Two Nisei, two histories: Mary Kamidoi talks about life as a Japanese American in Detroit @OneDetroit
Two Nisei, two histories: Mary Kamidoi talks about life as a Japanese American in Detroit  @OneDetroit
Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
In a conversation for the AAPI Stories series, Westland resident Mary Kamidoi sat down with Shinji Takahashi to talk about what life was like for her as a Japanese American in Detroit. Both Kamidoi and Takahashi are “Nisei,” second generation Japanese Americans.

Kamidoi shares about the discrimination she and her sister faced from her sister’s supervisor and coworkers. She also talks about an incident that happened one day at work. Kamidoi also recollects how she talked with her boss to demand better treatment from her coworkers and the outcome that followed.

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Two Nisei, two histories: Mary Kamidoi talks about life as a Japanese American in Detroit

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