<Begin Segment 11>

MN: Let's talk about December 7th, on Sunday. What were you doing?

YY: I think I was home. I was kind of shocked, it was kind of unbelievable.

MN: How did you hear about it?

YY: I think it was the radio.

MN: Did you go into J-town?

YY: I was in J-town.

MN: But did you walk around?

YY: Oh, yeah.

MN: How was everybody else reacting?

YY: I don't recall. It was just normal, I don't think anybody tried to hurt me or anything. But I noticed everybody started wearing those pins, "I'm Filipino," "I'm Chinese," so they won't mistake them for Japanese.

MN: Did you know anybody who got picked up by the FBI?

YY: No.

MN: When they instituted the curfew, did that affect you at all?

YY: Oh, yeah.

MN: How did it affect you?

YY: Well, you didn't go out after, what, ten o'clock, you had to be in. So I was a kid, so it didn't matter.

MN: Did your father try to contact you from Japan?

YY: No. I don't think there was any. You couldn't contact each other during those days.

MN: How did you learn that you had to go into a camp?

YY: Oh, I guess my ojisan, obasan told me. They're all informed.

MN: And how did you react to that?

YY: Well, you know, like a kid, you just go along and did what you have to do. You don't fight it or say that's not justice and all this stuff, 'cause I guess you got to be a little older and more mature to know that. Like Wakako, she knew. She's just a few years older, but she knows what's right and what's wrong. Probably Auntie Saye, too, my sister-in-law.

MN: Wakako Yamauchi and Hisaye Yamamoto. How did you prepare to go into camp?

YY: Oh, you just packed what you can, my obasan tells me what we need, and that's it. Just one little suitcase, and little tag, and off we go on the bus. We rode for about three days, the shades all down, and it was a train, I believe. We traveled for about three days, we had sandwiches.

MN: Now, some people stored their belongings at Union Church. Did you help out at that at all?

YY: No. I don't think we had anything, actually.

MN: The day you're supposed to go to camp, where was your gathering point?

YY: I think that was right in J-town someplace. They had gathered us, lined up and picked us up.

MN: Do you think it was the old Nishi Hongwanji building?

YY: It could be. It could be. I have pictures. I mean, I had a picture, but I don't know where it is, now.

MN: Do you recall what month or day it was?

YY: Oh, no.

MN: And then from there, did they take you to Santa Anita?

YY: Uh-huh.

MN: How did you get to Santa Anita?

YY: Bus, I think.

MN: What kind of buses were these? Greyhounds?

YY: I don't think it was that fancy. Just transportation is all it was.

MN: Was there more than one bus?

YY: Oh, several buses, 'cause there's quite a few of us.

MN: Do you remember how many?

YY: No. I'm not even paying attention.

MN: Were there a lot of soldiers?

YY: Oh, yeah, there was always soldiers around.

MN: And how did you react to the soldiers?

YY: Nothing. I mean, I wasn't frightened or anything like that.

MN: When you got on the bus, did you know where you were going?

YY: Well, they told us, but I don't know the place where we were going to stay, 'cause some people had to go to the... we had a barrack. But some people had to go to horse stalls and things like that, so we were very fortunate.

<End Segment 11> - Copyright © 2012 Densho. All Rights Reserved.