<Begin Segment 28>

TI: Okay, so you take this journey and you reach Japan, so tell me what you saw when you got to Japan.

HN: We landed at Port Uraga, near Yokosuka, Japan, and the way we landed, there was a troop transport, so troop, when they land, get off the boat, they got these big nets hanging on the side, and we had to climb down the net to go in this small boat to go to the landing pier.

TI: So everybody on the ship had to do that?

HN: Yeah.

TI: Your mother had to do this?

HN: No, except for, you know, except for female. I guess they had a special ship, but it wasn't big enough, they didn't have enough capacity to get all the guys off, so it...

TI: But, like, your father would have to do it, too?

HN: Yeah, I think so. But we, I had to do it. And we got off, and then it was toward the evening, so then when they were unloading whatever we carried on the back. They were bringing that in. They were bringing that in to the warehouse, and we were there and waited until baggage got all unloaded. Then I think we carried the baggage on our backs and walked probably about three miles, three miles on the street, Uraga and Yokosuka, and we got there to the reception center, center there and stayed there for about a few days. Then we, everybody went their own way. Scattered.

TI: So was that the point that you were officially free?

HN: Yeah, right. Officially free.

TI: So when you left reception you were now a free man.

HN: Right, but at the reception, one thing I remember, still in my mind... they also were receiving the Japanese soldiers from the Southeast, Pacific area, I remember. A lot of 'em were starving to death. When they got to the reception center a lot of them had died because of the starvation, so they piled up all the dead, the corpse in the room, and we were housed right next to it. The Japanese government, they didn't have other facilities, so we stayed there for one, maybe one or two nights to get everything organized and went our own way.

TI: So I'm guessing the smell must have been really, really strong.

HN: Yeah, yeah. But it was, good thing it was winter, so it wasn't that strong.

TI: And when you would see that, when you'd see these Japanese soldiers starving, some dying, what were you thinking?

HN: Oh, Jesus, the country must be in real trouble.

<End Segment 28> - Copyright © 2010 Densho. All Rights Reserved.