<Begin Segment 13>

BH: Have you ever talked to your children or grandchildren about what happened during the war?

SF: I have mentioned a little bit about it, but I think more so with my hakujin friends, I talk about it. Because some of 'em, they asked me questions about it. And, well, it's really a shame for my kids. Since I don't speak Japanese, the only time I speak Japanese is with, when Mom and Dad were around. But like Dad, I could speak English and it was fine. But so after they're gone, you don't use the language, so you forget. And so when my kids were growing up, once in a while I would speak in Japanese and they would say, "Mom, you're talking bad about me." [Laughs]

BH: Why do you think it is that most Nisei have been reluctant to talk about the war?

SF: Niseis? I don't know about the other, but for me, I figure I'm not reluctant of talking about it, it just, I'm not going to come out and be bold about it and come out and talk about it. I'm not asked... when I'm asked about it, then I'll come out and talk about it.

BH: As you know, many, many photographs are donated to the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center, we've really appreciated your assistance in helping us identify the people in those pictures. Are you affiliated with any other Japanese American organizations?

SF: Only one is the golf, the Japanese Ladies Golf Club. And I'm not with the JACL, but I am with the... what is the other one, the other golf... Nikkei... oh, I can't think of it. You know, they have a golf tournament.

BH: When your kids... well, when you were married, were you married in the Buddhist church?

SF: No. I was married in the Baptist church, because I was not going to the Buddhist church at that time. Oh, no, the kids were young. I don't know, I wasn't going to the Buddhist church, and so I picked a church in downtown Portland, and that was the Baptist church.

BH: Looking back, how did you balance being of Japanese descent while growing up in America?

SF: What do you mean?

BH: Did you feel sometimes more Japanese than American, or more American than Japanese? Did that cause any difficulties?

SF: Well, only in the certain environment. It would bother me if... sometimes it would bother me if I was in a regular, a big group of hakujins, and I might be the only one, it might bother me. But normally it doesn't.

BH: Have you ever visited Japan?

SF: I've been there one time, and that was enough for me. The experience wasn't that great. My sister, Toshi, her husband was in the fishery and connected with Japan, so he used to go to Japan a lot. And so he was there already, so Toshi, Jim and I, we went to Tokyo, and we, since Mas had, I don't know, a pass or whatever, we ate at the American commissary, and we had, we went to a party, a banquet, because Mas was very well-known over there. But there was no nightlife, and Jim wanted nightlife. So after about three days, he says he's going home, and he says, "You do what you want. You could stay or you could go home." Well, naturally I'm going to go home, so after three days it was, we went home. And he's not a traveler anyway. [Laughs]

BH: How do you think their wartime experiences affected your parents?

SF: Well, I think it... there's good and bad. I think it... well, that's in my opinion. They had to give up so much, and they got rid of so much of their belongings, that's the bad part of it. The good part would be meeting so many different people and being able to travel more, being more open. I think if we were, we stayed in Brooks, we would be typical Japanese, I think, and wouldn't be so, we will not be able to be so open.

BH: In recent times more Nisei have been willing to speak up, participate in interviews like this. We now have the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center in Portland. If your parents were around, how do you think they'd feel about these efforts to remember what happened?

SF: How would they feel about it? I think, well, before, they were pretty quiet about it, they didn't talk about it. But I think, you know, later on, yes, I would feel that they would like to talk about it, be more open, and tell them their experience.

BH: What do you think we can learn from what happened to Japanese Americans during the war?

SF: What we could learn... I don't know, I have to think about that one. Well, I don't quite get the connection, but be more open, be more friendlier. It's getting... as far as race, it's getting much better now than before. So main thing is be more open.

BH: What are your hopes for your grandchildren and future generations?

SF: In what way?

BH: In any way.

SF: Well, I think it's fine because they blend in so much with everyone else now. I mean, as far as they're concerned, there's no different race. Everything is all one.

BH: What is... what do you value at this time of your life? What's important in life?

SF: Friends, family, is the important thing, and to get along with family is very important. Be, well, like Mom used to be, be thoughtful, be giving, be courteous, which I'm not always. [Laughs]

BH: Is there anything else that you'd like to add about anything we've talked about or that we didn't, that I didn't ask you about?

SF: No. There was something back of my mind, but it's gone now. [Laughs]

BH: That's okay. I want to thank you for participating in this. I've learned a lot, and as I said, this is a great gift you can give to your family as well as future generations, so thank you.

SF: At least... yes, thank you, at least I can give something to the kids, so that's great.

<End Segment 13> - Copyright © 2014 Oregon Nikkei Endowment and Densho. All Rights Reserved.