<Begin Segment 4>

AI: And did you have Japanese school every day after school?

KM: Every day, five days. And Saturday was a Saturday school, and Sunday was Sunday school, so we got it all around. And then when I grew up into the early teens, teenage, my mother wanted me to learn flower arrangement and tea ceremony and how to dress with the Japanese kimono and everything. And how I hated it. And, but I know that I had the knowledge of it, and pictures that, you know, of it. I said I should've appreciated it, and put my heart into it. [Laughs]

AI: So did you have special lessons, or go to special classes to learn all this?

KM: Yeah. There was a lady from Japan that was interested and wanted to teach me. And then when I started learning, then my girlfriends' parents heard about it, and my girlfriends -- so we had about ten people in the class. And every year we would present a program strictly in Japanese, which I have a picture at home. [Laughs]

AI: Oh, my. Well now getting back to grade school a little bit more, I wanted to ask you what kind of memories you have from the grade school years? Were...?

KM: Well, grade school years, our school, Harbor City Grammar School, had a one night of Japan night. I don't really remember all the details, but we all get a notice, and it's in English. And 'course we brought it home. And then Dad said, "I'll volunteer." And then I was so ashamed because he was such a broken English. [Laughs] But now, today I realize I should have appreciated, because some parents, even if they don't -- do know English, they wouldn't go. And so he asked in his broken language, "What do you want me to do?" They said, "Oh, I want, we want lanterns," and so forth. And then, "Can you help us with the program?" And then we were going to Japanese school. And we had what you call gaku geikai every -- two times a year. And we would all learn different Japanese dances and so forth. And so he said, "Oh, I could get a group of girls to dance for you." And so I still remember they put a pompom on our ear, and then we all danced the song that we learned in Japanese school. And that's how my dad was just all out to help if it comes to education. [Laughs]

AI: Oh, how interesting, because, as you say a lot of the Issei parents...

KM: Yeah, and I was so ashamed because, you know, he just has the broken English. But they understood, somehow, and they communicated. We did that every year all through my grammar school years.

AI: My.

KM: Yeah, so he was automatically kind of a volunteer, always self-appointed. [Laughs]

AI: Well, now in the, in your grade school then, were there many other Japanese American kids?

KM: Oh, yes. See 'cause the most of the, where we were, I went to grammar school, they all went to Japanese school, the same Japanese school. So the advantage was that when we had a program we all knew the songs or dances. And so it was easy to form.

AI: Oh, so out of your class of maybe what, twenty or twenty-five...?

KM: Well, which class do you mean now? The grammar school or the...?

AI: The grammar school.

KM: High school?

AI: Grammar school.

KM: Grammar school. Grammar school, let's see, the average class was thirty-to-forty. And I would say, oh, maybe about six were Japanese. But in grammar school, I don't remember mixed ethnic group, like a African American or anything. But it was when I went to high school, then I got acquainted with Polish people, Jewish people and African American. He was the only African American, but he was a friendly, good guy. I mean, his name was McQueen and my name was Nakahara, so I always sat in back of him and we had, we were, got real friends.

AI: Well, now, so all along, in grammar school and high school it sounds like there were other Japanese Americans...

KM: Yes.

AI: ...in your class.

KM: Yeah, uh-huh, uh-huh.

<End Segment 4> - Copyright © 1999 Densho. All Rights Reserved.