<Begin Segment 13>

MA: What about, like, socializing with your friends? What would you do to have fun on the weekends or after school?

KB: Well, let me see. In high school?

MA: Uh-huh.

KB: You know, I don't think we socialized in the way that the kids do now. I think we mostly socialized with the family, and with our family's friends. So I'm not exactly sure what all we did in high school.

MA: So what are some things you would do with your family, like, on the weekends?

KB: Well, the big events were like picnics. There were these kenjinkais, did you hear about those? And they would have picnics, the Japanese language school would have picnics, families would get together and have picnics, or maybe they would get together in the home in the wintertime and we'd have all the Japanese goodies, sushi especially. My parents, my father was very active in go and shogi tournaments.

MA: Those are Japanese board games.

KB: Board games, uh-huh. And we always had people come to our home to play, and they'd play on into the wee hours of the night.

MA: Were these all Issei men that would come over?

KB: Issei men, yeah. And he, even after he was quite elderly, he still participated in the go, I think it was go tournaments in Seattle. They were living in Spokane, but he'd come over and play in those go tournaments, he just loved it. So... but for us as teenagers, it's not like these days when they have their own activities so much. My younger sisters were maybe a little more (sociable) than I was, they liked to go to dances, and I never particularly liked dances. But there were some parties for young people (...) available. But maybe I was just more studious, I don't know. [Laughs]

<End Segment 13> - Copyright © 2008 Densho. All Rights Reserved.