Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial
Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial
Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial
4.5
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
The Exclusion Memorial sits at the exact location where Japanese Americans were forcibly removed from their homes on Bainbridge Island and exiled to Manzanar concentration camp in the CA desert. Franklin D. Roosevelt's Executive Order 9066 paved the way for all West Coast residents of Japanese descent to be evicted to 10 relocation camps during WWII. Bainbridge Islanders were the first to be removed. 227 men, women and children, two-thirds of them American citizens, were given 6 days' notice to abandon their homes, farms, businesses and daily lives and report to the Eagledale Ferry Dock to be transported to an unknown destination. Each person was allowed to bring only what he/she could carry. The Exclusion Memorial honors all 276 Japanese American residents of Bainbridge Island at the time, and explores their unique history before, during and after the war, including the role of a community who stood by their friends and neighbors.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
180 reviews
Excellent
121
Very good
45
Average
12
Poor
1
Terrible
1
alohatripper
Honolulu, HI1,747 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
We had a rare treat in store for us as we gathered for a privately held tour given by the Executive Director, Ellen Sato Faust. Though not originally from the immediate area, she has done her homework to learn about, disseminate to, and advocate for the the mission of the memorial. She has gathered a lot of oral history.
Through her superb interpretation, we were moved about this dark page of the days following Pearl Harbor and the hysteria along the West Coast as the Japanese Americans were rounded up and evacuated to remote, uninhabited areas -- and on very short notice.
Fortunately, these Bainbridge residents wanted in large part to return and start over, or in some cases, continue their lives through the kindness of other residents who cared for their property and paid their property taxes. They were luckier than most.
We certainly felt the time spent here was worthwhile.
Through her superb interpretation, we were moved about this dark page of the days following Pearl Harbor and the hysteria along the West Coast as the Japanese Americans were rounded up and evacuated to remote, uninhabited areas -- and on very short notice.
Fortunately, these Bainbridge residents wanted in large part to return and start over, or in some cases, continue their lives through the kindness of other residents who cared for their property and paid their property taxes. They were luckier than most.
We certainly felt the time spent here was worthwhile.
Written August 9, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ProMetalSales
Seattle287 contributions
May 2022
Japanese Citizens suffered the severe pain and indignities of being forced into camps during WWII. Many lost their lands and homes. Bainbridge Island has a lot of history relative to this sad chapter of our country's history and this memorial explains that in a wonderful way honoring the many islanders who were victims. This is a must see if visiting Bainbridge.
Written May 30, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ShortTripAround
Fullerton, CA44 contributions
Jul 2018 • Family
There are so many places that you should remember and take the opportunity to experience if you are around. It's free and it's something you will remember forever especially if you visit it with someone who is familiar with the history of the Bainbridge Japanese Internment stories and can walk you through it.
We had a special treat and a Museum Docent who lived through this experience also hosted us through the memorial. We will forever appreciate the perspective, personal history lesson, and takeaway...to Let it Not Happen Again.
I fear that it is but we should strive to fight it.
We had a special treat and a Museum Docent who lived through this experience also hosted us through the memorial. We will forever appreciate the perspective, personal history lesson, and takeaway...to Let it Not Happen Again.
I fear that it is but we should strive to fight it.
Written July 24, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jay S
Tacoma, WA125 contributions
Feb 2016 • Solo
This is a small, hidden unit of the National Park Service. Technically this a sub-unit of the Minidoka National Historical Park in Idaho, the site of the ruins of the internment camp that American citizens of Japanese descent were sent after being ripped from their homes, businesses and communities.
This memorial is built on the site of the dock from which the terrible journey began, across Puget Sound to Seattle and then loaded onto trains bound to Idaho. The site was conserved and nurtured by former internees and family members and eventually (after much hard work and lobbying) taken over by the park service.
It is a beautiful mix of memorial, trees and planting seeds. Interpretive signs, art and docents tell the story of this tragic lapse in our national morality. If you care about history- and particularly preventing bad history from repeating- take your kids to see this.
This memorial is built on the site of the dock from which the terrible journey began, across Puget Sound to Seattle and then loaded onto trains bound to Idaho. The site was conserved and nurtured by former internees and family members and eventually (after much hard work and lobbying) taken over by the park service.
It is a beautiful mix of memorial, trees and planting seeds. Interpretive signs, art and docents tell the story of this tragic lapse in our national morality. If you care about history- and particularly preventing bad history from repeating- take your kids to see this.
Written April 22, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your thoughtful, heartfelt and complete review and description of the memorial site! [ Would you like to be a tour guide? ;-) ] Just one minor comment - and a positive one - the entire project has been a labor of love, cooperation, and partnership, and the National Park Service is one of our treasured partners, along with the Bainbridge island Japanese American Community, the Bainbridge Island Metropolitan Park and Recreation District and the Bainbridge Island Historical Museum.
