<Begin Segment 8>

DG: I would like to hear more about camp life and what you did as a teenager.

TK: Well, we just played baseball and I was an individual. I didn't go with a group. But I remember some of the, the younger ones, in my age, were in a group. They'd do everything in that group; they smoked or went around and, whatever they did. I didn't, I wasn't part of that group. I was just on my own and did what... well, there wasn't much to do either. And I can't remember who I did it with. [Laughs] Probably some Terminal Island boys I was running around with. But I didn't play -- well, we played a little bit of basketball but I wasn't too much into the sport. We played football, we played a little bit of baseball. But other than that, all I remember was when we were sleeping, we'd sleep -- it's so warm that we'd sleep outside in cots, and we'd pick up these cots and bring it to the middle of the, of the field or on a Sunday we'd put it right in front of the church. Then they'd wake up and take all their clothes away so they couldn't put their clothes on. So they'd have to sit there 'til someone brought them some clothes so they can get out and get away from the people that were coming by. [Laughs] We had fun that way, but other than that, I can't remember too much about camp. 'Cause the summer goes by, then in the fall we had to go to harvest. Then when the harvest came, we all went to... I went to Pocatello, some went to Montana and some went to Idaho.

DG: And do you remember, how did the kids get along in camp?

TK: Well, you didn't get along with... we didn't get along with the Terminal Island group. Some of the boys... we didn't, I didn't, it didn't matter to me who it was. I had friends over there, but, like some of 'em almost got in a fight and almost had a gang fight between the two, but it never matured. We were, I was ready to get into it, and by the time the time came around, nothing happened. I think Tosh Chihara, and God, I can't remember the guy he was gonna fight with. But anyway, I heard later on that these people, well, the Terminal Islanders, were fightin' with people from Boyle Heights. But they didn't get along, but then when they got to Chicago after the war, they got out, then they got, they were really picked on or somethin'. I heard they picked 'em out and beat 'em up or somethin' to that effect.

DG: And what caused these...

TK: I can't remember what caused the friction or why we couldn't get along with each other. Why we didn't get along with the Terminal Islanders, I don't remember. All I know is, remember Tosh Chihara and... God, I can't think of that person's name... he was, he couldn't get along with and almost started a riot or fight. Other than that, I... not too much memory. I don't have too much of a memory about what happened.

DG: And your father was still in...

TK: He was, I think he was with us then, by then. I can't remember what day he came back, what part of the month. Whether it was June... by June, I think he was with us already.

DG: And I, I remember there was a riot at Manzanar. Do you remember...

TK: Yes. I don't remember anything about the riot. All I know is some people ended up in the hospital and something about one person was killed. Other than that, I wasn't involved in it so I don't remember too much of it.

DG: And can you tell me more about the decision, and how the Bainbridge Islanders were able to move to Minidoka?

TK: I think Paul Ohtaki was writing letters to Walt Woodward telling him what was happening to all the Bainbridge Island, what was happening, and so was Sachi Koura. Those two were writing letter, and then he would write it in the Bainbridge Review. And then at the end he says somethin' about the apple got mixed up with the lemons, and the California lemon, and then he wrote to some congresspersons and they in turn was able to get the Bainbridge Islanders to go to Minidoka from Manzanar, which was more pro-Japan than they were. And then Minidoka was more pro-Americans, the group as a whole. There was a lot of Kibeis in -- Kibeis is educated in Japan, Japanese Americans -- in California, more so than in Seattle. These were the conflicts we had with, yeah, Kibeis. I think there were a lotta Kibeis in... yeah, but I still don't remember because I wasn't involved in it at all, yeah. I stayed out of it.

<End Segment 8> - Copyright © 2007 Densho. All Rights Reserved.