Densho Digital Archive
Densho Visual History Collection
Title: Toshikazu "Tosh" Okamoto Interview I
Narrator: Toshikazu "Tosh" Okamoto
Interviewer: Tom Ikeda
Location: Seattle, Washington
Date: April 30, 2009
Densho ID: denshovh-otoshikazu-01-0017

<Begin Segment 17>

TI: So after some time, you then went from Pinedale to Tule Lake?

TO: Uh-huh.

TI: So describe that trip. What was that like, going from Pinedale to Tule Lake?

TO: Yeah. I got to thinking -- we went... I guess we must have went on the train again. And I don't recall too much about how we, how we got to Tule Lake other than we... I don't remember even where we got off the train, whether it was Klamath Falls or there's another little town that was on the tracks near the Tule Lake camp in Newell, I think, Newell, California. I think there's a station there that we must have got off. then we got, I don't know if we had... at some point in time, we rode an army truck into the camp, and I don't know if that was from the Newell train station or going from Fresno to Pinedale. But at one time, I remember we had to all get on the back of the army truck to go into the camps.

TI: And when this was all happening, you're like fifteen, sixteen years old?

TO: Yeah, sixteen.

TI: Sixteen. Okay, so you go to Tule Lake, describe what you saw at Tule Lake.

TO: Well, it was vast, open areas, you know, compared to Pinedale. Everything was all very much confined. They call it firebreaks, big, big wide spaces that you play baseball. But the only thing was all sandy and wasn't conducive to do a lot of things. But, of course, us young kids, we had to do something, so we played football and baseball and whatever we could out there in those.

TI: And climate-wise, how was that for you?

TO: Well, I remember it got pretty cold that first winter we were there. And of course, the government issued us old, World War I army type of clothes, pants, wool pants, with kind of laces up the side and bottom like the cavalry. I remember those kind of odd things. And kind of the army... I think the navy peacoats, they were quite heavy, but they did furnish those for us because it did get pretty cold. Our particular block was Block 50. Block 50 was, half the block was a grade school, so we didn't have the full block like some of the other places did. So that kind of was a different situation in that full blocks they had block managers. And I think we had a block manager and all that stuff, but it was a little different situation. Because it was a smaller block, I think we were a little closer to each other in terms of, you know, socially.

TI: And so in Block 50, who was in Block 50? Were they all people from the same area that you came from or from all over?

TO: No, I don't know how this all got mixed up, but our neighbors were from Hood River, California, Hasegawa family from Hood River. I remember in our block there was an Episcopal minister, Reverend Daisuke something. I don't remember what his last name was.

TI: And do you recall where he was from?

TO: I think he was, lived in Kent or Auburn. I think that's where he's from. So, you know, but I don't remember where the other neighbors had come from. I knew who they were, but all I remember is next-door neighbors were the Hasegawas from Hood River.

TI: And so describe your living quarters for your family. There were, what, four kids and your parents, so six of you. Describe the space you had.

TO: Oh, I imagine it was a room about this size. I don't think it was quite this wide, but it was about this size.

TI: So maybe about twelve by fifteen?

TO: Yeah, that's about what it was. Of course, our beds were all next to each other, you know, just, no privacy or anything.

TI: And what would be a typical day for you at Tule Lake?

TO: Good question. What did I do? Well, of course, I'd go out and started hanging out with the kids, my peers. We'd go out and play baseball or football. And I started to go back to school then. By then it was high school. I don't recall them having a middle school or anything, I just, I remember going to school there.

TI: And so how about food? What was the mess hall like?

TO: Well, the mess halls were very interesting. For some reason, I just remember we'd get a lot of that Columbia River smelt. And by then, half of it was spoiled because for some reason, Columbia River smelt just don't hold up as good as other smelts. And everybody got sick of it and the cooks were trying to do the best they could with, trying to make it edible. But I distinctly remember eating that. But other than that, I don't remember too much about that part. I remember that us young kids, we wouldn't necessarily eat in our mess hall, you know, we'd go scouting around to see what... somebody said, "Oh, that mess hall is good," so we'd sneak into that other mess hall. And so I don't recall eating with my parents too much. I would be eating with my buddies.

TI: And you mentioned school, that you went to school. What do you remember about school?

TO: Well, I remember, I think the, we had benches for a while. I imagine that the camp inmates would, made those benches. And I don't remember even having a desk. It was benches for a while. And then later on, I think we got some desks. By then, I left camp and went to work out in the farm, so I quit school about then.

TI: What about teachers? Do you recall any of your teachers?

TO: No, I don't. No, I don't. I think there was one Nisei that was teaching, I don't remember what class it was now.

<End Segment 17> - Copyright © 2009 Densho. All Rights Reserved.