Written May 21, 2016
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Gary R
Seattle, WA288 contributions
Feb 2015 • Family
It takes about 15 min by bus, but you need to go and learn some of American history. It shows a dark moment in our judgement, but it also shows a bright spot as the government did apologize and desire to make things right. Proud to be an American.
When you go, you need to call the bus and schedule a time for them to come pick you up. Also you can talk a walk on the beach, and view the town of Creosote being cleaned up from toxic waste.
When you go, you need to call the bus and schedule a time for them to come pick you up. Also you can talk a walk on the beach, and view the town of Creosote being cleaned up from toxic waste.
Written February 22, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your kind review, and thank you for mentioning the bus service to the memorial site! For future visitors, here's information about the Kitsap Transit bus service: http://www.kitsaptransit.org/how-to-ride/dial-a-ride
Written February 25, 2015
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jack98110a
Bainbridge Island, WA55 contributions
Sep 2013 • Friends
Many people aren't aware that during World War 2 all persons of Japanese ancestry were incarcerated in internment camps for most of the duration of the war. The Japanese people on Bainbridge were the first of about 110,000 people so incarcerated and this memorial is dedicated to them. This is a beautiful memorial to these people. You will need a car, taxi or bus to get to this memorial.
Written November 25, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your supportive and positive review, and for your very thoughtful reminder for visitors and ferry tourists that it's a bit a distance from Winslow. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and encouraging others to visit!
Written July 2, 2014
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Bobby S
Bainbridge Island, WA12 contributions
Jan 2018 • Family
As the child of 2 Pearl Harbor survivors, I found this a moving experience highlighting the injustices done to American citizens in the name of (FALSE) security....a beautiful location and well done monument/park. xoxoxoo
Written January 23, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Barbara P
Seattle, WA194 contributions
Jul 2018 • Friends
Heartwarming tribute to the beautiful Japanese American families who were given only a few days to pack and leave their homes on the island and be ferried far away to interment camps. This outdoor museum is tastefully executed and especially poignant considering today’s political situation. Great place for people of all ages and to teach/remember what can happen when we jump to conclusions.
Written July 22, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vitarachel
Newport News, VA176 contributions
Aug 2016 • Family
Did you know that the residents of Bainbridge Island with Japanese ancestry were the first American to be moved from their homes and into Internment Camps? This memorial is dedicated to the roughly 270 residents forced from their homes by the US government during WWII. It is too far to walk here from the center of town, so the awesome woman at the Chamber of Commerce arranged for me to pick up the bus. Riding the bus I got to see that Bainbridge Island is pretty big! Anyhow, this attraction is not yet finished. What is there so far is a monument made of wood, with the names of the residents of the Island who were made to leave by the US Government and put into internment camps. There were also two tags that the government made the people put during their move. There were a few photographs with stories and some paper cranes. There is an office that has some big placards to read, but a woman visiting told me it was only open on the weekends. The plan is to make an interpretive center to go along with the memorial. The monument is very moving and the little information provided is excellent. However, you can easily complete this attraction in 1/2 hour. I'm glad I went, but I did end up sitting and waiting quite a while for the next bus. Very small attraction at this time.
Written August 27, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for visiting the memorial and we are pleased that you enjoyed your visit. Also, we are so glad that you used the Kitsap Transit B.I. Ride, which as you learned is useful to get around our island, which is about the same size as Manhattan.
Written October 19, 2016
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Nick M
Talent, OR32 contributions
Jul 2016 • Couples
It's important to remember the great things about the USA but also the not so great things, lest we repeat them.
This small, as of yet unfinished, memorial to the removal of Japanese-Americans during World War II from Bainbridge Island (and the West Coast at large) is quite well done and will only improve as the memorial is completed.
It doesn't take long to view the site and read the plaques but it's important to do so. If you're near stop and be aware of what happened and visit.
This small, as of yet unfinished, memorial to the removal of Japanese-Americans during World War II from Bainbridge Island (and the West Coast at large) is quite well done and will only improve as the memorial is completed.
It doesn't take long to view the site and read the plaques but it's important to do so. If you're near stop and be aware of what happened and visit.
Written July 22, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We are honored that you have taken our motto to heart - Nidoto Nai Yoni, or Let It Not Happen Again - and so grateful for your thoughtful and top-rated review. Thank you for visiting.
Written August 31, 2016
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Yes, I believe so.... The gov't wasn't sure who might be a threat in time of war, so some people were asked to move elsewhere for a while. But they came back after the war was over
Written October 5, 2018
How far is the museum from the Ferry terminal? Is it walkable? if not is Uber or taxis available? Thanks Judy
Written August 6, 2016
Along with several private taxi companies, Kitsap Transit, our local transit agency, offers B.I. Ride, an on-demand service that offers loops trip around the island to several stops, including the memorial site. Thus, you will be dropped off and picked up as the bus makes its route, usually giving you about 45 minutes to an hour at the site.
Written October 19, 2016
The memorial site is free and open from dawn to dusk everyday.
Written March 30, 2015
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