<Begin Segment 15>

DG: Can you describe to me what it was like, living on Bainbridge Island, before the war. Specifically, being part of the Japanese American community and being part of the entire community.

[Interruption]

TK: Yeah, and when you're going to school, you're part of the group, part of the school, so you're an American and you, you're in the culture and everything. But when you get home and when the Japanese Americans or Japanese community has their own group and we don't mix with the Caucasians, then you realize you're not part of the American, 'cause you still got your culture. We, we go to the picnics, it's all Japanese, and you go to the movies, it's all Japanese. So, you know you're different. You're different, you're not part of society anymore. But only in school. But then your, the teacher... you're learning that, what America's all about. And it just doesn't, doesn't seem to hook, blend in, they stop someplace, bouncing off of it. That's the only thing I remember.

[Interruption]

DG: Can you tell me what you did -- I know you worked hard on Bainbridge Island as a teenager -- what sort of things did you do for fun, on Bainbridge?

TK: The only... yeah, well, I used to go fishing. Whenever we were given the time to go fishing, I used to... I loved fishing, or we used to go mushrooming up in Bucklin, but that was very, very seldom. Other than that... oh, I did judo, and of course my dad told me to do it because I think he was more into it than I was. [Laughs] And, basketball and baseball, I wasn't too good at, except football, I was a football in high school. So, these were the things we did, but that was during the school hours. So, after school I always had to work on the farm, whether it's Sunday, Saturdays, anytime, we had to get that, weed the farm... weed it, cultivate it, and things like that. And in the mornings I fed the horse and chickens and things like that to get the farm going. So you don't have too much time in between to do anything else. And then in the evenings I'd go judo. And, other than that, I was supposed to study, but I didn't do much of that. [Laughs] So, I don't remember much more than that.

DG: Did your family attend church?

TK: Oh, yes, yeah, we went to church but only... not for religion but mostly for feeding. They used to bring a lot of confection, you know, something to eat, so I'd enjoy it because they'd bring a lot of some kind of, oh, pastries. Yeah, I used to enjoy it. This is the only reason I used to go to church. [Laughs] It was on Sundays. I remember Ms. McCullough and Ms. Rumsey, and... God I can't remember the other teacher that used to come over every Sunday. I think it was in the afternoon, or was it in the morning. I can't remember. But anyway, after, even after church we'd have to go out in the field and work, so we'd try to delay that as much as possible. [Laughs] We'd have to go Japanese school, and I didn't learn anything in Japanese school, but we ate a lot. And soon as we came home we had to change and go out in the field and weed 'til it got dark. And you say it's hard, yeah, it's hard because we didn't, we weren't dressed warm. We didn't have the clothing, it was cold. And that was the only hard part of the whole thing, growing up. Not comfortable with what you're doing. And I think if I was dressed warm and dressed right, I could have done it a lot better. It would have been a lot easier.

DG: And which church were you talking about?

TK: Baptist church. Yeah, it was Japanese Baptist Church, the one by Hirakawas. I don't know what the name of it... down by Nakatas. [Coughs]

Lucy Ostrander: Debra, what about Caucasian friends?

DG: Okay. Did you have many Caucasian friends?

TK: Not when I was small. I remember the only ones were the Ugles, Johansens, but only in school. During off school times, there wasn't much time, but you know, the Sakumas were our neighbors. We used to play with them. But other than that, none of the Caucasians lived close to me. There was none in that Winslow. You know where I lived was on, oh, down... the only one was, who was it, down below? Olivers... no, no. Olivers were living by Suyematsus. God, I can't think of their name. But we didn't play with them. They're all, they always played by themselves, the sisters did. Flodins? God, I can't think of the names. Anyway, there were three, three sisters, or four sisters? Then there was the Cuhns, they used to own the store down there, but they were always working so they never played with us. Oh, the Freeman and Larsen, Jack Freeman and Alford Larsen, they used to pick berries and they used to come to Sakumas and that's the only time they ever came together but they were working for the Sakumas... pick berries or whatever, harvest. Other than that we never played with them, except in school, again.

DG: So tell me what it was like to be on the football team?

TK: Oh, I don't know. I can't remember. I remember Pop Miller. That's all I was... one of the, I was a halfback, and I got hurt. I think I got, I still got marks here [points to chin]. And that year I think we did get the championship. My dad wouldn't let me play so it made it very difficult. He wasn't backing me up. He wanted me back workin' on the farm, not playing football after school. Again, that time between school and dark, you're supposed to work on the farm, but I was playing football, and he didn't like that. He wanted me on the farm. So I didn't get to play baseball or anything either. I wanted to, but he wouldn't let me.

DG: And how did the other athletes treat you?

TK: Oh, they didn't, they treated you, you know, we don't, they treated me all right. We were all, we's jocks, you know.

<End Segment 15> - Copyright © 2007 Densho. All Rights Reserved.