Densho Digital Archive - Lois Yuki Interview (denshovh-ylois-01-0009)

<Begin Segment 9>

RP: Lois, what are your earliest memories of living in Japan?

LY: Our family?

RP: You.

LY: Oh, what did I do?

RP: What do you remember about --

LY: Oh, Japan? Oh...

RP: -- your early years growing up in Japan? 'Cause that's kind of where you...

LY: Many things I enjoy 'cause I was there 'til twelve years old.

RP: Uh-huh, twelve.

LY: And I have a friends and then I really loved Japanese culture. And I still continue to contact or correspond. Mostly, nowadays, telephone. But and then when I went back to Japan, was it 1982, sixth grade reunion, from sixth grade.

RP: Sixth grade in Japan?

LY: And three months before I was supposed to graduate we moved back to Sacramento. So I didn't finish but they remembered me so they always have a get-together. If I let them know ahead of time we get together. So we had another one. It was 2000, year 2000.

RP: Did you, so you went to Japanese school?

LY: Oh, first grade. 'Cause I was only year and like three month when we left Tule Lake.

RP: Right. So, you really, you grew up --

LY: Right.

RP: -- in Japanese culture, with the language and everything. You really didn't identify as an American, you were too young.

LY: And I feel like, I still feel like, Japan, is a great part of my life. love Japanese food. I like Japan, beautiful place to visit. And so, well, Americanized but they still carry the Japanese culture.

RP: How were you accepted by your schoolmates in, in school?

LY: Well, I don't really remember the emotional or feeling. But I remember, 'cause we were born in America, so they say, "Amerikajin." America and then "jin" is a people. But it didn't bother us. And, no hard feelings. Because I guess they know that our grandparents were born there and they know the neighbors and my father was, he grew up there in Natajima. So, we were very well accepted.

RP: You had strong connections.

LY: So I didn't see any strange feelings.

RP: What about your other, your brothers and sisters? Did they experience any of that, being a little older and having come from America?

LY: Yeah, I'm sure they had a hard time because they didn't know the English. 'Cause when my parents went back my mother said in school, like junior high on, they teach British English. So she said no use trying to teach English from U.S. 'cause iit's gonna confuse the children. So I know talking to Francis, he said when he went to Japan he was already eight years old. So he was very, it was very difficult for him to get in school and be with the rest of the Japanese and not knowing really Japanese. And then when he came back he was already eighteen years old, and has to be adjusted to English. So I think he had a most difficult time.

RP: He had...

LY: And for us too, it wasn't bad as he did, but when we came back here we didn't know any English. All I knew was the alphabet. So it was very, very difficult, especially first year. But I still think, oh, I wish I know more Japanese and more English. I feel like I'm in between.