Densho Digital Archive - Maria Sato Interview (denshovh-smaria-01-0011)

<Begin Segment 11>

KL: So you took the boat, and you said the boat ride was where you were so sick.

MS: It was with eggs, oh, my goodness. I never forget. [Laughs]

KL: How did you get back to your family, your brothers, your father's brother's house?

MS: We walk. And like I said, they don't have no bus, and the road is all just a little grass, and it's hill place, it was generally ice, the feet are swollen and shoes... it was bad, anyway.

KL: It was January of 1946?

MS: It was bad, yeah. When we arrived... well, we didn't expected it because we'd never been out there.

KL: What did you expect?

MS: Well, little bit more like the United States, I guess. [Laughs] Not rocks, but straight or something, it's got rocks and weeds and it was bad in sun and ice, it was kind of dangerous, too.

KL: When you arrived on the boat, did you have to check in with the military or...

MS: I'm pretty sure they were military. They have to check everything, see.

KL: What was that like?

MS: Well, it was kind of surprising, because we didn't know what they're doing and all that. They have to check everything. So, well, I guess they have to do that because you never know when you'd find a bad person. So anyway, everybody have to check.

KL: How long were you with your uncle?

MS: Oh, I don't remember that either. I don't remember how long we stayed there. Pretty soon, until spring maybe, until the snow melts.

KL: Oh, not very long.

MS: Right.

KL: And then where did you go?

MS: We went to this... it's more city, it wasn't like Uncle's place, little house, like a little house, it's a small house. You can't find a big house because you can't pay. And so, well, we were kind of happy got your own house, even it's a small house. And so like I said, the food was not so good, not enough food. That's the one that's kind of bad.

KL: What was the name of the city?

MS: Miyoshi. It's a small city.

KL: Were there other people from South America or from the United States?

MS: No, we were the only ones, we were the only ones.

KL: How did local people react to you?

MS: Well, sometimes, until they're used to us, it's kind of strange feeling. You feel yourself, we're same Japanese, but you feel the same kind of, you don't feel the same. Because they knew that we were from different country. But gradually got more friendly, and the neighbors got better. So it was nice, finally.

KL: How long do you think that took?

MS: I don't remember.

KL: For people to be...

MS: I don't remember. It wasn't, it was tough, anyway, either way you look at it, to go different country, and then you get used to it. But then after that, was good neighbors.