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JN: What are your memories of March 30, 1942? Going to the Eagle Harbor dock and leaving your friends, walking down to the ferry...

TE: I don't... it's vaguely remember, mostly because I have a picture of the Kitamotos coming and we all, oh, how many of us? Ten of us all crammed into the back of Felix's car. And he drove us, I know he drove us down to the dock. There were more people than I ever knew that were on Bainbridge Island there. So, but we sort of all stayed together, not being as rambunctious as we usually are. Just, you know, close to our mothers.

JN: Do you remember the ferry ride or the train ride or the bus ride or any of those?

TE: The train, oh... that was the first time I was on the train. I think for any of my brother and sisters. I remember having milk in a conical container. But it was so unusual. I think I drank a little too much milk. I had a tummy ache. [Laughs] Oh I know, they won't... they asked me if I wanted to sleep in the car, sleeping car, or in the coach. And I think I chose the coach. Art Koura was supposed to sort of keep an eye on me but I don't think I saw too much of him. He wasn't too old anyway. I think he was still a teenager or so. And I remember the seats are very, the car, sleeping coach, was very old. It was mohair seats and it was not clean, well, it was very dusty. You pat the seat and the dust flies up. There was a little footrest and when we, it was time to go to sleep, I kept, I think, touching the footrest and it squeaked a lot. People were yelling at me to stop doing that. [Laughs] I tried to keep my foot still, but I don't think I quite succeeded. And my mother went, and the rest of the kids were in the sleeping car. I could sort of go back and forth to it, but I don't... and there were soldiers around in between the cars and they told us not to, told me not to go back and forth too much, so I didn't.

JN: So you were... you weren't really with your younger brothers and sisters in the car?

TE: No, I was sort of in the, in the coach. Oh, I know, when we were gonna leave, still by the dock, the train was, after we boarded, then the photographer came around to take pictures or something. And they told me to be in there, but I didn't want to be in the picture so I went between the cars and I sat down on the stairs and the soldier came by and told me to get back in the car. So I went back in and sort of hid between something, the seats and things.

JN: Do you remember them to be kind or kind of strict and...

TE: Oh, the soldiers? No, they were really kind of fun, well, the people who were with the sleeping car where all the kids and the elder, I mean, the infirm people were, had, could stay and have a sleeping car to sleep in. I remember them telling us fairytales, but it was not the kind of, the usual script that I heard before. It was a little different.

Off Camera: Can you ask about the mood on the train and how did she feel? Was it sort of exciting or was she fearful?

JN: Okay, describe the mood on the train. Was it exciting or were you fearful? How did you feel?

TE: I think it was a little exciting because it was the first train ride and the things were new. I mean, the experience was new, of course. But, I don't know, I think it was a little somber. People were not real talkative, as I remember. I thought it was like an adventure, myself. I just... what came along, came along.

JN: And your mom didn't restrain you from having fun or playing? Or even the kids were a little quieter, you thought, than usual? Were the parents, were your parents feeling fearful? Could you tell? You were very young.

TE: I think it was sort of like they were apprehensive of course. But, I, well, maybe there was underlying fear. But I really didn't take notice of it. People were more or less rather subdued, I think.

<End Segment 5> - Copyright © 2007 Densho. All Rights Reserved.