<Begin Segment 7>

RP: I just wanted to spend a little more time talking about your, your family background. Social events that you recall. Did your, was your family Buddhist? Was that your religion?

NN: Yes, they were.

RP: And were they very serious about their religion?

AF: Not really.

NN: They, because they didn't have a church in that area, this is before the war, the minister, the priest, would come to be invited to people's houses individually, and they would gather other members to come and have the, join in the service. And that was somewhat of a social situation, too, where they could enjoy the service as well as get together --

KT: Meeting other people again, meeting Niseis.

RP: Did you have some of these services in your house?

KT: Oh, yes. I remember afterwards serving tea and refreshment.

RP: Did you, did you ever play music for the services at all?

AF: No, no. but she used to play the piano and the accordion, huh?

NN: I don't think she did for the service. Did you?

KT: Not for the service, no.

RP: So it was a way of keeping --

KT: So they didn't, they didn't have singing at that time, during the service. People would just, the preacher would come, and we would just... actually, it was a social gathering as far as the people that came. And they always knew that my mother and dad would serve refreshments. I mean, it wasn't just tea and cookies, it was more than that.

RP: Are we, like, talking sake?

NN: Well, they would have an elaborate spread, is what she's saying, for them to enjoy.

RP: Oh, I see.

AF: My father was always like that. He had to have the best, huh? I don't know why, 'cause he didn't come from a very wealthy family or anything.

NN: Well, that might be the reason why.

AF: Oh, yeah. He came from a countrified...

KT: He would always stay for a while and disappear and go to sleep, because he went to the market, the floral market early. He had to get up at one to go.

RP: One o'clock.

KT: But quietly he would all disappear.

RP: The flower market was located in Los Angeles?

NN: Yes.

RP: And so he would, once a week, or every day, or...

KT: I think it was three times a week, wasn't it, Sam?

AF: Yeah, more than once, once a week.

KT: I thought it was Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

AF: Oh, I don't remember that.

KT: He'd get up at one o'clock in the morning and go.

AF: Yeah, very early. He would --

RP: Did you ever happen to get up that early, or did he ask you go come with him?

KT: No. That's one thing about my dad. He never involved us in work.

AF: Yeah, we never had to work.

KT: We wanted to do it ourselves just to help out, 'cause we could see how hard he's working.

AF: Yeah, my mother and my father used to work real late, huh, at night.

<End Segment 7> - Copyright © 2008 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.