<Begin Segment 11>

MN: Now, how did you hear that you had to go into this place called camp?

SO: Pardon me?

MN: How did you hear that you had to go into camp?

SO: Well, I think they posted signs all over that said we had to, we were going to be incarcerated. But they never definitely stated where, so the only time we knew that we were going to be in Manzanar is when we got to Manzanar.

MN: How did you feel that you learned that you go into a camp?

SO: Well, I think the general consensus was that we were all going to be deported to Japan. But you know, being the docile Japanese, whatever the government wanted to do, they, we accepted.

MN: Now, like the large furniture and your car, what did you do, what did your family do with that?

SO: Well, the car we had to sell. I presume it's for a pittance, but I don't know how much we got for it. We didn't have that much furniture and stuff because we moved so often, but whatever we had we stored in the Venice Community Center. They had a gym that was converted into storage.

MN: Now, after the war, were you able to get everything from the Venice Community Center?

SO: No. That's the tragedy of it all, is that some people used to send for their stuff, so it was a common occurrence for a van to be backed up to the Community Center warehouse and people were just sending for their stuff. Well, people, unscrupulous people vandalized the contents of the warehouse, and ours was amongst the stuff that was taken, so any pictures or memorabilia that we had they took. And like I said before, it's probably in some, buried in some dump site now, so we have no concrete memories of our past, like pictures primarily.

MN: I think you mentioned also your family had a steam trunk. Is that where you left...

SO: Well, steamer trunk.

MN: A steamer trunk, yeah.

SO: Yeah, that's where we probably put all our valuables in.

MN: Now, do you remember the day or the month that you left for camp?

SO: No, not specifically. But I do remember that we left from the Venice, I guess they call it the city hall, but -- that's where the Building and Safety, Department of Building and Safety, was housed -- but everybody says, currently they're trying to put up a plaque on Lincoln and Venice Boulevard, but I don't remember leaving from that point. I more remember leaving from in front of the Department of Building and Safety on Venice Boulevard.

MN: How did you get to the gathering point?

SO: I don't remember how we got there. [Laughs]

MN: Did any of your Caucasian friends or teachers come to see you off?

SO: None of my friends. But apparently there were Caucasian people there.

MN: Were there a lot of army soldiers at this place?

SO: Oh yeah. Army soldiers with bayonets. In fact, when we loaded onto the buses I think one of them got on with us.

MN: What kind of buses were these?

SO: As I recall, they were the red buses that used to go between L.A and Long Beach, and they were the rattan seats.

MN: You have any idea how many buses were there?

SO: No, I don't recall.

MN: But more than one bus.

SO: Oh yeah. Must've been at least, maybe ten.

MN: So once you got on the bus, did they have the windows closed?

SO: Yeah, they pulled the shades on it.

MN: What was going through your mind when you got on the bus?

SO: Probably where we were gonna end up, you know? 'Cause none of us knew that we were going to Manzanar.

MN: You were younger; you were in high school. Was this more of an adventure, or were you scared, or how were you feeling?

SO: No, I wasn't scared, but like you say, it was more like a, going on some adventure.

MN: Did the bus make any pit stops?

SO: Not that I can recall. It must've, because it takes about four and a half hours to get up to Manzanar.

MN: So your group did not go to an assembly center. It went directly to Manzanar.

SO: Right.

<End Segment 11> - Copyright © 2011 Densho. All Rights Reserved.