<Begin Segment 16>

KL: When you were a child in Trujillo, you mentioned that your dad was involved in that Japanese school. Was it important to your family, your Japanese heritage?

MS: Oh, I'm pretty sure, yes. Because somebody have to help, you know what I mean? And the kids, they don't mention them, probably.

KL: What kind of traditions did you keep that were Japanese? Did you have New Year's traditions?

MS: I don't think so. I remember mostly Christmas... see, they don't do Christmas, they didn't used to do Christmas in Japan, I don't think. Things like that.

KL: When did your family become Catholic? Was that in Japan or in Peru?

MS: No, after they went to Peru, I don't know the year.

KL: Did your folk, did your parents grow up Buddhist?

MS: I think so, yeah.

KL: Did they ever talk with you about why they chose to become Catholic?

MS: No. I think maybe because they used to work for Franciscans, priest, and all of that, probably. Unless the priest told them to become a Catholic, I have no idea. And we used to go to the nuns, that you're not supposed to see their faces and all of that.

KL: To what?

MS: The nuns. What do you call that? There's a group, the nuns, Catholic nuns, you're not supposed to show the face, you just stay in a building.

KL: And you would go visit them?

MS: Yeah, and take some goodies, and they have a little window. They just open the window with the inside, and just talk, but you cannot see their face. I forgot the name.

KL: What did you talk about?

MS: Oh, something, you know. I don't know what, I forgot, but anyway, we used to talk and take some goodies. And I guess they were happy to talk to people from the outside, see, but you just cannot see the face.

KL: Did you celebrate Girl's Day or Boy's Day?

MS: No.

KL: What were your Christmas celebrations like?

MS: Christmas? Oh, just the regular, I guess, you know. Not too much like here, like in United States, unless they changed it now, I have no idea either.

KL: Were there special foods or decorations?

MS: Decorations, yeah.

KL: What kind of decorations?

MS: Oh, like Jesus and flowers or whatever, you know, different things, cars, I don't know, I can't even remember the whole theme. I'm pretty sure we have something.

KL: Joey said the church that your father helped build or maintain was pretty elaborate, pretty beautiful.

MS: Yeah, it is.

KL: Did he specialize in wood carving?

MS: I think he did. We got a picture and all of that, and they have a lot of memories over there.

KL: Can you describe the church?

MS: I don't know how to... he saw the picture. [Laughs]

KL: No, I want to hear what you thought of it.

MS: I didn't see the whole, I saw the whole picture, but I kind of forgot. Well, he kind of, what was the one he did? Oh, boy. Should have checked more, huh?

KL: No. Is it dark or sunny inside?

MS: No, inside the church is kind of dark, well, they have lights and all of that. But outside when you enter it's kind of more light, and they have lights, so I don't know what kind of ceiling he did. I remember it was kind of a nice picture of something, was it a flag? Peruvian flag or something. So it got a flag and then I think got, what do you call that thing? Like you have one over there.

KL: Just a painting?

MS: Yeah, painting. I think that was flag, I don't know.

KL: Did he carve things for your home?

MS: No, not too much, no. I think the houses are so small, the home, I mean, you know. And probably they were busy doing something else instead of doing, got to make some money probably. But those days it was pretty bad. Yeah, can't find a job or whatever.

KL: Did you... so you don't really have Peruvian friends any longer, you have people that you -- you don't really have friends back in Peru? Did you have friends who were involved in trying to get Peruvian citizenship?

MS: No. They all went back to Japan. Yeah, and one is living over there, I don't even know the others. They probably, some were there, already died. Because they were much older than I am. So I don't know what they're doing either.

KL: And you're involved in the Campaign for Justice, you, the trips. Do you think it's important that people remember these events?

MS: I think so. I think so, because it's not in the history book either, some of it. Students should know those things, teach 'em more about what happened during the World War. Because a lot of kids, I don't think they know that.

KL: Why do you think it's important that they know?

MS: Well, I think that's a good thing to remember, those things, what happened when they were younger, what happened to their parents, because their parents are all gone and some didn't even talk about it. So the young generation think they're supposed to know that. I think so.

KL: For you, as someone who was about a twelve year old, pretty young person, what do you think you gained and lost because of your father's arrest and leaving Peru, coming to Crystal City and Japan?

MS: I don't know. I lost all my friends. I don't know what I gained in Japan, I guess I find new friends, I guess, and different culture.

KL: Do you think your experiences have made you think differently about other groups, about Japanese people or about Caucasians?

MS: Oh, I'm pretty sure it was different, yes. I don't know what to think about.

<End Segment 16> - Copyright © 2012 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.