<Begin Segment 7>

TI: How about growing up in terms of Japanese community events?

NH: Oh yeah, we went to, in Oakland we went to, attended the Oakland Buddhist Temple, and we, I also was sent to Wanto Gakuen, which is the Japanese language school for the east side of the bay.

TI: So let's first talk about the Buddhist church. So what kind of activities were you involved in?

NH: Oh, everything. Mostly it was Sunday school type activities that we were engaged in. I remember -- I don't remember this, but I have a picture of myself in a chigo outfit, and they dressed me all up and I still have that photo, it's a nice picture.

TI: And back in those days, did they have, like, the Obon dances, Bon odori?

NH: They must have.

TI: Do you have any memories of the dancing or those?

NH: I don't know.

TI: How about things like picnics?

NH: Oh yeah, we went on picnics. Yeah, we went on picnics, and at the picnics we would have a, what you call undokai, that's races and throwing the ball and all kinds of things like that, yeah. That was fun.

TI: And I'm curious, so what kind of foods do you remember from those picnics?

NH: Well, whatever my mother made, yeah.

TI: And what would that be?

NH: Mostly Japanese kinds of foods. You know chirashi zushi, where sushi is made in a big pot, and instead of rolling it all up in individual little rolls, it's just a great big pot and you scooped out as much as you wanted to eat. And other kinds of, all kinds of Japanese food.

<End Segment 7> - Copyright ©2008 Densho and the Topaz Museum. All Rights Reserved.