<Begin Segment 4>

AI: Well, now tell me more about your elementary school years. Do you have any memory of when you first started school?

TI: Gee, my memory is weak on that. Well, only thing I remember is play out in the playfields, playing, fighting each other -- playacting fighting. [Laughs] So it, it's very limited, I remember.

AI: Do you have any memory of having any trouble speaking English or -- now, tell me, was English or Japanese your first language?

TI: Yeah. I always spoke to my parents in English, and they spoke back to me in Japanese. And my... although I went to Japanese school right after elementary school and high school, I never did master the language. But I did learn how to play ping-pong quite well. [Laughs]

AI: Was that part of your recess activity at Japanese school?

TI: Well, it was, we used to have, there were two ping-pong tables, and we used to play on those. Just before the class started, we had time to... so that was encouragement for us to hustle, walk the, walk twelve blocks to play. And as I say, I didn't, never learned how to master the language, but I tried. And usually at the end of the year they give awards out, and so for the first time, they gave a special award for, to me, for trying. [Laughs] So that was quite a, quite an award.

AI: Well, so there were enough Japanese Americans in Portland to have a Japanese language school then?

TI: Yes.

AI: So what was the makeup of your class in your regular elementary school? Did you have many Japanese Americans in your class?

TI: Yes, uh-huh. Well, when you figure we had a couple hundred Japanese American students going to Japanese school, and our school, Coach School, was the closest school to, majority of Japanese Americans lived around that area along with the Japanese school.

AI: Was there a name of that neighborhood or area in Portland?

TI: I don't remember it.

AI: Well, were there, tell me a little bit more about the school. Were there any other ethnic minorities or racial minorities at that time?

TI: Oh, I remember a few Chinese Americans. We were on the outskirts of Japantown and Chinatown. But, it used to be limited amount of name-calling even at that time, "Japs" or "Chinks." But it wasn't a big problem. It did occur, but...

AI: Did you ever get in any fights or quarrels about that?

TI: Well, I just was not one to fight. I just didn't like to, so I pretty much stayed clear. And even though they intimidate you to get involved, I just didn't.

AI: So that was student-to-student, then...

TI: Yes.

AI: ...as far as that kind of interaction. What about treatment by teachers or the school officials? How did you find that?

TI: I don't remember any negative treatment at all with teachers. Of course, at that time, I wasn't really aware of racism and that sort of thing. It was only after the war that it came to make a difference.

AI: Well, I'd also like to ask you a little bit more about the Japanese American community. Did you have activities like during the New Year's or summertime?

TI: Yes. We had our Yamaguchi-ken, ken picnics. Picnics was the biggest thing. So the school would have a picnic. I guess every excuse we'd have a picnic. And then once in a great while, we'd have the Japanese shows at the Nichiren church on the stage. And so we had things of that sort. And then we also had judo, which I tried for two years. And I had the distinct honor of being the only student who broke his bone. I should have known better, but I was trying real hard to make up for couple weeks when I was sick. And there was going to be a judo tournament coming up, and so I wanted to really brush up, and I overdid myself. But other than that, there was a time when in Japanese school, somebody had gone to a Japanese show, and they showed how to use a bamboo pole and twist your legs and kick it and see how far you can kick that pole up. And so naturally I tried, and I kicked myself off and I broke my elbow. [Laughs]

AI: That must have been painful.

TI: Somewhat, yes. But it was more embarrassing than hurt. But other than those two incidents where I broke my collarbone in judo or my collarbone, at least physically, I was okay. [Laughs]

<End Segment 4> - Copyright © 2000 Densho. All Rights Reserved.