<Begin Segment 7>

TI: Now, did your family participate in, sort of, Japanese festivals like Bon Odori dances or picnics or anything like that?

KK: Well, when the company, when Dad's store, company, had a picnic, we all had to go because he was the president of the company. So we all had to get dressed and go. But we didn't have such a good time 'cause we knew nobody. We had no Japanese friends.

TI: And so when you think about that time, how did you look at the Japanese community in more downtown area? When you went down there and saw the Japanese, a lot of Japanese, what kind of thoughts did you have about that?

KK: I don't know, can't remember. I don't think I thought too much of the whole thing, 'cause we, our everyday experiences were all among the haoles. We sort of didn't know how to behave, I guess.

TI: Inside the Japanese community you mean?

KK: What's that?

TI: You mean, so you didn't know how to behave in the Japanese community?

KK: Not too much. We didn't learn all the idioms and things that they talked with. So we were at a disadvantage there.

TI: So let's talk about high school. Which high school did you go to?

KK: I went to L.A. High School.

TI: And were there Japanese in L.A. High School?

KK: There were, I know there was one Japanese girl in high school. Before that, in junior high, I don't know. There may have been some. Yeah, there must have been, but I didn't know who they were.

TI: And so when you think about high school, who were some of your friends, when you think back to that time?

KK: Well, there were a couple of girls, I don't know what happened to them. There were, there were a few, a few people that were very nice to me. But come high school time, any time there was any social or something, people paired off. And so we were left out in the cold, there were no Japanese fellows in my class, at least.

TI: So things like dances, prom...

KK: No, we didn't go to any of that. Kids go nowadays, but we couldn't, we didn't go. It just wasn't done, that's all.

TI: And so after school, what kind of things did you do?

KK: Well, of course, I had babysitting, always. But we must have done something, I can't remember too much. I know I regularly went to the library, but that was a single, solitary business. I don't know what we did.

<End Segment 7> - Copyright © 2008 Densho. All Rights Reserved.