<Begin Segment 6>

TI: But, in the older days I think the sporting, sports events, and participating in that was one of the major social outlets for the Niseis, because so many of the other mainstream activities were closed to the Japanese at that time. But gradually, as the years went by, things did start to open up little by little. Up until World War II started.

AI: So in, it sounds like in the beginning that all-Japanese sports were very important, a kind of all-Nisei? Is that...

JM: Well after, the younger people got of age, that was the only thing that kept them together, because gradually we started to feel that there was a little bit of discrimination. And so, sports and social events among ourselves was what kept us together. And then that kind of dictated to the deportment of most of the young people, because Bellevue had a real good reputation of being a good, solid community. Family values and things like that. And we never had any real bad incidences, like there were in other places. We had a couple of questionable characters, but it didn't amount to anything.

AI: And it sounds like there wasn't that much mixing with the mainstream Caucasian community in those days. Is that right?

JM: No, I don't think... some people had real good neighbors. I think Mr. Ito had good neighbors. And I know of two or three others that were really good neighbors; they took care of their property for them while they were in camp and they returned to their places to do farming or whatever they did. But most of the people didn't come back, they went elsewhere. People were getting older, you know. And so they decided, I guess, to go on their own.

<End Segment 6> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.