<Begin Segment 18>

MA: Is there anything else that you want to say, or is there something that you want people to learn from your story, from watching your story or listening to your story that you're telling me?

MT: The... long time ago, it was sure fun. I think back now, it was sure fun and it was very unusual. We had horse-drawn mail carriers, and those ice trucks going by, and when they stopped, we knew they'd stop and give somebody some ice for their ice box. And they'd go chip-chip-chip and all these little pieces would fall and we'd all make beeline and we'd stick it in our mouths. [Laughs] It was fun. And we had fun, we had fun the old way, roller skates, the honest-to-goodness roller skates, not the fancy ones.

MA: What did those look like, the old ones?

MT: They had metal wheels. Matter of fact, we've got a whole box full of 'em, we're putting it out for whoever, to clean out the house. But we had fun like that, we had fun playing baseball in a vacant lot and Annie-Annie-over and stuff like that. And these kids don't know that; they don't know that. You try and tell 'em, they bring out their violin and start playing. [Laughs] But no, it was good, it was good. Don't you think so, Kazue? I think so.

KY: Age of innocence.

MT: Age of the infant?

MA: Innocence.

MT: What did she say?

MA: Age of innocence.

MT: Oh, innocence, yeah. I was happy, yeah.

MA: Do you still feel like you are very close with the other Niseis you grew up with?

MT: I feel I have a connection with them. I don't go to church as often as I do, I just go on my toban day. But then, no, I value my Japanese friends very much, I do. So...

MA: It seems to be a strong community in Spokane, Japanese Americans.

MT: Uh-huh. Yeah, so, but it's not like it used to be a long time ago when we used to, it was really nice.

<End Segment 18> - Copyright © 2006 Densho. All Rights Reserved.