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TI: So my final question here is, I think about your life, and I've interviewed lots of Niseis, but they always looked at the war from pretty much the U.S. side. You're kind of you unique in you're one of the few Niseis who were in Japan watching the war. And I was just wondering, what's your thought about war and World War II when you think about what happened? Any insights about the war between the U.S. and Japan?

MO: You know, we have to learn from this kind of lesson. We just have to learn to forgive and forget. That's the main thing that I'd like to say: forgive and forget. Don't just have a grudge all the time, but you have understand each other, why they do that, and then talk it over.

TI: Good. And actually, I have one more question, just about your mother. I just want to find out whatever happened to her. How long did she live and what was her life like at the end?

MO: Hundred and two years old. In fact, I still hear her, "Undo shinasai, undo," to do exercise. She has a special exercise that she does every morning before she gets out of bed, before she goes to bed. Puts her hands on, both arms up and shake it, make the blood circulation good. And then the other one is the goldfish exercise, you put your arms on your head and just put your feet up and wiggle back and forth, and that circulates your blood. So that's how she keeps well, she kept well. She used to walk a lot. She used to walk from one hill, she would catch the bus. If Haverly isn't there at the bus stop to pick her up, she would start walking all the way to Houghtailing and come up to our house where we live.

TI: And about how long would it take to do that walk?

MO: I don't know, I never timed.

TI: But it's a long ways.

MO: It is, yes.

TI: Several miles.

MO: But she just, that's on Beretania, that street that she... and just as you're coming from the Rineback, in Chinatown, beginning of Chinatown.

TI: And how old was she when she would do this?

MO: She must have been about seventy or eighty. But to this day, I'll never forget her because of... and he would keep saying, the one thing she always said, drink a lot of water. [Laughs] Drink a lot of water and then do exercise. Those two things, she always said that. "Eight glasses of water," she said.

TI: That's good. So that's the end of my questions. I was wondering, is there anything else that you wanted to say in kind of ending this interview?

MO: Well... don't forget to forgive and forget.

TI: Good. Well, Muriel, thank you so much for taking the time.

MO: Oh, you're very welcome.

TI: This was delightful.

MO: It just reminded me of so many things that I can't even remember.

TI: Well, now you'll have this recording, so whenever you want, you can go back and look at it and remember these things.

<End Segment 23> - Copyright ©2009 Densho. All Rights Reserved.