<Begin Segment 5>

LT: Okay. Now, after school, you went to another school.

JH: Uh-huh, I went to Japanese school.

LT: What was that like? What did you do and how did you learn?

JH: She, Mrs.... let's see, who was our first teacher? Mrs. Tsuji would teach us how to speak Japanese and how to write Japanese. And we were there about an hour after school.

LT: And how did she teach you?

JH: She would write it on the bulletin board, hiragana or kanji, and she would tell us what she was writing.

LT: Okay, and what would you do?

JH: She would make us write it on our pad, notebook, and she'd come by and check to see if it was, how we had written it.

LT: And then did you speak as well? Did you practice speaking?

JH: No, we didn't. Just learned writing, and I don't remember ever. But we did speak Japanese when we were in school, at Japanese school.

LT: So how did you use the writing after you learned how to write in Japanese?

JH: I don't think I ever did. [Laughs]

LT: How did your parents feel about your learning Japanese?

JH: I don't know. They didn't think... they just told us we had to go to Japanese school after school, and then, of course, I lived about a mile from there, and we'd walk home after school. And Mieko lived, walked with us because she was in the same area.

LT: So that was the one day of the week when you weren't going home and changing your clothes and working then?

JH: That's right, uh-huh.

LT: Once a year your family took a trip.

JH: Yeah, we used to, it was in the summertime. My dad would go fishing to Greenpoint, and that happened for two years or three years, and we would camp there. But after that we didn't. And then after that we headed for the beach.

LT: So can you tell us about your camping trip with your family? How did you prepare and what did you take and what did you do when you went camping?

JH: Well, my mom did all the cooking and stuff, and then we slept in our sleeping bag. We didn't have a tent or anything, we just slept out in the open in a sleeping bag. And we thought it was fun until we got a little older, and then that was it. [Laughs]

LT: I have to ask, were there any animals?

JH: No, we didn't see any.

LT: So what did you think about this?

JH: Well, it was fun when you were younger, when you were just a little kid. But once we got older, we didn't do it anymore.

LT: Okay. Now, also when you were a kid, you went to Sunday school by yourself.

JH: Uh-huh. Yeah, I helped at Sunday school. I kind of... let's see, the ones where the parents were at church, then I would keep track of the little ones, they'd come to an area where we had Sunday school, and I would make sure that they were okay. And then parents would come by once the service ended. And I did that for quite a few years, and I really enjoyed it. I know there was a bunch that went to, that were coming into Portland and Charlie Omori was one of them, and she says, "Well, you can miss one," but I said, "No, I can't. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to miss." It's amazing, when I think about it now, my god, did I do that? [Laughs]

LT: You were a dedicated worker.

JH: I was at that time. I didn't miss a Sunday until I was, I don't remember what age I was, but then I gave it up.

LT: But you were the only member of your family to attend this church?

JH: Uh-huh.

LT: You went by yourself? How did that happen? It sounds like a pretty independent decision.

JH: I really don't know, because I was the only one. And like all my other Nihonjin friends, they didn't go to Sunday school. But I don't know what got into me, I just did that. And I really enjoyed it. But it was not, I mean, because the little kids were great. And they were very good, I'd keep them quiet while the service was... of course, it was in a different room.

LT: Sounds like it was good practice for becoming a mother.

JH: [Laughs] Yes.

<End Segment 5> - Copyright © 2014 Oregon Nikkei Endowment and Densho. All Rights Reserved.