<Begin Segment 5>

TI: So when you look at those surrounding communities, were there very many Japanese kind of in the proximity?

GS: There was Japanese in Redlands, Japanese in San Bernardino, so when we went to San Bernardino, we had to go to Japanese school, we'd get on the streetcar and go to San Bernardino.

TI: Okay, so that's interesting. So there were enough Japanese in that whole area to support a Japanese language school.

GS: Yes.

TI: And so how frequently did you have to go to Japanese language --

GS: Every Saturday we had to go to Japanese school, take the streetcar to go.

TI: And what was that like? Was it interesting meeting the other Japanese from the different communities?

GS: Oh, yes. Even from, people from Ontario, that area would come, and then... Ontario and then San Bernardino, and some of the Redlands because some people from Redlands would come. But then most of it was just San Bernardino, there were several families in San Bernardino area, and so we had... so when they had, we used to have, my brothers would play ball, they would play baseball, my older brothers. And so they used to have teams play against Pomona, and they'd go into Los Angeles, Oliver Tigers, they're Orange County, and we all, Riverside we would play baseball, we used to have baseball teams and stuff like that.

TI: Okay, so all these communities had their own youth baseball teams, and they would travel and play each other. And in this case, the Sakato brothers were kind of half the team, probably.

GS: Then we had, we used to be in kendo, used to go to kendo school, San Bernardino to go to kendo. And then, so we had, we used to go compete with Redlands, and my friends from Redlands, George Kanitani, he was in the army, too, but he was first draftee, too. But he ended up with me in E Company during the war. But all those various groups would get together even as far as central, east Riverside, south of Redlands, the families, different families. And we used to all get together every now and then and have picnics and stuff like that.

TI: Well, and it sounds like also, so like Saturdays were kind of almost Japanese culture day for you. You have Japanese language, kendo, you see all these other kids.

GS: Yeah, different families.

TI: About how many kids would participate during this time? When you think about Japanese language school, for instance, how many people were in your class?

GS: Maybe forty, fifty.

TI: Wow, so that's pretty large.

GS: Yeah. 'Cause quite a few were from San Bernardino and Riverside and surrounding areas, Ontario.

TI: So I'm curious, Japanese language school, how did the Niseis, how did they like going to Japanese language school on Saturdays? I mean, was it something that some were good at it, or how would you describe the class?

GS: Some were good at it, but I wasn't good at it. I tried to memorize the first stories in the Japanese pages, so I'm reading by memory and I'm turning the page like I was reading it, and I turned the page and the teacher was behind me and he says, "That's pretty good, you can see through that page and see..." got caught. [Laughs] I flunked out of Japanese school. I kicked myself ten times over for not learning. I was bad.

TI: So what did you say? You were one of the worst students?

GS: I was the worst student. [Laughs]

TI: So when you say kicked out, were you literally kicked out, or did they just give you a bad grade?

GS: Gave me a bad grade, I wouldn't go and try and learn it again. But in time, maybe I finally got through. When the others got through Book 5, Book 10, I was still in Book 1 or Book 2.

TI: How about kendo? Were you good at kendo?

GS: No, 'cause one of the girls from Redlands, George Kanitani's sister, she whacked me right here in the ear and whacked me under the arm. [Laughs] Hit me through here, and holy mackerel, I wasn't very, my reflex wasn't very good.

TI: And so wasn't that unusual, to have girls doing kendo, too?

GS: Oh yeah, no, they all, girls were doing it, too.

TI: They were doing it, too?

GS: Yes. She was good. She was fast, her reflex was real good, like whack. Shove me right in the throat, missed the guard and hit me here. And she hit me underneath the guard part here, in between here, and I was black and blue all over. Hit me across here.

TI: Oh, she must have been really, she must have done this to other boys, too.

GS: Oh, yeah. She was, she was top, she was a real good kendo player.

TI: Oh, I'd like to talk to her. Is she still alive, do you think?

GS: I don't know, I haven't seen her. But her brother, I see him every year.

TI: Yeah, well, find out. I'm curious, I'd like to interview her. She sounds like she's pretty tough.

GS: Oh, yeah.

<End Segment 5> - Copyright © 2008 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.