<Begin Segment 5>

BN: Now at the same time, most Nisei, they're also going to Japanese language school. Is that the case with your family?

HM: Oh, yes. My parents believed that we should go to Japanese school very strongly, especially my father who was active at Chuo Gakuen, which is a Japanese school in Nu'uanu, and he was on the board of directors. So we all went to Japanese school after regular school, starting from kindergarten. And I loved it. I loved Japanese school because my parents, especially my mother who was not very fluent in English, would help me with my Japanese, and would always praise me when I did well. So I studied hard in Japanese school, but I loved it. I enjoyed it very much. So after kindergarten -- well, from kindergarten on, I went to Japanese school until the war started, and then all the Japanese schools closed. So I had (...) five years of Japanese (school).

BN: And you went to the one, you went after school each day?

HM: Yeah. Each day after school we went, and I walked to Japanese school. No one took me by bus or car, but I walked to school.

BN: Before we get on to -- I was going to ask you a bunch about Punahou and so forth, too, but maybe we'll talk about the wartime first. The war kind of hits very early, right after you just started at Punahou. But you alluded earlier to the fact that your father was active on the board of the Japanese school, and I guess he was active in a lot of different types of community organizations.

HM: Yes. He was, at that time, when the war started, he was president of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce. But he was active in many Japanese organizations. And I think that's the reason he was one of the first to be taken. But they strongly believed that we should go to Japanese school, so I was a good girl and I obeyed, but I enjoyed Japanese school. And I'm glad I did go, because today I'm able to speak a little Japanese and I can recognize some characters, simple characters. And I guess I learned a lot of the Japanese values, and I think that's the reason we went to Sunday school at the Japanese school, to learn about those things. I'm glad that I did have that education.

BN: Was the Sunday school a religious thing?

HM: No. It was called Sunday school, but I think that's when we could learn other things other than book learning.

BN: Was it just kids?

HM: (Yes), kids.

BN: It wasn't the whole family would go, it's just...

HM: Oh, no, no. We had regular classes.

BN: It was like part of your Japanese school.

HM: (Yes), it was regular classes, yeah.

BN: So I thought there were, by that time, there were rules -- there was a lot of objection to Japanese schools, so they placed all these restrictions on Japanese school, one of them being you could only go so many hours out of the week.

HM: Oh, yes. I think...

BN: So maybe the Sunday school was a way to evade that regulation in some respects.

HM: Could be. (Yes), that could be.

BN: Because it's not technically Japanese language school.

HM: (...) Maybe. I didn't know they had that --

BN: Did you go to, I mean, all the time you were going to the Japanese school, you're also going to the Sunday school as well?

HM: You mean like a church? At church or something?

BN: Well, this Sunday Japanese school.

HM: Yes. Well, we went to school on Sunday, too, but I guess we didn't call it Sunday school, but...

BN: But it was like a continuation.

HM: Yeah, it was a continuation to learn about the values and stuff, and culture, and other things that they can't teach you, they don't have enough time to teach you in the regular (school).

BN: But that was something you did continuously.

HM: Uh-huh.

BN: It was all taught in Japanese?

HM: Yes, yes. Everything was taught in Japanese. I'm glad that I did go. We learned a lot of things.

BN: And then with regard to your father, I mean, I think what I wanted to ask you was, because he was doing all of this stuff, was he around a lot or did you not see much of him?

HM: No. Actually, no, I didn't see too much of him. But as a child I remember when I wanted to eat a snack, I would always go to him for five cents. And for five cents I could buy any kind of snack. And he always, never denied me.

[Interruption]

BN: So did you go to your father because he was the easy mark?

HM: Well, yes. I think that's probably true, that I knew where to get the money. [Laughs] So five cents was a lot to me in those days. So whenever I needed to buy something I would go to him. But I guess... I don't remember having too many conversation with him like I did with my mother.

BN: What kind of person was he? Was he outgoing, gregarious, more quiet type of personality?

HM: No, he had a very nice personality and seemed to be friendly with everyone. And I guess he was quite popular among... that's why he was, I guess, elected to be president.

BN: A leader of all of these organizations.

HM: (Yes). So, (yes), and not having a lot of education, he was pretty akamai about business and things in general. So I guess basically he was a smart man.

BN: And judging from the progression of the schools, he must have been doing fairly well.

HM: Yes, yes. I think... I don't remember too much about him because I was the baby of the family.

BN: Did you have to work at the store?

HM: Well, not have to work at the store, but I did help in the back, maybe helping to wrap gifts, wrapping packages, things like that. So I was always at the store in between playing. But they didn't expect me to work there as such.

BN: Maybe because you were the youngest.

HM: (Yes). But as I got older, they expected a little bit more help from me. I might do errands or go and get something from the stockroom or help wrap. But that's the reason I didn't go to school on that Sunday, December 7th, because they were very busy the night before. Store was open for Christmas and I was helping downstairs in the store.

BN: And then so what... you were like up late or something?

HM: Yes, I was up later than usual.

<End Segment 5> - Copyright &copy; 2012 Densho. All Rights Reserved.