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TI: So let's talk about your childhood just growing up in Seattle. What was that like? What were some of the activities you did besides, besides school? I mean, what did you do after school?

SI: Well, I think my childhood was not really too much different from any other young kids of that time. There were times when we would go out and play out in the street playing tag, jintori, kick the can, games like that. We would get together and maybe tell stories. We did have a summer camp for young children at that time called Fresh Air Camp. And this was a camp for boys located in Auburn, Washington. And kids from the ages of around seven years old up to about eighteen would go there and spend the summer under the guidance of leaders. So I went out to the Fresh Air Camp about three years, between the years of 1938 through 1940, just before the war started. But the children that went there were from, drawn from different families within the community, all Nikkei, of course. And I made a lot of good friends from those days.

TI: And who sponsored this camp? Who was in charge?

SI: From what I understand, it was first sponsored by the Salvation Army back in '36. But then they couldn't do it the following year, and they asked some other community organization to sponsor it. And so the Buddhist church took over in '37. So the people that were there, the children that were there were drawn from the overall Japanese community. Not strictly from the Buddhist families, but from all families within the community.

TI: And when you say "all summer," so when regular school finished, you would...

SI: Well, it would be for about two months during the summer. I can't give you the exact months now. I think it was probably July and August. But at least a good ten weeks, anyway.

TI: And during this time period, did you ever return home?

SI: No, we stayed out there all that time. We had the parents come out one weekend called the "Welcome Day" when the parents would come and visit their children. And we'd have a performance for them when they came. It's right by the Green River in Auburn.

TI: Okay, so you were about nine, ten years old when you were going to this camp. Describe what you would do during a typical day at Fresh Air Camp.

SI: All right. The boys were living under canvas tents. These were large tents that could occupy up to about nine or ten boys. And in the morning we would have reveille to wake up. They'd have a recording of reveille. So that would be... well, blasted over the PA system. So all the boys would have to get up early to clean up, brush their teeth, get ready to have breakfast. We would have breakfast underneath another canvas tent, and meals would be prepared by adults. Generally some couple would volunteer to be there all summer to cook. After the breakfast, we would have activities. It could be storytelling or some kind of a game, maybe. We could go out and play softball out in the field. In the afternoons after lunch, we would go down to the Green River and have a swimming session down there. The leaders will teach the young children how to swim. And in the evenings, if the weather is okay, well, we might have a campfire going. Then we'll sing songs, tell stories, then the kids will eventually get sleepy, so, well, taps will sound and then we'd all have to hit the bunks.

[Interruption]

TI: Okay, so Sat, we were talking about the Fresh Air Camps. I'm curious, what do you think the purpose of these camps were? Why did the Buddhist church sponsor this? What were they thinking?

SI: I think that the reason why they had the camps was to give the children something to do during the summer. Some recreational activity that they could engage in under the sponsorship of a responsible group with leaders that knew how to teach children the basics of swimming and playing baseball and things of that nature.

TI: How about things like Japanese culture? Were there any cultural activities?

SI: Not in that particular camp, no. It was strictly basketball, softball, playing games, singing English songs. There would normally be a few Japanese songs that they might have sung, but mostly English songs.

TI: Well how about on Sundays? Were there religious services?

SI: I don't think there was any service except maybe one time when my dad came and they had a service, but other than that, I don't believe we had any Sunday service as such.

TI: And so when you think back to those summers at the Fresh Air Camp, do you think back with fondness? Was that a good time for you?

SI: Oh, yeah. I certainly still remember all the good times we had as children. I still see a few of the old friends around. I have some fond memories.

TI: And was this, you mentioned the boys' camp, or the boys' tent. Were there also girls that were there, too?

SI: No, it was strictly boys. The only female around was the cook, who happened to be the wife of a man, you know, they came as a couple and they served as the cook for the whole group.

TI: Now, do you recall if families had to pay for this?

SI: I think they had to pay a nominal sum, yeah. I don't know exact figures, I don't have that.

TI: And you said you did this for three summers. Were the same boys also there for the same summers that you were there?

SI: Well, some of the boys came all three summers that I could remember. But there has been people that came for one year and then left.

TI: Okay, good. Thank you, I didn't know much about that.

<End Segment 7> - Copyright © 2009 Densho. All Rights Reserved.