<Begin Segment 5>

RP: Tell us what your experience in Japan was like.

FY: Oh, it was lovely. I began to learn of our culture. And at that time, there was prejudice against the Japanese. And so, you know, I was able to raise my head up high when I realized I could be very proud of my heritage.

RP: And did you stay with your family in Japan?

FY: No, I stayed in a dormitory of the school, and it was a Christian school, very rare.

RP: And was that in Tokyo?

FY: Yes, it was in Tokyo.

RP: And the people who ran the school, were they missionaries?

FY: No, that's another very unique thing about this school. The teacher was not a missionary, she was a strong Christian, and she decided that she wanted to open this school and let the children understand Christianity.

RP: And did you just have to volunteer for that, or did you have to be selected amongst a group of other...

FY: Oh, well, it was a private school, and so I went there and had to pay tuition.

RP: Your parents must have been doing well economically to be able to send you.

FY: Yes, my father had, the restaurant, it was doing very well.

RP: And what else did you learn at the school? You mentioned art.

FY: Art and history, and language, of course, and calligraphy

RP: Well, it's very interesting to hear that you really embraced your Japanese cultural background, whereas other Niseis sort of ran from it.

FY: Oh, no, I enjoyed being in Japan. And I wanted to stay a little longer to learn more about the arts, Japanese arts, but my mother wrote and said, "No, war is pending, so you better hurry up and get back here."

RP: Did you get a sense of that during your time in Japan, that there were... the country was gearing up for war? They had been fighting a war with China for...

FY: Yes.

RP: What did you see and what did you sense?

FY: Yes, they felt Japan was getting, preparing for war. There were soldiers marching down the street, and the emperor was, I remember, in Tokyo, the emperor passed down the street, and we had to bow our heads. Because there were policemen there, and if they found that you were raising your head to see the emperor, you would have gotten hit.

RP: Were there other Nisei men and women from Japan that you encountered during your two years in Japan?

FY: Yes, my family, my father's family and my mother's family.

RP: There were many kids who were sent over for education.

FY: Yes, quite a few.

RP: Let's step back just a little bit before your trip in growing up. What do you, what do you remember the most about your years growing up in Sacramento, just how your life developed.

FY: Oh, it was very pleasant. I loved to go dancing, and sports, basketball was my favorite.

RP: Did you participate?

FY: Yes, uh-huh.

RP: And what, was that at school level?

FY: Yes, high school.

RP: And dancing, are we talking about Japanese dancing or ballroom dancing?

FY: At school they did have modern dance, and so I took that course.

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