<Begin Segment 6>

MN: Now, let's see. In the fall of 1942, you went out of camp for the labor contracts?

JK: Yes.

MN: Why did you sign up?

JK: Well, we heard stories of people working, farm, and then continuing work for themselves outside. And you're young. But we got the idea because we were still outside in Idaho Falls, and then we wrote to get permission to go. They said Heart Mountain.

MN: So you went out to Idaho Falls. Did Masa go with you?

JK: Yes.

MN: And when you got to Idaho Falls, the train ride there, was there a soldier that escorted you?

JK: Hmm. No, I don't think so. I don't think they... they were outside of the Western zone, so I don't think there was a soldier on the train.

MN: So once you got to Idaho Falls, what did you do there?

JK: We, because we had a team of farmhands, we had a big house. This farmer had an empty house for the farm laborers, and so we all pitched in. Well, it was a two story, we had three married couples, plus several other singles. So we had a big outfit doing the farmwork.

MN: So how would you compare the living conditions here with Manzanar?

JK: Well, we ate good, because the wives, three wives got together. We would go to town to buy canned goods, so I think we ate fairly well. And on weekends we would go to town and stock up on fancy food.

MN: What's a fancy food? What did you consider fancy food?

JK: Well, canned fruits. All of us love fruits, so then we went out to Japanese restaurant.

MN: They had a Japanese restaurant?

JK: In Idaho Falls. It was outside the Western boundary, so they were free. Did sightseeing up and down the Snake River, learned geography of how the Snake River going up and down Idaho.

MN: Did you ever have any problems with the townspeople?

JK: No, we didn't, because we just went to the Japanese restaurant, and we went sightseeing at the river. No one bothers us at that time. At least people were too busy, and there were fewer people left in the city.

MN: How did you get to the city? Did you walk?

JK: Well, yes, we did walk.

MN: Now, you're a city boy and you're doing farm work. What was that like?

JK: [Laughs] It's hard on the back. All of us in that crew were city people. And, well, for one thing, that crop, that first crop, in fact, we went to a family, the brothers who were farming, the first brothers' farm wasn't much, the crop wasn't, a very poor crop compared to the brothers where we went the next time. Second time, it was much better, crop-wise. So we had a taste of not so good crop, plus a good one the second time, so we made money, little bit.

MN: So the second crop, the sugar beets were bigger on that farm?

JK: Yes. We could tell the difference because when the farmer plowed the beets, you could see the sizes. And what made it hard was when they dug, plow the plants, the sizes of the beets were so different. And you could tell by that use of the knife, which had a hook, to stab beets up and tell the difference in the weight of the beet. Said, "Oh, boy, now we'll make little bit of money."

MN: Did Masa go out there and...

JK: They stayed at home. I guess they probably do the laundry.

MN: Now this house that you lived in, did it have running water?

JK: Yes.

MN: So it was, would you say it was better than Manzanar?

JK: Well, yes, you got to cook your own recipes.

MN: Do you remember what you mostly ate?

JK: Well, everyone needed rice, so we had to buy rice, small sacks of rice.

MN: They sold those at Idaho Falls?

JK: Well, little... I don't know what kind of rice it was, but...

MN: Now how long were you working out in Idaho Falls?

JK: Late summer... oh, I'd say late October. Yes, before the frost set in, I think.

MN: So maybe November, December?

JK: Not, because we spent Christmas in Heart Mountain.

<End Segment 6> - Copyright © 2011 Densho. All Rights Reserved.