<Begin Segment 14>
FS: Well, I've known -- did I show you the medal I have from Hirohito, the Emperor of Japan?
EG: Yeah, the other day you did, yes. We can do that again another time.
FS: And I have known the present Emperor, Akihito, since he was a boy, but I hadn't met
Michiko-san see until two or three years ago I was over there. I probably told you this before. I was the first American invited to take part in the August 6th. And when Mayor... Watanabe, I think his name was... was introducing visitors from other areas, when he introduced me and I stood up, 60,000 other people stood up, 10 acres of people, shoulder to shoulder, during this ceremony.
And then during a dinner following that, someone said that chief of police wanted to see me -- I told you this surely -- but when we went to visit the emperor and empress -- I probably told you -- the chamberlain said, "You have a half hour. I'll come and knock on the door. You're not to use their first names, you're not to offer to shake hands, you're not to ask any questions," and so forth. Instead we spent more than two hours, stretched our half hour into two hours. And when we left, more or less habitually let's say, she gave me both her hands, and I kissed her hand. My daughter, who was with me, said she almost fell over. She saw that, but she squeezed my hand and I knew she knew these queer ways of the Americans who were always hugging and kissing each other. She's a darling, Michiko. Beautiful too. I showed you their pictures, didn't I?
EG: Uh-huh. Let's wind up for today. And we'll come back another day and pick up some more, if we may. Would you be willing to do some more?
FS: Oh, yes.
EG: Okay. Because we want to get more of the, of your work with, through internment, and then after internment. Okay? So we'll come back at a later date and pick up some of these things.
<End Segment 14> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.