<Begin Segment 26>

MN: When did you first return to Tule Lake after the war?

TH: 1970, when I was mid-forties, I think.

MN: How did it feel returning to Tule Lake?

TH: Oh, I'd say natsukashi. My family went to Oregon for vacation, and on the way back, we drove south and start, I began to see the silhouette of Castle Rock, and it was like meeting an old friend. Block 5 where I lived, I could see the Castle Rock really close by. So it got closer and closer, and finally Castle Rock was still there, an old friend. The guardian of the camp.

MN: So you, for you, it was not a bitter feeling. It was more natsukashi, kind of a nostalgic feeling.

TH: Yeah, lot of memories. After all, I spent my (...) seishun...

MN: Your youth?

TH: Youth, from nineteen to twenty-three. So it was a very important part of my life. I tend to catch the experience as some kind of poetic happening, actually.

MN: Have you been back to Leupp or Topaz?

TH: No, I haven't. Topaz has sort of a bad memory for me, being picked up by FBI. And besides, I didn't stay there too long, from September to July. Leupp, I wanted to go back and see the building where I stayed for six months, but I understand it was bulldozed right after being evacuated, and I don't have any, I wish I had -- I had painted the building a couple of times, but I didn't keep it. I guess I don't have the sense of history, I guess.

MN: One more thing, I wanted to ask about redress. When talk of redress came up, did you think that this was possible?

TH: No.

MN: How did you feel when the government issued an apology and gave you compensation?

TH: Oh, I would say that I regained my trust in the United States. And also, see, I stayed, my family stayed in Richmond housing from 1947 through '52. In the meanwhile, my father received compensation for losing the business. So I don't remember how much it was, but we were able to use that as a down payment to purchase the small house in Berkeley, a two-bedroom house. So after all, there's honor in the United States, honorable quality.

MN: Anything else you want to add? I've asked my questions.

TH: Oh, yeah? Well, not really. It was a rich experience. I don't blame anybody. That's a miracle that somehow I survived and still, at this age, still able to talk about it, and I'm thankful for that.

MN: Thank you.

<End Segment 26> - Copyright © 2010 Densho. All Rights Reserved.