some families are offered the chance to leave Topaz, but they are still not allowed to return to the West Coast. Yuki is anxious to leave, but Mr. Sakane is determined to stay as long as he can be useful. When Emi is discharged from the hospital, the prospect of staying becomes much easier for Yuki to bear. However, Mr. Sakane’s work with the administration puts him at odds with agitators in the camp, who begin harassing the Sakanes. At Mrs. Sakane’s behest, he agrees that the family should leave. He arranges to move the family to Salt Lake City. Yuki is sad to leave Emi, Mrs. Kurihara, and Mr. Toda behind, but she is hopeful that they will be reunited beyond the barbed wire someday. The Sakanes leave on a bus. Yuki is delighted to see the outside world again for the first time in almost two years.