<Begin Segment 14>

AI: Well, I wanted to ask a little bit about, you said how your father was so busy, but what about Japanese community activities for you and the other kids, and your mother? Did you go to some of the picnics or some of the community gatherings or the Nippon Kan activities?

MK: Yes, we did. I remember my mother took... she went to sewing school and flower school, Mrs. Shoji's flower school, and we participated in kenjinkai. My father was one of the officers in the Okayama Kenjinkai, being that both my mother and father belonged to Okayama. And, I believe he was mostly the treasurer, just before the war he was the treasurer. And, I think that was one of the problems the government had, because I think some of them did help, assisted in Japan, helping in some way. But I don't know if I should go into it now, but that was the time when my father, when my father was picked up by the FBI.

AI: Oh, well, before we go into that --

MK: Oh, okay.

AI: -- why don't we continue, just a little bit more here. I wanted to ask about just one other thing. You said that your father was very much, tried to go to the mainstream --

MK: Uh-huh.

AI: -- and be more integrated in American life, but I'm wondering, I've heard that, from some of the other Nisei that there were some places that you really didn't go because you knew that you might be turned away, certain restaurants or, even going downtown to some of the major department stores, that you might not get served. Do you have any memories about that?

MK: No. Well then again, the different story is, I, we didn't go to department store too often. See, my father had this wholesale connection. So when we got ready for school, we went to the wholesale. And it wasn't one socks that we bought, we had to buy it by six or a dozen, and then put it on the bill. Shoes, I mean, we'd probably get one dress shoe and one school shoe. So, I didn't know too much about the department store selection. I mean, I know this was different. But since there were three of us, we'd walk in and, to this wholesale place and they'll show us an example and we just came home that way and we never could be picking it from a whole lot but if we liked it, well, we got six or twelve of (the socks). So, that was, I thought, a little strange.

AI: A little different.

MK: A little different. So I...

AI: Let me see, I wanted to, we have a little bit of time here. I just wanted to clarify that, when, it was in the year 1941, what, in the fall of '41, what grade were you starting in school that year?

MK: '41? So, okay, I was in the eighth grade.

AI: So, you were in eighth grade and you were still at Washington Junior High School.

MK: Washington Junior High.

AI: Okay.

<End Segment 14> - Copyright © 2003 Densho. All Rights Reserved.