<Begin Segment 12>

RP: How about Japanese holidays? Did you celebrate...

ST: Yes.

RP: 'Course New Year's..

ST: Most, Uh-huh, most of the holidays my mother would start fixing things so we would help her. And of course set the table and clean up the rooms so that we could have guests.

RP: That was, that would be New Year's?

ST: New Year's and maybe holidays, special holidays. Sometimes we would be invited so we wouldn't have to do much at home.

RP: What was your favorite holiday or the one that you remember the most?

ST: I guess New Year's. We had a lot of people over and of course we would go and visit them, too. And Thanksgiving was mostly at church. We all had big dinners at church. I think we spent a lot of time at the Methodist church, for holidays, too. And that was fun. We had programs, things like that.

RP: So what was your, your favorite food growing up? The thing that you liked your mom to make the most?

ST: Food? Oh, of course sushi and special Japanese foods. Because I wasn't very good at that when I was growing up. I wasn't much of a cook. My sister May was more of her helper. So she was a better cook. I liked to kind of run around.

RP: You did?

ST: Yes.

RP: With your brothers.

ST: Yeah, brothers or help at the church or whatever. So, but she stayed home more to help Mother. Of course you, you haven't met May. She was just a year or two younger than I was.

RP: Now your dad all the, had all these grapes that he grew. Did he make wine? Did he make his own wine?

ST: Oh yes.

RP: How about sake?

ST: One thing that I didn't do was they wear real clean boots and they step on the grape to make wine. That's one thing... I watched them, but that's one thing they wouldn't let me do.

RP: But you would be allowed to drink, have some wine during the, an evening meal?

ST: Uh-huh. So, naturally you have to clean the grapes and things like that. We did all that. And they would, and the men would get the clean boots and step on it.

RP: How about sake, did he make sake, too?

ST: I think my father kind of made it for himself, uh-huh. I think that takes a little more time and expertise, I think.

RP: So he would drink on holidays, he would...

ST: Oh, oh yes. He always had a wine and the sake. But of course, I don't think... I never saw him drunk, maybe once. And my mother didn't like that so that was it.

RP: Not a good example for the kids.

ST: Huh? Yeah. No, but, no, my father was a pretty decent person. Other than that one time. It's not very pleasant when they get drunk. [Laughs]

<End Segment 12> - Copyright © 2008 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.