<Begin Segment 5>
TI: So we talked a little bit about school, how about Japanese school? Did you ever have to go to Japanese school?
JM: Just before we came to America, yeah, it was the following, year before that we had this Japanese lady, her name was, they were, I mean, she was a neighbor to us and she said that we're gonna, "You people are gonna start learning Japanese." And so we were kind of excited, but we had to go to the Hood River town where the Japanese town hall is and then study over there. It was once a month, I think, we used to go there.
TI: And you said this was about a year before you went to Japan, so you're about, what, ten years old?
JM: Yeah. Yeah, something like that.
TI: Okay, so that's... and who was taking Japanese classes with you? Was it just your family, or was it --
JM: No, we had a few Japanese people, two friends, and we had some hakujin friends, a German friend. She says, "You know, it sounds interesting," so she start learning Japanese, too. In fact, she was way ahead of me.
TI: Oh, that's interesting. So a German friend, so she's about your same age?
JM: Yeah, we're the same class, too.
TI: And she just wanted to take Japanese?
JM: Japanese, and she was my girlfriend. [Laughs]
TI: So during that time she was kind of your, your girlfriend, and was that why she wanted to take the class, do you think? Because she wanted to be...
JM: No, I think it was, I don't know. I can't give you an answer on that, but they used to have a gas station by the highway, so they, the parents were German, so we got along real good with them.
TI: Now, how did your parents feel about, about, or did they know that you had, the two of you liked each other? Did they say anything about that?
JM: I don't think my parents even thought about that yet, yeah, 'cause we were just young and get together, and only time they would come to my house and everything is if we have some kind of a gathering, but other than that it wasn't... at school, of course, you meet 'em all the time, too, so...
SF: And the Japanese school was, like, one whole day on Saturday?
JM: Yeah, it's around three hours. Yeah.
SF: So your parents would drive you?
JM: Yeah, and then they would kind of roam around Hood River until we're finished and, 'cause that's where we had our Japanese movies, too, over there.
TI: So how about church? Did you go to church?
JM: No, my, we were Buddhist that time.
TI: Okay.
JM: Strictly a Buddhist.
TI: And you mentioned Japanese movies, I'm curious about, like, Japanese or community events, like movies and other things where people got together. Can you describe some...
JM: It wasn't all that, during that time it was all Japan and China fighting each other. It was war movie. Yeah, war movie.
TI: And did you go to see these, too?
JM: Yeah, I would go out, 'cause I liked those kind of movies.
TI: So what was the, so explain, describe what that was like. So how many people were there and what was the reaction of the audience?
JM: Maybe sometimes there would be fifteen, twenty people and they were, since we were all Japanese, they were rooting for Japan than the Chinese people, but we didn't have no grudge against the Chinese and the Japanese either, just a movie.
SF: So these movies were Japanese documentaries on the war?
JM: Yeah.
SF: So they were just showing Japan fighting China?
JM: Yeah, China and everything like that. And then where, if they take the village, you know, you'll, the Japanese soldiers would kill the civilians and everything like that, too. It was tough.
TI: Oh, so they would show that in these movies, too?
JM: Oh, yeah.
TI: Interesting. Were there ever organized efforts to raise money or anything for the Japanese or Japanese army in Hood River?
JM: Not that I know of. Not that I know of, I don't think. Maybe my parents and elderly people might've, but we, I haven't heard nothing about that.
SF: So they never made those toiletry and candy and packages for the Japanese war, soldiers?
JM: No, no, we didn't do that.
SF: Never did.
<End Segment 5> - Copyright © 2011 Densho. All Rights Reserved.