<Begin Segment 6>

TI: We talked a little bit about school. Did you go to Japanese school when you were on Bainbridge Island?

YS: Yeah. [Laughs]

TI: So tell me about that. Where was that?

YS: Well, when I was in Winslow going to Japanese school, then walking distance to another Japanese place, they had a hall there and stuff, and used to be Japanese school after school. And later on, we went on Saturdays.

TI: So both after school and Saturdays?

YS: No, after, quit the after-school, and then went Saturdays, oh, so many hours a day, Saturdays.

TI: And how old were you when you started Japanese school?

YS: I don't know what grade it was, third, fourth grade, I imagine.

TI: And how many years did you go?

YS: I went there... I went, but then we didn't really study, settle down, you know. We fooled around too much. We were kids, I guess, so we fooled around.

TI: Well, it was kind of hard, because you had to go to regular school.

YS: Yeah, then after I had to go to Japanese school.

TI: And then later on the weekends you had to give up your Saturday or something.

YS: So we went 'til I was evacuated.

TI: And who taught the Japanese?

YS: That one lady, Ohtaki, well that one that, Paul Ohtaki, his mother?

TI: Oh, right.

YS: She taught four or five grades. Only one teacher for all the grades.

TI: But even though you fooled around, did you learn Japanese?

YS: Well, yeah, we learned together. [Laughs] Well, then the folks talked, too.

TI: And how about things like sports? Did you do quite a bit of sports on Bainbridge Island?

YS: Yeah, we were there... see, my dad and them, they wouldn't let the people play football. We got to play baseball, basketball, but they couldn't play football.

TI: Why is that?

YS: Well, they just figured you'd get hurt.

TI: Oh, like you're too small?

YS: Yeah, you know, you're pretty small, then they figured you'd get hurt. So I know my brother, he wanted to play, but he couldn't. My dad said no football. He could play baseball or basketball, but no football. Some of them played, but then our family, they wouldn't, he wouldn't let 'em play.

TI: Yeah, my mom was the same way, she didn't want me to play football, but I played in high school until I got hurt, and then she said, "I told you so." [Laughs] That was funny.

YS: Yeah, because they don't have the equipment like they do nowadays.

TI: Yeah, but you're so much smaller. I mean, when you're going against people who are over two hundred pounds.

YS: But you never had no...

TI: Oh, the facemasks.

YS: ...facemasks, too. Because I know this one guy that's a Japanese kid on the island, he chased the guy and he tackled him, but that guy's foot came up and, you know...

TI: Just broke his teeth?

YS: Yeah, yeah, broke his thing.

TI: Or nose, you break your nose.

YS: Yeah, see, that's what happened just by accident.

TI: Yeah, no, that sounds dangerous.

YS: Yeah. [Laughs]

TI: So did you play basketball and baseball?

YS: Yeah, played basketball and baseball.

TI: And tell me about that. Was it like a, just a kind of neighborhood team, or did you play organized?

YS: No, you played other, like O'Dea and Poulsbo, like ours was Poulsbo and Silverdale. Not Bremerton, because Bremerton was bigger, but the smaller ones, smaller school they played. Like I say, Silverdale, Poulsbo.

TI: So this is like at the high school level, or is this junior high school?

YS: Yeah, it was more or less... well, see, I was in the eighth grade, and that was high school already. But usually eighth grade, you don't play in the...

TI: The varsity?

YS: Varsity, yeah. You just your own, you don't go anyplace. You go, but then you're just one place maybe.

TI: And how about your older brothers, did they play?

YS: Yeah, he played baseball, then like the other one, he played basketball and stuff. They played Seattle schools, and like I say, Silverdale, Poulsbo, smaller schools.

<End Segment 6> - Copyright © 2014 Oregon Nikkei Endowment and Densho. All Rights Reserved.