<Begin Segment 66>

TY: [Jpn.] That's right. Then, next, will you talk about the Victory Garden?

MK: [Jpn.] Oh, the Victory Garden...

TY: [Jpn.] Yes.

MK: [Jpn.] Next to your camp, you know, at the side of your camp...

TY: [Jpn.] Yes.

MK: [Jpn.] You tilled a small plot of land and planted various flowers. Anything. Yeah. Whatever you liked. If you don't want to do it, you don't have to do it. Uh-huh.

TY: [Jpn.] Did you plant any?

MK: [Jpn.] Well, if you do it, then you have to water it. Don't you think so?

TY: [Jpn.] Yes.

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah. Of course, people do it because they enjoy doing it.

TY: [Jpn.] Yeah.

MK: [Jpn.] Uh-huh. I didn't want to. I did enough at home. I did enough growing already.

TY: [Jpn.] I see.

MK: [Jpn.] So I didn't want to do anything like that and instead I went to sewing classes.

TY: [Jpn.] Oh, did you continue sewing classes at Heart Mountain?

MK: [Jpn.] Yes, I continued.

TY: [Jpn.] I see. Did you start anything new?

MK: [Jpn.] No. Not particularly. I didn't do anything else. Unless my friend started, I wouldn't start. We were together and went to the same place. Uh-huh.

TY: [Jpn.] Then for the first time you had a chance to spend time with your friend.

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah. That's because people in the barrack...

TY: [Jpn.] Yes.

MK: [Jpn.] We become friends naturally.

TY: [Jpn.] I see.

MK: [Jpn.] So you would go with a person who wants to go there. Uh-huh.

TY: [Jpn.] Of course.

MK: [Jpn.] So, so you don't have to worry. Uh-huh.

TY: [Jpn.] Then, did your husband find a job again?

MK: [Jpn.] No, he did only that.

TY: [Jpn.] In the mess hall kitchen?

MK: [Jpn.] Till he quit.

TY: [Jpn.] I see.

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] Then did your children have part-time jobs?

MK: [Jpn.] They didn't do anything. My children each received four dollars a month. I am pretty sure it was four dollars a month.

TY: [Jpn.] Yes.

MK: [Jpn.] They got that. Allowance.

TY: [Jpn.] I see.

MK: [Jpn.] But it was not enough.

TY: [Jpn.] Yes.

MK: [Jpn.] You withdraw from the bank. My husband went to the bank every day. Besides, it was never enough.

TY: [Jpn.] Yes.

MK: [Jpn.] Even if we were fed well, still it was not enough.

TY: [Jpn.] Yeah.

MK: [Jpn.] They didn't give us clothes.

TY: [Jpn.] I see.

MK: [Jpn.] Besides, there were rocks on the road. So kids' shoes wore out so quickly. They wore out so soon. My husband had to take their shoes for repair all the time.

TY: [Jpn.] Oh, then, there was a shoe repairman?

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah. Yeah. So to the shoe store... because the kids were so active.

TY: [Jpn.] Yes. Yes.

MK: [Jpn.] So after this kid is done, then we take another kid. Then that kid is done, and then another one. No wonder we were poor.

<End Segment 66> - Copyright © 2000 Densho. All Rights Reserved.