<Begin Segment 14>

VY: Maybe we should move on to after camp, then, let's talk about that. Is there anything else that you want to...

KI: The war was so recent and it was on everyone's mind, and in camps were still the "Japs" and we were still "Japs," and we were called that. People ask, well, "Did anyone in your family fight on the other side?" There was really questions about your loyalty. Like, "You're a 'Jap,' right?" But that was, kids are kids, and then you play cops and robbers, cowboys and Indians and things like that. And you sort of get along, but over time, the issue of being Japanese is somewhat diminished, but it was after the war that I experienced the most anti-Japanese prejudice.

VY: Did you experience that from adults or other kids or both?

KI: Both. It was easy for adults in the neighborhood to call me the "Jap kid."

VY: Did they call you that to your face?

KI: No. When they made reference to me, they said, "Oh, where's that Jap kid?" I said, "Oh, gee, thank you."

VY: How about in school?

KI: Well, I told you Mike Yurina beat me up.

VY: Actually, I'm interested in that. So you said you two are still friends, you're friends today?

KI: Well, yeah, because we were in school, elementary school, middle school and then high school. And I made friends with him. He was the one who beat me up.

VY: Did you ever talk about that with him?

KI: No.

VY: No? Just kind of the unspoken thing that happens?

KI: You know, it's not as if the world is divided between only good guys and bad guys, but people are sometimes both. And eventually you have to sort of get along with each other. So in camp, I didn't... I sensed the conflict between the two sides, but I don't remember talking about it with my parents, ever. It was almost unspoken. I didn't have a grandfather that told me to be careful.

VY: Were there other people in your life when you were a child that kind of told you that, though, or no?

KI: No, it was assumed it was a reality of the division. I'm trying to think of an incident. Well, even though my family were, income-wise, considered middle class, the main view of us was being Japanese rather than middle class because we didn't have the accoutrements of middle class except the house. The house was big, three stories on Beacon Hill.

<End Segment 14> - Copyright © 2022 Densho. All Rights Reserved.