<Begin Segment 22>

MN: So when you had a furlough, were you able to visit your relatives in Wakayama?

BS: Yes, and that was a strange visit. I was now, what, twenty-two years old, in the service, and I found out that my real grandmother was in Japan. Before I came overseas, my mother says, "Well, if you get to Japan, visit your grandmother." I said, "No, my grandmother is in San Diego." At that time I found out that's my step grandmother. But I was twenty-two years old and they kept it a secret to me. And all the time I used to go visit them, just say, "Hi Grandma." And then in the service I found out that she was my step grandmother. So I did have the opportunity, in the service they call it R&R, Rest and Recuperation. So I was able to go to Japan for a week, so I looked up my uncle in Osaka, and then he told me how to get to my grandmother's place. But then, when I went to the train station, it said, no, it takes only a half hour. And my uncle said, "No, it takes three or four hours." So I was scared. I said, too big of a difference, so I went back to my uncle's place, he said, "Oh, yeah, there's another town called Sano, which is just half an hour away." So he said, "No, okay, I'll go with you." So he accompanied me to go to my grandmother's place into the countryside.

By that time, he called my grandmother and said that we're coming. So when we got to that station at Sano, my mother's classmates were there. So half a dozen ladies were there to greet me. I was really embarrassed to see a group of people waiting to visit with me. And then, another embarrassing thing happened. I had my army duffel bag with me, and no problem, my clothing for the week I had in there. My uncle says he'll carry it. My uncle, even though he was my uncle, he was a head shorter than me. I said, "No, no, I got it, no problem." No, he insisted, he almost (took) it off my back. So I said, "Okay, here you are," I gave it to him. What does he do? He turns around and gives it to my grandmother. Oh, I was really embarrassed then. But I said, well, he's the one that gave it to her, not me. But oh, that's how I realized how the Japanese culture is so different from here in America.

MN: So when you were over there, how did you communicate with them?

BS: Oh, I knew just a little bit Japanese, more common terms. So I told them if they speak real slowly to me, I might catch on. So that's how they communicated, so they broke it down and spoke slowly to me, I could catch just everyday phrases. Oh, another thing, interesting thing happened to me. So I went to live in my grandmother's place overnight. But she says, "Oh, go take a bath at the neighbor's place," 'cause they had an outdoor tub, and they didn't want me to do that. Plus, the bathroom, they had an indoor bathroom whereas my grandparents had an outdoor bathroom. So I had to go use my neighbor's bathroom. And then when I woke up in the morning, they didn't wake me up early, but they were up nice and early, so it must have been eight, nine o'clock already. And the neighborhood kids were waiting for me. They said, "Amerika no niisan," and they're waiting to look at me. I was so embarrassed. But they all cherished it, "America no niisan." So that was my experience in Japan for the first time.

MN: You were probably the talk of the town.

BS: Yeah.

MN: So how long were you in the army?

BS: I was in the minimum. I was drafted for two years, but when I came back from Korea, I only had three months left. And I had leave time, so they said, "Oh, might as well be separated," so I only served twenty-one months in the service, active service. And then the inactive service, had to serve, I think, five years or something like that. Nothing, just on paper, then after that I got my discharge paper.

MN: And you were honorably discharged from where?

BS: Right downtown Los Angeles. They just sent me my papers, that's all.

<End Segment 22> - Copyright © 2012 Densho. All Rights Reserved.