<Begin Segment 6>

RP: Sachi, you talked about this, about getting a grounding in American culture. Did, did your parents, well of course they tried to get you to go to, they sent you to Japanese language school, but did you also have any other awareness of Japanese culture with, for instance, holidays or...

SK: Well, our parents watched what the other people did and they tried to emulate what they saw. Like the Christmas tree and the presents and all that. Japanese culture, I wish we had been given more knowledge about Japanese culture. We were trying to deny, actually, our heritage. And so even though we went to Japanese school, as I say, we weren't interested in learning. Whey should be learn Japanese? We're gonna be Americans and we're gonna learn English. That attitude carried through. So, why should we understand Japanese culture? Now I find, I wish I knew more because it is a beautiful culture.

KP: No Boys Day or Girls Day or New Year's celebrations?

SK: We, yeah, I remember Girls Days. My mother baked, I mean not baked, she made...

Off Camera: Manju?

SK: Manju, mochi. Yeah, sweet cakes, sweet cakes for us. She always did that. And then on Boys Day, we flew the carp. But that's all I remember. It was just a very...

Off Camera: But New Year's was always a big celebration.

SK: What? New Year's. New Year's was the big, big holiday.

KP: And what was that like? What did you, what did you do?

SK: Well, we always had our celebration in Japanese school. (...) They'd have a big picture of the emperor and empress (...). None of us (Nisei) understood (the ritual), but we tolerated it, I guess. And I remember once my girlfriend and I, we got the giggles during this very solemn ceremony because the man (who) was carrying the picture of the emperor and empress had on new shoes. I guess they squeaked. (...) It was so quiet. [Laughs] But Yoshi and I, we broke up. We couldn't contain ourselves. We got scolded afterwards. It was so funny. But, that was how seriously we took the ritual. It meant nothing to us.

RP: That's bringing shame on the family, the giggles.

SK: Yeah. That was the, the thing, I think my mother said, "You're never supposed to act like that in a ceremony as serious as that."

Off Camera: But New Year's, food was always...

SK: Oh, yes, yes. My mother would start cooking three days before and she'd have all these different dishes. And invite...

RP: People would come to the house?

SK: People... the men, only the men. Women (and) girls stayed home and did all the work. You served the men. You had to warm up the sake and feed them. And then they would go from house to house. So that was the way we celebrated New Year's. Was that what you remember? Yeah, uh-huh. And as I mentioned in my book, one year my dad had too much. Because (he drank) so much sake he drove our Ford into the irrigation ditch. But that, that's in the book.

KP: Two more holidays, Tanabata, do you remember that at all? Tanabata?

SK: No.

KP: And Shichigosan?

SK: No.

KP: Okay.

SK: I think there are other Niseis who were more into the culture. That sounds like a kenjinkai thing.

KP: Yeah.

SK: Could it be?

KP: Well, Tanabata is, it's the Night of the Stars, in July.

SK: Oh, oh.

KP: Of course there are no stars here.

SK: Oh. I never...

KP: And Shichigosan is, I think it's Three-Five-Seven. It's for the really young kids.

SK: Oh. Oh right, right. Three-five-seven? San, Go --

RP: Yeah, Three-five-seven.

SK: -- shichi.

KP: Yeah, Shichi-Go-San.

RP: Shichigosan.

SK: Oh, that's interesting. I learned from you.

RP: You mentioned kenjinkai. Was there a Okinawan Kenjinkai?

SK: Yeah. Yeah, that was part of our lives, too. Every summer they had a big picnic, the Okinawa Kenjinkai. And we always enjoyed that. They had races for the kids, and they had a program. And, and our moms used to prepare in advance for that, too. We had great bentos. Yeah, that was part of our lives.

RP: That was, was that a, a picnic for the whole city of Los Angeles? People would come from all over for that?

SK: Yeah, from all over. Uh-huh.

RP: Where was it held?

SK: Well, I remember Arroyo Seco Park in Pasadena? And Elysian Park. Different places, but those two places I recall.

RP: Was your father, I know he was busy farming. Did he take any interest in community activities or affairs?

SK: Not so much, not too much, yeah. He was not an educated man. Most of his activity was related to his Okinawan friends. They would get together once in a while and have a big drinking party. And they'd sing and dance and we were so embarrassed... play the shamisen. We were so embarrassed when (he) got up to sing because he had a horrible voice. I remember that. But I think he must have really looked forward to those occasions.

KP: That was an outlet.

SK: Yeah, right.

RP: Another, another staple of farm life was the bathing ritual. The ofuro?

SK: Oh, New Year's, before New Year's you mean?

RP: But, you know, after a hard day of work just to soak?

SK: Oh, yeah, yeah. Right.

RP: In ofuros. Did you have an ofuro or some type of a bath?

SK: We did. We did at one time. I remember my mother making the fire under the big tin thing. And, yeah, we would wash off before we got in that tub. Yeah, we had that. But I thought you were referring to New Year's. My father made us take a long bath on New Year's Eve. (...) Normally, because there were so many of us using the one bathroom, we would just rinse ourselves and get out of there. But he insisted that each one of us take a bath. And I remember (the) hot water running out before we finished. But the idea being that you wash off the grime of this old year and you're ready for the new year, clean and (spotless).

RP: Purification.

SK: Pure, purified, yes.

<End Segment 6> - Copyright © 2009 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.