<Begin Segment 13>

MN: So we were talking about how you felt when you were leaving to go to camp and your friends and your teachers didn't... nobody came.

KI: Didn't come, yeah, didn't come. So but I didn't think anything of it because I was too excited and probably seeing all these people at the church. And we're all in the same boat, but then hearing about it later, reading about people's stories where somebody came to see them off, then I think gee, where were they? Except it was probably a school day. I mean, that's my rationalization for why nobody came.

MN: Now at this departure point, were there soldiers and if there were, were they friendly or aggressive?

KI: I don't remember. I think I remember seeing pictures of soldiers being there but I personally don't remember any encounter with them.

MN: Now you were put on this bus, what do you remember of the bus ride?

KI: It's the first time I ever rode a bus. And then going across the bridge, that was the biggest thing, going across the bridge. I had gone across the bridge before in a car because we used to go to the Treasure Island, we went to the Treasure Island fair, the World's Fair when it was there but going on the bus that was an experience.

MN: And I'm assuming when you say the bridge, it was the Bay Bridge?

KI: Yeah, the Bay Bridge.

MN: Now you arrive at this horse track, what was your first impression of Tanforan?

KI: Tanforan? Oh, I thought probably what a big place and I guess it was sort of Hollywood-ish, because it was not a place that I would normally go to. And I see pictures of it now, I don't remember then what it looked like specifically my memory of then but then. But when I see pictures of what it used to look like I would think, yeah, what a nice place you know. But then once you get through the gate... and I don't remember that part. All I remember is after getting off the bus, then the process that we had to go through.

MN: What was that process?

KI: Well, there were people all lined up to... of course I guess dad was first to make sure that we got registered in and I guess make sure all the papers were correct. And then lining up and get shots and then from there I guess somebody took us to our barrack.

MN: And where did you folks live in Tanforan?

KI: I wish I knew the address or the barrack number. We were fortunate that we did not live in the horse stall, but we lived on the other side of it. The track is like this and then there was a fence here and then stalls were... horse stalls were on the other side. Well, we were on this side so the fence was right here, so we were one of the barracks along there. We lived on the end barrack, there was probably about six big rooms in each barrack.

MN: Was that hard for you to adjust to like the public latrines?

KI: I don't know, I don't remember feeling... I must have because, I mean, it's not normal to sit next to somebody who's... except well, of course now in Tanforan I can't remember where the latrine was or whether we all had to go to the one in the grandstand. Let's see, we were there from May, June, July, August. We were there three or four months and I can't remember where we ate and where we went to the bathroom and took showers and stuff like that. Whether they, like in Topaz and other places where we had a separate building that was all for a certain area, or if we all had to go to the main grandstand. Maybe the first day or two we did because I remember going this huge place to eat. It was huge. But after that I don't recall, funny.

MN: Do you recall going to classes at Tanforan?

KI: Going to where?

MN: Classes.

KI: Yeah, we had classes up in the grandstand or at least some of them, that's the classes I remember in the grandstand. I think maybe certain class would have it here and another class would have it there and another class here.

MN: So were you just sitting on the bleachers?

KI: Yeah.

MN: Who were your teachers? Were they the camp people?

KI: I think they were usually camp people. I don't recall any of the teachers.

MN: Now, did Tanforan have a library?

KI: Uh-huh, it was in the center of the racetrack.

MN: Did you go to the library often?

KI: Oh, yeah.

MN: What sort of books did you read?

KI: Probably Nancy Drew, I think that's one I remember the most. I liked to read. I've always like to read, but I think I read almost anything that I could. But those definitely I remember. Maybe even before the war I mean before we even went into the camp.

MN: Now what did your father do at Tanforan?

KI: I have no idea what he did except I remember he was not a block manager but he had something to do with the barrack, he had to make sure everybody was in their rooms or something like that, and then to spread news to them or something. He had something like that to do.

<End Segment 13> - Copyright © 2011 Densho. All Rights Reserved.