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BN: During the war, one of the effects was there was this effort to Americanize the Japanese, speak more English, etcetera. I'm wondering if you remember that and if that had any kind of impact on the family and the business because you're selling Western clothing after all.
HM: Uh-huh. I don't know whether it had impact on the business, but I do recall "speak English" were signs all over the place. And I guess... and then, of course, I went to a school that had all Caucasians, haoles. So I felt, "Gee, are they looking at me as if I'm an enemy?" After all, maybe to them I might be a "Jap." So I felt a little of that, but I don't know, somehow it was okay, I guess.
BN: Earlier you mentioned also the gas masks?
HM: Oh, yeah. We had to, everyone had to carry a gas mask when you go out. We had it hanging (by the side), so even the schoolchildren had to. And we had to learn how to use it.
BN: So even while you're in school you're constantly wearing them?
HM: Oh, no, no. Just when you go out. Going to school and going home. But everyone did have to, it was a government (regulation).
BN: What about the blackouts? Were there curfews also?
HM: (Yes), curfews and we had to put the black curtain or paper over the windows so that we could turn on lights inside. Otherwise, you're not allowed to shine any lights at all.
BN: Were you, were there limitations on going out at night?
HM: Oh, yes, there was a curfew. I think eight o'clock curfew.
BN: This was for everybody, not just Japanese?
HM: I think for everybody. And besides, my mother didn't drive a car, so we couldn't go out anyway.
BN: So how did you get around then?
HM: I took the bus everywhere, or walked. Especially after we moved to Makiki, I had to take the bus to school, transferred and everything. St. Andrews was (in) Queen Emma.
[Interruption]
HM: I had to take the bus everywhere, especially after we moved to Makiki. It was not convenient for me to walk. And I was older, too, at that time. But "older" means third grade. Third grade, fourth and fifth.
BN: You mentioned also air raids. Were these drills?
HM: Yes. Every so often they had drills. Not that we were being attacked, but we had drills to be ready just in case.
BN: What did you have to do?
HM: Well, we had to take shelter if we were outside, we always had to take shelter and go indoors. But it wasn't that often, but we did have to endure that type of thing. The other thing that happened to us while the three of us were living there, my mother, Larry and I, and everyone else from the family had left, there was a notice from us from the government that they wanted to confiscate our property. And it was under eminent domain, where they could, government could do that if they wanted to. They wanted the property for a juvenile detention home, which they eventually did. But we were, Larry and I were too young, my mother could hardly speak English, so we just didn't know what to do. So we had to obey. And luckily they allowed us to stay there 'til my father came home eventually in '46. But this was after Larry had graduated from school and was at the university. And then he was drafted into the army, so my father came home just before he was shipped off to go to language school in Minnesota, the one that Bob was supposed to teach at. And eventually, my husband (who) was in the MIS and went to that school, too. But, so I guess we had to obey, and so we had to sell Makiki. And they allowed us to stay until my father came home, and then we found a place in Manoa, so we moved to that Manoa house. So I had my last two years of high school there.
BN: From when you were in --
HM: Yes, but then I was going to Punahou at that time, so it was very close.
<End Segment 8> - Copyright © 2012 Densho. All Rights Reserved.