<Begin Segment 4>

JT: Let's go back to... before that, let's go back to the days before, when the war broke out. You told me that your family, people had to leave Alameda pretty quickly after the, Pearl Harbor. What did your family do? You said that...

KN: My family was split up. My sister and I, Carol and I, went to Oakland. I'm not sure the name of the residence we were at, but my dad had to be over there to sell his shop up.

JT: Close up the shop.

KN: Close it up. And then my other brother and sister, Eddie and Joan, went to Irvington, to the Tajimas, everybody knows Tajima family. And they stayed over there, and then when my dad finished his thing in Oakland, then they moved to Irvington. And then from Irvington we all moved, we all went to Tanforan from there.

JT: I see. And you said, when you went to Irvington, you went with the Tajimas?

KN: Yeah, that was...

JT: Were you related to them?

KN: No. My dad just, our grandfather knew each other from way back.

JT: They're old Alameda families, so they helped each other out.

KN: Right.

JT: And where did you stay in Oakland?

KN: Well, close to Piedmont, but I don't remember the residence.

JT: Oh, I think you told me it was Mas Oishi's.

KN: Oh, no, that was after coming back from the war.

JT: Oh, okay. Well, we're not there yet. Let's get to Tanforan first.

KN: And what I remember of Tanforan, they talk about the horse stable where people had to live and sleep. That part I remember a little bit, but most times, you read it before...

JT: Right. Was your family in one of the horse stalls?

KN: Yeah. We were all together, we were always, (seven) of us, Grandma...

JT: So there were your grandparents?

KN: No, my grandfather already passed away.

JT: Okay. So there was baachan.

KN: Baachan.

JT: And your parents and the four of you.

KN: That's right.

JT: Do you remember doing anything at Tanforan? Because you were only, like, four, four and a half years old. Do you remember anything about it?

KN: Well, I remember the big mess hall that's under the stadium with all the people. And then my mother had to get food for the family.

JT: And you told me, you said you had to stand in line?

KN: Well, grandmother, my mother did.

JT: Oh, mom did.

KN: Because Mom, we were just too small.

JT: Right, you were too young.

KN: Yeah, too young. So she took care of the whole family.

<End Segment 4> - Copyright © 2021 Densho. All Rights Reserved.