For the Japanese-American internees, the end of the war did not bring about an immediate return to daily life. They faced new challenges as they attempted to rebuild their lives. The once vibrant nihonmachi enclaves had largely vanished or were greatly diminished. Having been forced to sell off their most of their property and with little assistance for resettlement, many families found themselves unable to return to the West Coast and so began again in communities closer to the sites of their former detention. Some individuals and families, branded as disloyal, were deported to Japan. Others, disillusioned by the experience of mass removal and incarceration, left the United States of their own accord.
For most, post-detention life meant rebuilding stateside, whether back home on the Pacific Coast or someplace inland. Many faced discrimination in housing and employment, yet the networks of mutual aid forged in the camps gave rise to new organizations like the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) and other regional and national groups. These groups offered information, advocacy, and access to resources. For the Japanese Americans, the road back was a long one, filled both with the hope of rebuilding and the anxiety of a future marked by uncertainty.
