<Begin Segment 38>

TY: [Jpn.] So, your children started going to school in Sunnydale...

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] But there were only a few Japanese families there.

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah, only a few. Uh-huh.

TY: [Jpn.] So you could not go to a Japanese school because they were all in Seattle and were too far...

MK: [Jpn.] Well there were only, only American schools.

TY: [Jpn.] Yeah. Yeah.

MK: [Jpn.] There were no Japanese schools in the countryside.

TY: [Jpn.] There was none.

MK: [Eng.] Uh-huh.

TY: [Jpn.] They were too far, weren't they?

MK: [Jpn.] Well, if you lived in Seattle, you could go to a Japanese school, but there were none in the countryside. So...

TY: [Jpn.] In that case, your children were educated in American schools...

MK: [Eng.] Yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] Probably you used Japanese at home, but Japanese...

MK: [Jpn.] You cannot use Japanese. All of my children spoke English.

TY: [Jpn.] I see.

MK: [Eng.] Uh-huh.

TY: [Jpn.] Did you worry about that? Were you concerned?

MK: [Jpn.] No, not much. Japanese children are all very obedient.

TY: [Jpn.] I see.

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah. So I don't think there was much trouble with them. Besides, Japanese children study hard. So no matter where they go, they get good grades. Because they study hard.

TY: [Jpn.] Yeah.

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] But were you concerned that your children were not exposed to Japanese culture?

MK: [Jpn.] But those living in Settle...

TY: [Jpn.] Yes.

MK: [Jpn.] I heard that they sent their children to Japanese schools.

TY: [Jpn.] Yes.

MK: [Jpn.] But I lived in the countryside. Because there was no Japanese school. But there were Japanese schools in Seattle. So everybody went to a Japanese school. So they can speak Japanese pretty well. Uh-huh. Yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] But your children learned Japanese because you spoke Japanese at home.

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah, they learned only what we spoke at home.

TY: [Jpn.] If there were a Japanese school, would you have sent your children there? If it were nearby.

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah. If there were a Japanese school, I would have let them go there.

TY: [Jpn.] Then they can learn the language and culture.

MK: [Jpn.] That's right. Well you never lose if you learn a language no matter what.

TY: [Jpn.] Well, then, did your children learn the language naturally rather than you taught them?

MK: [Jpn.] No. No. There wasn't.

TY: [Jpn.] Oh, I see.

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah. We don't have enough people in the countryside.

TY: [Jpn.] Yes.

MK: [Jpn.] It won't work out. Yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] Well, then, is there anything you wanted your children to learn as Japanese children? Anything you wanted to teach?

MK: [Jpn.] No, not in particular.

TY: [Jpn.] No such thing?

MK: [Eng.] Uh-huh.

TY: [Jpn.] I see.

MK: [Jpn.] Besides, in the country, children were just children whether they were Caucasians or not. Children don't think that, "I am a Japanese and he is a Chinese." The children don't think like that at all. They regard everybody equally. So there was no problem. Yeah.

<End Segment 38> - Copyright © 2000 Densho. All Rights Reserved.