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AI: Well, continuing on with some of your childhood memories, can you tell me something about birthdays, how you might celebrate a birthday.

FY: The, again, a birthday is more of a Western culture than Japanese because most of the Japanese celebrated their birthday at -- once a year. That was the New Year's. And I think the culture came from China because in China they say, "When I get to be seventy-eight" -- that's the ultimate goal -- "then I'm supposed to be able to live forever." Then when I told them that, "Well, I've only got few more months to go," they said, "No, no. In China, you're already seventy-eight." So I was born November 26th. Now, December -- January 1st, I become two-year-old in the Orient.

AI: In the Chinese way of figuring it.

FY: The Chinese way of counting it, and also in Japan.

AI: But when you were a child and your birthday would come around...

FY: Well, the -- I don't remember when I was real young, but as I grew older and started going to school, I found out that you're supposed to celebrate your birthday the day you were born. So in school, eventually in the '30s with the Roosevelt administration, they introduced the PTA, the Parent-Teachers Association, and the parents were active, and they would have parties, birthday parties, right in class for their children. Well, so we would learn that, Nisei. At least I would learn about that, and I would come home and tell, well, my birthday -- my mother and father were very busy, but I would fix something up, and I would tell them that -- they would wonder why I have this little peanut butter sandwich there. And told them, "It's for my birthday." And I'd tell them in school, that's what they do, celebrate the birthday on the date of the birth.

<End Segment 3> - Copyright © 2001 Densho. All Rights Reserved.