Densho Digital Archive
Densho Visual History Collection
Title: Setsuko Izumi Asano Interview
Narrator: Setsuko Izumi Asano
Interviewer: Martha Nakagawa
Location: Los Angeles, California
Date: February 7, 2012
Densho ID: denshovh-asetsuko-01-0013

<Begin Segment 13>

MN: So the train gets to Arkansas. Did it go right up to Rohwer?

AS: You know, I can't recall. All I know is we stayed in a little town (called) McGehee.

MN: What was your first impression of Rohwer?

AS: It's adventuresome for me.

MN: How old were you when you entered Rohwer?

AS: Ten, probably.

MN: Do you remember your address there?

AS: Block 7, Barrack 12-A, 7-12-A.

MN: So you're ten years old, I imagine the barracks all looked alike. Did you ever get lost out there?

AS: No. You get acclimatized to it. The only thing that disturbed me was we did have a central washroom area, and we'd have to go... it gets muddy during the rainy season, so they made planks, I guess, out of wood, walkways.

MN: Let me ask you about your school situation at Rohwer. Did school start soon after you entered camp?

AS: I think so. That was one thing they kept up our education (...).

MN: What was the school called?

AS: I don't remember.

MN: Rohwer...

AS: Rohwer, I guess Rohwer, it was a grammar school.

MN: How far was it from your barrack?

AS: We walked, but it wasn't a big deal, but I can't recall.

MN: Share with us what the classroom situation was like.

AS: It was cold, and we did have desks made out of logs, tree logs. That was sort of interesting. The first time I saw so many Japanese, couldn't believe it, all at once, and classmates were all Japanese.

MN: Now your sister Masako was an assistant teacher at the grammar school. Were you ever in her class?

AS: Yes.

MN: What was that like?

AS: Didn't mean anything... it wasn't a big deal, 'cause our teacher was Mrs. Hatchett. I still remember how beautiful that lady was and very, very nice.

MN: So even if your sister was an assistant teacher, she didn't, like, be more strict with you?

AS: No, just go with the flow, I guess.

MN: Did your teachers have like a real strong southern drawl?

AS: No, not that I recall.

<End Segment 13> - Copyright &copy; 2012 Densho. All Rights Reserved.