Manzanar, Calif.

Sept. 7, 1943

Dear Joe,

A beautiful post card and a letter came this swell morning.

Say, you really must like peanut butter and jam because you went very much into details. We like it too. Down here, theres not a sight of peanut butter in the mess halls. The only thing left is a bunch of corney bottles or jars of that stinky apple butter. Its very stale & sour.

Gosh, sure is surprising to hear you actually gab or gossip or chat about girls. But its really true what you said. All girls just cha cha cha & gossip all day. But it is a good experience to learn what girls are really like. You said it! Girls are really too darn expensive & your right. (They aren't worth it.)

Gosh, whats eating Winslow. Must be awfully crazy about that girl. Pretty soon you'll have to call him "Lover."

Seems you feel lousy when the you actually take people to church to listen to a sermon & they don't know what they heard. But Joe, don't forget that we are real Christians. Especially, we had good Church schooling since our small days from Rev. Suzuki so don't really expect much out of those who do go to church because they may not ever be with the real spirit of God!

I don't blame you for not writing a lot of experiences because it does get stale when nothing happens or theres nothing to write. You probably noticed that most of my latest letters are just a bunch of fooey. Thats just because the camp is so dry and stale. Ive noticed your letters are getting like mine just a wee bit. I suppose you probably hate some of my letters.

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Gosh, you really did get a hold of some goodies for us huh! Gee I really can't beleive its true. Gum is my favorite & so is candy. It hasn't arrived yet even though you said it was coming Tuesday. I sure did get robbed on the candy I bought at the canteen. It was better than I expected. Not good like the real Hersheys. Well Joe, it really is a swell surprise. Oh yes when we partake it, we'll really think of you for sending the swell goodies.

Mrs. Kitagawa is in the Hospital with a terrible rash or something but she's getting much better. (David's mother.)

Ken Takemura left for Ill. last friday all alone. He's stopping by their cousins place in Amache, Colo.

Also Willy Fujioka left for Chicago too. When you go on the bus, you have to have a escort to 1 person so that's why Ken went alone. Big families that are relocating have to go on a car from Manzanar to Reno. Something must of happened to somebody or there wouldn't be 1 escort to a person. When you left there was only one escort for a lot of people & that was miss Nancy. Gosh thats sure terrible. Mrs. Takemura is leaving for Ill. tomorrow with Herby & Martha. Gosh every body is relocating. I really want to go to your place. But a little more of a quietier place.

Gosh, Gosh, Gosh, is all I can say or gee, Gee, Gee.

Towru & I ate a 1/2 pint each of ice cream on his birthday. I bought it at the canteen. Boy I sure got pushed and jumbled all up. When we ate it, golly, it was swell.

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Yesterday Mack Mayeda was talking to me & he said he stubbed his big toes in the middle of the night. He said that he was going to the latrine & he didn't want to turn the light on because the rest of the bachelors would wake up. There he was going to the latrine in the dark & all of a sudden he bumped his toes and woke the bachelors up. He said it didn't hurt but then he went to the latrine but his big toe was numb. He felt that his zoly or Japanese slippers were wet so when he got there it really was bleeding. He found out that his foot was all shot. The big toe nail was half off, and his limping was awful. Mrs. Odahara told him to shake is leg or foot because it hurt. (Nishishiki) Then he laughed. Mrs. Odahara & I told him that it would get well faster & he laughed. At the same time there was a branch sticking out of the bench over Mrs. Odahara's place and I happened to sit on it by accident and I yelled ouch! Then Mack said it hurts so shake your rear (nishishiki) and made me laugh like the dickens.

My sweater I started on Monday was all ripped out. On Tues. I started all over and now I've finished the back. I was going to make a sweater with buttons on the front but then I lost fight & ripped it all out. Then I decided to do a -V- neck sweater. I started to put the V neck in & it came out all shot so I ripped 1/2 of it out & now momas helping me on the V neck. I thought it would take a long time to get it finished so I'm doing my long sleeves right now. Gosh & I've only got this week to finish it in.

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Papa is still working at the Gokaisho. Oh, yes, his birthday is coming soon. Gosh he sure is getting old. (Sept 12.) Gosh, he'll be around 57, getting to be an old old fogie. Still the same old guy.

Mama is still working at the flower shop and is getting along fine.

Hope your getting along good. Towru is okay -- as usual.

Got some new material for a skirt momas going to make.

Yes, we know that Kay Odahara left for New York. Probably is a better place for her.

It seems like rumors fly around too much but I want to know this one. They say that there are too many Japanese now in Chicago & they are not liked very much. Another words hated people. Is that true.

That's all I can think of now so please forgive the messy writing & I'll write again very soon.

Just

Masako

P.S. Who is Bob?

Too bad about Jim Lovell not liking Caltech.

Tell Winslow not to go too too daffy about women. Say, hows his eyes?

What happened to the epidemic of infantile paralysis?

Write again.

Masako