<Begin Segment 22>

TI: So scouting, you did scouting, you went to school, any other activities? Like sports, tell me about sports.

WM: Only played basketball. No more swimming.

TI: So for basketball, how would they make the floor? Would it just be dirt that they would do?

WM: Yeah, we played dirt. But they got good gymnasium in the high school, but we can't play in there.

TI: So who played in the gymnasium?

WM: Nobody.

TI: Why --

WM: Only high school group, high school time, but outsiders can't go in there.

TI: Oh, really? I wonder, why was that? I mean, here you had this nice gymnasium...

WM: We wouldn't take care of that.

TI: Like on weekends and nights...

WM: Weekends, the janitor got to work extra.

TI: Oh, so they didn't, they didn't use that. And so you had to play...

WM: Outside.

TI: Outside. And so even in the wintertime when it was cold...

WM: They didn't...

TI: They didn't do that. Other memories of Amache? What else can you remember? How about the food?

WM: Good, not bad. Same old food. [Laughs]

TI: Did you always eat...

WM: Rice.

TI: Rice, and as a family, how did you eat? Did you eat together?

WM: No, anyplace you go, first one, first one, they go in there. See, we always go young guy group and stay one table. Mess hall table, about eight guys, four and four or something like that.

TI: And so you ate with your friends, you said.

WM: Yeah.

TI: And the food was okay. Did you ever go to other mess halls and other blocks and try their food, or did you always stay at your place?

WM: No, you can't. They'd know your face.

TI: [Laughs] Although I know some boys who went to other blocks, I was just curious.

<End Segment 22> - Copyright (c) 2009 Densho and Preserving California's Japantowns. All Rights Reserved.