<Begin Segment 8>

DG: What about other celebrations?

MM: Fourth of July, I know that ano...

AM: We went to Bon Odo... dance, dance.

MM: July, right up here.

AM: On Main, Sixth and Main they used to have odori.

MM: They built a platform there.

DG: So, did you dance?

MM: We didn't join, but other kids did. Uchi no mother odori sukidakedomo, she never forced us to go. And then they had entertainment on that stage. They had a stage and then the Bon Odori, the big ring, on the side. That was quite a big social gathering for Japanese, and to come up to town to see that.

AM: From the inaka.

DG: What kind of entertainment?

MM: That was, who put that on?

AM: Nihonjinkai.

MM: Nihonjinkai, I guess. They built a wooden stage right in the middle of the road there.

AM: Bon Odori.

DG: What did they do?

AM: Well, just dance.

MM: Entertainment.

DG: But what was the entertainment?

MM: Odori. Odori. Nihon no odori. Or shamisen, that type of... and the kids would do, who were taking odori lessons, would perform there on the stage. But down on the street it's everybody who wanted to join, who could dance.

DG: Did you ever go up to the Nippon Kan?

MM: Oh, quite often 'cause they had Nihon gakko no graduation services at the Nippon Kan. And they all had all those Japanese entertainments at Nippon Kan. That was quite a gathering place.

DG: On a regular, like, a weekly basis?

MM: There was, ne, lot of activities going on, ne?

<End Segment 8> - Copyright © 1997 Densho. All Rights Reserved.