<Begin Segment 15>

LL: How did your father spend his time?

MI: Well, he did a lot of woodworking. I didn't even know he was interested in that kind of thing, but I remember him making some kind of a truck to put our clothes in. I thought he did a pretty good job, and that kept him busy. Then he also planted a few little flowers at the entrance of our unit, and I'm not sure if he was really interested in growing flowers, but it was something for him to do. So he kept himself busy.

LL: So do you have any of the things that he made in camp?

MI: I think I have one... well, I'm not sure if these trucks that he hauled from place to place, he did not make it, but it is a commercially built truck. I have two of those, and the one that he made with hardwood, I have that. But I don't remember, it's always been with me, so I just figured we hauled it from place to place.

LL: Do those items bring back memories when you see them?

MI: Oh, it's in the basement, so yes, when I see them, I realized what he had done, and he did a pretty good job.

LL: How about your mother? How did she pass her time?

MI: I don't remember too much about the fact that she had a group of Issei women that were good friends together, and I think they spent their time some way, other than in the kitchen where she worked. I don't remember what else she did. But she seemed to have adjusted pretty well. Of course, she was that way, too. Nothing phased her too much.

LL: What was it like to live in a Japanese American community where everyone around you was Nikkei?

MI: Oh, it was something that we never knew anything different. It was one of those things that we grew up in, and it was a fact of life.

LL: So you were used to that because you were living in Nihonmachi?

MI: Yes, very much so.

LL: So do you have, did you have overall feelings about camp, being in camp?

MI: You mean pros and cons? Not particularly. It's one of those things that we have to do it, might as well do it. And whether you like it or not, just one of those things that people have to adjust to.

LL: What do you think was the most difficult, would you say was the most difficult thing for you being in camp?

MI: In camp? I don't remember any specific thing that was so difficult. I honestly don't. I'm trying to think of something, but it wasn't a lark, either. It was one of those things that come along and you think, okay, we'll have to do something about it. But we didn't dwell on anything particularly.

LL: They talked about, you always hear about the lines, having to wait in line for going to get your food and eating, waiting in line to use the restrooms? Was that...

MI: That never bothered me, because it was one of those facts of life. If you wanted food, you waited in line to get it.

LL: The silent movies were a pastime before the war. Did you attend the movies that were shown, any movies that were shown in camp? Or they dances, they had different activities. What were some of the activities that you remember participating in?

MI: Well, I remember they had dances. I remember going to those, not particularly exciting, but it was something to do. And I don't remember anything else other than that.

LL: So did you discuss why you were in camp? Was there talk about why you were there, sharing feelings about being there? Do you remember having conversations about that in camp?

MI: I don't remember anything like that. I don't think we had any really serious discussions on our welfare. I can't remember anything that was really serious or something that needed to be discussed, I don't remember any of that.

LL: How did you feel about the armed guards, presence of armed guards?

MI: Oh, I didn't feel anything. They were there to do their job, and there was nothing fearful about them, they were just people.

LL: So you had, in the pre-interview, mentioned something about one of the Issei going outside and getting lost?

MI: Oh, I remember that, that was a big deal to the people, and it kind of scared everybody because he went out looking for some kind of wood to make something with, and he got lost, and I don't know how they ever found him. He was dead by the time they found him.

LL: But that had quite a reaction...

MI: It did, right.

LL: ...from people within the camp.

MI: Right, everyone.

LL: And what was the discussion and what was the reaction?

MI: Well, in the first place, they said that it was foolish of him even to wander around an area where you're not familiar with any of it, 'cause you'd just gotten there. But they also felt sympathy for him because he just wanted to get out a bit. So there were two reactions to that, but I never knew the guy and I never followed up on it.

<End Segment 15> - Copyright © 2013 Oregon Nikkei Endowment and Densho. All Rights Reserved.