<Begin Segment 19>

TL: Did you have any awareness of yourself being different from other Nisei at this time?

AT: Not in the church group. They were all -- they didn't speak very good Japanese, but we got along fairly nicely. Yes.

TL: Did you continue studying koto in Sacramento?

AT: Yes, and classical dance. [Inaudible]

TL: Did you do that like once a week or how often were your classes?

AT: Maybe two, three times a week?

TL: Wow.

AT: Yes. So I continued to do that in the camp too, Tule Lake. So I was performing on the stage every weekend as entertainment for the people.

TL: As a teenager in America, did you find there were more or... no. What kinds of things were you interested in doing that perhaps you couldn't have done back in Okayama?

AT: I never compared. I never thought it in comparison so that's hard to answer.

TL: Were there any restrictions? Things that you'd liked to have done, but that your parents, or your mother objected to?

AT: In Tule Lake?

TL: In Sacramento.

AT: I think Mother was very protective of me.

TL: What gave you that impression?

AT: There was some boys in the Nichiren Church that wanted to date me for going to movies on Sunday afternoon or something. My mother would answer the door and she said, "No, Ayame is busy." So I thought she was trying protect me. So I never had chance to date boys.

TL: Did they come because you had said that you'd like to go, or did they come just to ask and then...

AT: Maybe casual conversation at the church or something.

TL: How did you feel about that?

AT: I don't know. I can't remember what. I certainly disappointed, but probably that was that.

TL: Would it have been acceptable for a group of young, a group of girls to go together?

AT: Oh, yes.

TL: Would she let you do that?

AT: Oh, yes. There was all kind of activities in the church that girls did together, with some boys too. That was okay.

<End Segment 19> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.