Densho Digital Repository - Jane Kurahara Interview (Densho ID: ddr-densho-514-2)

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BN: And then how did they, your parents meet?

JK: I'm just wondering how they met.

BN: They never talked about it?

JK: They never talked about it. But it seems like, when my mom moved to Oahu to go to normal school, she had to live somewhere and she found dormitory space in the Okumura Dormitory. And that was Reverend Takie Okumura, who also was in charge of Makiki Christian Church. And he very strongly believed in helping young Japanese Americans assimilate and become Americans. And I suspect that's possibly where they met, because that much I do remember of both of them, that they were strong McGehee Christian followers. And I had to go to Sunday school there, and I said, "How come you guys don't have to go?" They said, "Never mind, you're going." And so I think that may have been how they met. And they were definitely following assimilation to America because we always spoke English at home. And I thought it was perfectly okay, but on New Year's Eve, everyone else shot firecrackers, so did we. But at midnight, Japanese eat ozoni and things like that. I didn't know there was such a thing as ozoni because we ate waffles. [Laughs] And I think it was my mom's way of doing it the American style, and yet practical. Because then we'd sleep in in the morning, and she wouldn't have to worry about breakfast.

BN: Adapting customs for your convenience.

JK: As well, yeah, uh-huh.

BN: As far as you know, they're Nisei, so did they speak Japanese at all, even to their parents?

JK: Yes, they did. And my father was quite good at it because I remember that when people needed someone to speak at, say, at a funeral, a eulogy or something, they'd always ask him.

BN: To speak in Japanese.

JK: To speak in Japanese, yeah.

BN: And then I'm wondering, you mentioned they were both Makiki Christian Church members. Or was it just them that were Christian, or were their families also Christian?

JK: No. I don't know about the rest of their families. And because like I was reading their engagement article, and all the people at it, I didn't recognize. They were all the Nisei, I guess their friends that they made. So I don't know about that.