<Begin Segment 27>

TL: As you've raised your own children, did you think about how they might learn Japanese language and culture? Did you have any particular hopes the way your own parents did?

HN: No. [Laughs] I should have taught them Japanese because now they say, "Why didn't you teach us some Japanese," since I could speak Japanese. But we never did talk to them in Japanese.

TL: Do you think that just sort of happened, or did you and your husband talk about it and kind of make a decision?

HN: Well, maybe if they belonged to a different religion, like maybe if they went to a Buddhist church or something, they could have come to the Japanese school. But since our kids all went to a Catholic school it was kind of far trying to take them down to Japanese school downtown. But now they say, "Golly, why didn't you teach us Japanese?" But they, they've been renting out tapes, the Japanese tapes, and trying to learn that way. But probably should have taught them when they were younger, talk to them in Japanese now and then.

TL: Did you give them Japanese names as middle names or --

HN: Let's see. No, none of them has Japanese middle name. [Laughs]

TL: Does your husband have a Japanese name too?

HN: Uh-huh.

TL: Yeah.

HN: His first name's George. Then he has a middle name (Hidemaro). But my granddaughters, they all have Japanese middle names. And the grandsons do, too.

TL: Did they ask you to help choose names or did they just pick names that they liked?

HN: Yeah, my first granddaughter, they asked me to pick her middle name, Japanese name. It was Kimiko.

TL: It's a pretty name.

HN: Yeah. So it's, I guess they're getting into more, wanted to learn more about Japan, the kids nowadays.

TL: There's probably also just more interest in general. And Japan is a very respected country, an important business partner --

HN: Now.

TL: For the United States now. So it's kind of easier than at some other points.

HN: Probably they don't remember the war or anything like that. It was such a long time ago.

TL: Yeah.

HN: Fifty, over fifty years ago.

<End Segment 27> - Copyright © 1999 Densho. All Rights Reserved.