Densho Digital Repository
Densho Visual History Collection
Title: Helen T. Sasaki Interview
Narrator: Helen T. Sasaki
Interviewer: Patricia Wakida
Location: Emeryville, California
Date: April 7, 2022
Densho ID: ddr-densho-1000-505-5

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PW: So she comes to the United States.

HS: She doesn't speak English. My father's Japanese -- well, my grandparents spoke Japanese. So my grandmother and grandfather couldn't speak (English), but my father knew enough Japanese to get by, so they communicated in Japanese. But I heard that she was very, very lonely. That if she didn't live so far away from Japan, she would have left, she would have gone back to Japan. She had (some mention of that) before. Not only was it hard work, because she had to get her hands dirty because it was only my grandmother, my grandfather who was, had a stroke, and my father who ran the ranch. And you can't (afford to) hire people, so it was all done by your own selves. So my mom...

PW: She had the baby right away.

HS: Yeah. And she had babies right away, and we three sisters were, after I was born, the same years as they were married, my sister Florence was married just a year and three months after me. And then my sister Margaret was born a year and about six months after Florence. So my mom -- and my mom had a lot of work because, not only had work, but also take care of the kids. And I had heard, funny story was that because my mom had to work and my father, my grandfather had a stroke, his working was minimal. And do he would have to babysit me and me sitting in a crate, probably, something that resembled a little bed. And every time I cried, he'd tell me that he used to put his finger into a honey jar and put it in my mouth to keep me from crying or having a problem. So that's the way that it was at the farm when I was very young.

PW: That's Jiichan babysitting.

HS: Right.

PW: So I know you have siblings. Tell me again the names of all of your brothers and sisters and their birth order.

HS: Yes. My first sister is Florence Hideyo, and my third sister, the third girl, is Margaret Yuriko. And I have two younger brothers but they came a little later. They came after the war. So my brother Tom Kiyoshi was born in 1947 after we returned from camp. And then my youngest brother, Steve Katsumi, was born, I believe in (1953)... I believe it was in (1953) in Sacramento.

PW: What about Florence and Marge, when were they born?

HS: I'm sorry?

PW: What year was Florence born?

HS: Florence was born in March of 1939, and Margaret or Marge as we call her, was born in September, she was born September 6th of 1940. So we three did go to camp.

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