Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Shinji Takahashi is currently based in Carmel, Indiana but has strong Michigan ties. His family moved to Ann Arbor in 1978. He graduated from Pioneer High School in 1983. He then completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan in 1987. Though he lives in Indiana, he visits Michigan frequently and is deeply involved with the University of Michigan’s alumni association.
Takahashi sat down with Mary Kamidoi—both are “Nisei,” second generation Japanese Americans. Takahashi explains he was not familiar with the incarceration while growing up in Ann Arbor. He recounts his first exposure to the history of Japanese internment in 1980 while a student. He also shares that his personal definition of what it means to be Japanese American is something that he’s exploring more in his adulthood.
Watch "One Detroit" Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. ET and Sundays at 9:30 a.m. ET on Detroit PBS (Channel 56). Stream "One Detroit" on-demand on the PBS App, YouTube TV, Hulu, and more.
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Shinji Takahashi is currently based in Carmel, Indiana but has strong Michigan ties. His family moved to Ann Arbor in 1978. He graduated from Pioneer High School in 1983. He then completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan in 1987. Though he lives in Indiana, he visits Michigan frequently and is deeply involved with the University of Michigan’s alumni association.
Takahashi sat down with Mary Kamidoi—both are “Nisei,” second generation Japanese Americans. Takahashi explains he was not familiar with the incarceration while growing up in Ann Arbor. He recounts his first exposure to the history of Japanese internment in 1980 while a student. He also shares that his personal definition of what it means to be Japanese American is something that he’s exploring more in his adulthood.
Watch "One Detroit" Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. ET and Sundays at 9:30 a.m. ET on Detroit PBS (Channel 56). Stream "One Detroit" on-demand on the PBS App, YouTube TV, Hulu, and more.
Connect with us online:
Facebook: facebook.com/onedetroit
Instagram: instagram.com/one.detroit
Twitter: x.com/OneDetroit_PBS
Website: onedetroitpbs.org
