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

The ride to Topaz takes two miserable days. When they are finally loaded onto buses, any hope for their new home is dashed when they are taken deep into the desert of central Utah. Topaz is one square mile of tarpaper barracks situated in the middle of an ancient lakebed. The powdery sand coats everything and everyone.

The Sakanes get their room assignment, and Emi scrambles to get Mrs. Kurihara to find a room next door. A young man around Ken’s age offers to help them get situated, explaining the layout of Topaz and warning them about the ferocity of dust storms in the area. The family is disheartened by the stark surroundings. Their new room is bigger than the one at Tanforan but just as bleak—the walls are unfinished, and it is full of dust. Yuki reads aloud the “welcome pamphlet” they are given, which states, “You are now in Topaz, Utah. Here we say dining hall, not mess hall; Safety Council, not Internal Police; residents, not evacuees, and last but not least, mental climate, not morale” (99). The camp’s facilities are still under construction and the artisan well that serves as the water supply is already strained. The mornings are freezing, and the afternoons are blazing hot, but Yuki likes seeing the desert stars at night.