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TI: So tell me about December 7, 1941, Sunday, the day that Pearl Harbor was bombed. Can you tell me about that day? Describe that day for me.

WS: That day, there were about... Imanishis, you've heard of 'em? Imanishi brothers, and who else was there? There were about three or four friends who were skiers. So we took a trip to Mt. Rainier for a ski trip. Then at Mt. Rainier, the people were talking about Pearl Harbor. And people said there's, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. But then I heard the Caucasians talking to each other about the bombing of Pearl Harbor. But we got done skiing, and then we came back. But then that was about it.

TI: Now, what did you think when you heard that Japan bombed Pearl Harbor?

WS: Well, it finally came. Well, from that, end of November to December, first part, they had the envoy from Japan trying to settle the situation. But then evidently they were all ready to go to war, I guess. So it wasn't something that we just had to guess what was going on.

TI: From Mt. Rainier, when you drove back to Seattle with your friends, do you remember talking about what's going to happen?

WS: No, I don't remember talking. That's 1941 or '42. Yeah, 1942, and I can't remember any conversations in the car.

TI: Do you remember if people were worried, though? Were you guys worried or concerned, or did you think that this was not that big of a thing?

WS: I can't say anything about that.

TI: How about when you got back to Seattle? Do you remember your parents saying anything to you?

WS: Well, coming back, discrimination was real tough. And I was in Tule Lake from Minidoka.

TI: Okay, we'll talk about that later. I want to know about Seattle first, though. Like did anything else happen like discrimination in Seattle? Like in December or January, right after Pearl Harbor?

WS: I can't remember. It wasn't too bad, actually.

TI: How about your family? They had a hotel? Was that okay, did everything go okay with the hotel?

WS: Well, as far as the tenants at the hotel, there was no problem, actually. There were... there were military soldiers, they would come over, rent the place, and there was no problem as far as renting the room is concerned.

TI: And so where was the hotel located?

WS: It's where Uwajimaya is right now. See, it's the parking lot. Parking lot of Uwajimaya, and there used to be that Puget Sound Hotel. And across the street from the Puget Sound Hotel, there's that Wilson Hotel, and then there's a, where the Uwajimaya is right now, there's the Fremont Hotel used to be there.

TI: So your hotel was really close to the train station. So that was easy for the military and others.

WS: No problem, actually. But it's just that you had to give up everything.

TI: so what happened to the hotel? Did your father just walk away from it?

WS: Just about walk away.

TI: So anything else happen before you leave Seattle? Any other stories? Because from Seattle, where did you go next?

WS: When we came back to Seattle?

TI: No, when you left Seattle, where did you go?

WS: We went to Minidoka.

TI: Well, Puyallup first, right?

WS: Yeah, Puyallup.

<End Segment 4> - Copyright © 2012 Densho. All Rights Reserved.