<Begin Segment 29>

[Translated from Japanese]

I1: I'm sorry for skipping ahead, but there is a report that the first group of people who were ordered to transfer to Santa Fe refused the order. They stripped down to underwear, took off their shoes and refused to go.

TY: There wasn't anything like that.

I1: Is that right?

TY: We didn't know where we were sent to. We didn't know anything. We asked but couldn't get answers. We knew well in advance that we would be segregated to somewhere else because of what we did. But there were a total of about sixty to seventy leaders including both Issei and Nisei. It seemed a very difficult task to transfer that many people at once. They didn't tell us anything. We gathered and waited together at the open space. Then, the train arrived, and National Guard told us to get in. MP or National Guard. He said, "Sit wherever you want." We sat down, and the train took off. No one told us where we were going.

I1: Is that right?

TY: Yes. They decided to have a break once on the way. We stopped somewhere in this open space. I think it was in a dessert. We exercised a little. We did some exercise and stretched our back.

I1: It takes a long time to get there, doesn't it?

TY: It does. It took us a very long time. It took days, four or five days, I think.

I1: That long? Did you go through Los Angeles? I don't know how you go to New Mexico.

TY: There were seats facing each other. We had enough space for each person to occupy both sides.

I1: So, were you able to lie down?

TY: Yes. They served us delicious meals like sandwiches and chicken.

I1: I see. Was there a body search or some kind of instructions given when you arrived at Santa Fe?

TY: Nothing. Soon after we arrived there, we got on a bus and went up the mountain.

I1: Right away?

TY: We were told to pack one suitcase before we got on the train. WRA, DOJ officers and soldiers watched us packing with guns pointed at us.

I1: There was no need to check your luggage when you arrived?

TY: Correct. There was no space for the medals and other things. I could only pack underwear, socks, toiletries and such things in the suitcase. I packed and they said, "Okay. It's done." I left everything else there. I think everything I owned was lost there.

I1: Department of Justice documents say Japanese language education was allowed at Tule Lake. Exercises and other activities were also allowed. But according to the DOJ source, they said they notified you that such activities were not permitted.

TY: We were allowed to golf in Santa Fe. We could play baseball too. There was a driving range.

I1: So, it was good.

TY: Yes. They told us to feel free to ask for anything. Playing cards, Japanese hanafuda cards. We requested hanafuda cards ordered from Japan, and they got them for us.

I1: I don't think they actually came from Japan but from somewhere else.

TY: I don't know where they came from, but we did get them. We also got a mah-jongg game.

I1: You got mah-jongg too?

TY: They gave us mah-jongg too. So, we were able to spend fun time there. You would be in trouble if you disobeyed the authority. But if you kept quiet, you would be fed with decent food and be able to do whatever you wanted to do. We stayed there quietly and waited for the war to end.

I1: You were re-segregated from Tule Lake, so your goal was achieved?

TY: Right. So I said to everyone, "We reached the closest point to Japan on our return journey by coming to Santa Fe. We should not conduct any activities as the Seinendan youth group like we did in the past. Many elders from Hawaii and South America are here. We should not cause any disturbance for them. Stay calm and wait for the day when we are all able to go back to Japan. This is our quiet waiting place. Don't start any youth group activities here." There was some trouble on the day we arrived, but I didn't know what happened. I was already working in the mess hall.

I1: I see.

TY: I said to everyone, "Come to the dining hall if you are willing to help. We need to cook for 500 people." I gathered young people...

I1: Gathered them and ...

TY: Everyone came, washed dishes, peeled potatoes, and rinsed rice. Rice didn't cook right because it was high altitude.

I1: Altitude.

TY: It didn't cook right. It was really hard. I asked people from Hawaii, "How did you cook rice?" They said they cooked rice twice with extra water and make rice porridge. I said, "That's nonsense." So, I asked the head officer to provide us with a steam cooker. He gave us two.

I2: Pressure cookers?

TY: Pressure cookers.

I2: Was rice undercooked if you cooked it normally?

TY: It was undercooked.

I1: That place is very high altitude.

TY: So, people there said, "Everything is improved since the youth group came here. We get to eat something tasty." People from Peru were also happy. We made sushi and a Chinese pork dish and spareribs with Chinese sweet and sour sauce. They were all very happy.

I1: You talked about oysters yesterday. Did you get oysters?

TY: Fried oysters. Someone told me he wanted to eat Louisiana oysters. I told him that was a rather unusual request. He said, "I am from Hiroshima." [Laughs]. "I want to eat oysters. Are they available in the United States?" I asked someone who was in charge of the cafeteria. He told me Louisiana was the place for oysters in the States. In the United States. I said, "Everyone wants to eat oysters. Please order some." That person said yes and got oysters for us.

<End Segment 29> - Copyright (c) 2004 Densho. All Rights Reserved.