<Begin Segment 23>

FF: The irony of that picture, though, is that the teacher -- I could mention his name, but I won't, 'cause I never forgot it -- he really chewed me up because he said, "You know, you should try more harder because if you're gonna be this 'real good Japanese student' and do well in Japan," and all that. And I, in my mind, I'm saying to myself, "No way you're going to catch me going over there." But 'cause he said he was going to be this diehard -- 'cause he was a Kibei teacher -- and the irony of it is that, of it all is that when I was in 'Frisco after, years after the war ended. So I'm going to downtown 'Frisco to eat at a dinner -- and I never forgot this. I saw this guy eating with some couple, people I can't remember who he was with. I told my wife, "I think I know that guy," and she says, "He looks older than you." And I said, "Well, I think he was that Japanese teacher," and I said, "That teacher in camp." And then, so when we were -- I didn't go over there to talk to him -- but we were leaving the restaurant and it just so happened he was right by there. And I said, "Mr. so and so?" And then he, he nods his head. And I said, "You don't remember me, do you?" And he says, "No." And I said to myself, "It's a good thing." [Laughs] I said, "I was a student of yours in camp." And he said, "Were you a good student?" and I said, "Japanese school," and I said, "Yes, I was a real good student," and my wife hits me and, "You lied." And I said, "I just wanted to see if that was him." Feel like telling him off because he said he never would stay in this country, because that was his goal. Of course, being a Kibei I think, and having family back there and everything, he had something to look forward to but it's interesting. He made, you know, he spoke in English by then. He had a accent in camp but -- because I saw him in the late '50s I think and he still looked -- I mean, I could tell by his face and his manners, because he's the one who told me how I'd be a sham to the Japanese race if I ever got back to Japan. But you know, I mean, I wish I would have been glib and capable.

But I think by that time, though, I think the war ending and everything... so many things were happening, the "no-no boys" coming in, and all the things happening with the pro-Japan group waking up in the morning with their bald-headed club. And then I thought it was not Seinendan, but it's a, it's a group that were pro, they wore -- they had sweatshirts and they woke up every morning, and they would run as a group. And they sound like the military because they'd go "sha-sha, sha-sha" and use the word "ha-sha, ha-sha" and I'm thinking, "Oh man, four o'clock in the morning, what is this?" And I used to hear them and I used to think, "Man am I glad, if getting up at four o'clock to run for what?" But that was their way of regimentation and I think, I guess the Japaneseism that they wanted to impose on the "yes-yes," I mean, the "no-no" ones who wanted to go back or repatriate or whatever. Or not "no-no," but the "no-no" was another thing. But the ones who were really wanted to repatriate back to Japan. The "no-no" people were not ostracized or I think a lot of people didn't know who some of them were. And they weren't segregated as much as the extremists who were put into the other camp. But there were a mixture of the, I think there were a few California "no-no" boys who were with the extremists who were put into this camp within the camp. They separated them for, to keep us separated for influence us for whatever. 'Cause they really gave you the feeling they had no desire to stay in this country.

They were, there were things like murders in camp, people who felt that you were loyal to this country... so you really had to keep your mouth shut and didn't say much. In fact, when I left in 19-, December 7, 1945 to Seattle, my buddy Billy Nakagawa, never forgot him, from California, came with me on the truck to see me off, 'cause I'm the only one leaving to get out of camp. 'Cause if they knew you're leaving, their assumption is you're a disloyal traitor, or whatever they might be thinking about, these pro- people, the extremists. And my folks were worried, so Billy was nice enough to come along, in case something might happen but you know, I'm a teenager and I don't know what's going to happen. And Billy was maybe a year or two older than me and I really appreciated his friendship and protection, but nothin' happened.

<End Segment 23> - Copyright © 1997 Densho. All Rights Reserved.