<Begin Segment 17>

TI: So we interviewed Louie a couple days ago, but Louie is younger than you.

EI: Yeah, way younger.

TI: So I want to go back and ask you about Walnut Grove, kind of the old days before the war. Because Louie told us a little bit, but he was so young. And so I wanted to ask you about Walnut Grove, what are some memories of old, the old Front Town? What are some memories you have?

EI: Yeah. About Louie?

TI: Well, like, for instance, can you tell me about, you told me about the pool hall. What are some other places you liked to go?

EI: Oh, where I want to go? Yeah, they had lot of place, but played sports, baseball, basketball, all our places.

JS: So you were on a baseball team and also basketball team?

EI: Yeah.

JS: And you traveled to other towns?

EI: Yeah.

TI: And how good were the Walnut Grove teams?

EI: Oh, pretty good. Quite a bit Japanese, so pretty strong.

TI: And how about Japanese sports like judo, sumo, kendo? You didn't do that?

EI: Yeah, before. Only time is when they have... boy, getting tired.

JS: Getting tired?

TI: Yeah, so we don't want to push this too much. So, what about maybe the Japanese language school? Do you remember that?

EI: Yeah.

TI: And what was that like?

EI: I went maybe one, couple years, I don't know.

TI: And how about just getting along with the different, like the white community? Because when you went to Walnut Grove, they had a segregated school, the Oriental School. But then in high school, you went to the same high school.

EI: Yeah.

TI: How did you get along with the white students?

EI: Well, I went to New Hope grammar school from first grade to eighth grade, and go to high school another two, three years. Before that, 1925 or something, I used to go Oriental, to segregated school, I don't know after that.

TI: But when you went to high school, was it hard for you to go to a school with white students, or was it just the same?

EI: We were mixed with the white students.

JS: How about on the football team?

EI: Yeah.

JS: How many Japanese on the football team?

EI: Oh, about five, six. Sam was a pretty good star, halfback.

JS: Uh-huh, Sam Sakata.

EI: Yeah, Sakata.

<End Segment 17> - Copyright © 2009 Densho and Preserving California's Japantowns. All Rights Reserved.