<Begin Segment 16>

BH: Now you've said that you haven't told your family about your wartime experiences, but that you're doing this for your family, you're participating in this interview for your family. Tell me more about your feelings on this.

AK: Well, it's a wonder I'm doing this, for one thing. [Laughs] I realize that Jeff, the oldest one, have asked me about different things, and I didn't realize they would be so interested, you know, about what we went through. So I guess it's a good thing that we are doing this.

BH: How do you think the wartime experience affected your parents and Kaz's parents, the Issei?

AK: You know, they never, they never expressed themselves. You know, the young people now, they say things as it is. But the older generation, I think, even if they feel it, they just don't talk about it.

BH: You had an opportunity to go back, or go to and visit Japan. What was that like for you?

AK: It was nice. I was only there for ten days, though, so I didn't see as much as I did. But I went to see my brother's family who was left in Japan. He had married, he went to college, and he had married and had two girls and a boy. I saw the two, one boy and one girl. The other girl was working in the city so she had to come, she was... but it was nice to see them.

BH: What was your first impression when you got to Japan?

AK: I liked it. And it was good to know that this is where your folks came from.

BH: Where in Japan did you visit?

AK: I went to Osaka, and I went to Hiroshima. I went to see my mother's... I mean, my mother's side and my father's side, and I had just gone there, the brother of my mother-in-law had just passed away, so I wasn't able to meet him. But I have a, or Kaz has a cousin that's on the father's side that came to America. He worked, so he used to come over and see us all the time, so we went to see him. I guess it was kind of nice. I just wonder how they took me because I wasn't very good at speaking Japanese. But they took me as-is, I guess.

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

AK: You know, I think they'll do just fine. They're all doing something important to me, I'm proud of them.

BH: What makes you proud of them?

AK: Hmm?

BH: What makes you proud of your grandchildren?

AK: What makes me proud of them? For one thing, they all take good care of me. They always write to me, they telephone me, and they come to see me, you know. And they're doing very well, so I'm happy for them.

BH: How do you think your wartime experiences affected who you are and what you think about the world?

AK: That's a hard question to answer. I know it didn't seem fair at first, and it was hard to... well, if that had been any longer and the children had to go to school there, I think I would have felt very bad, badly. I think we did all right, though.

BH: We've talked about you living in different communities in Washington where there weren't very many Japanese people, to moving to a farming community in Gresham where there were, and then your wartime experiences. You've led a very rich life. Looking back on all of that as well as looking towards the future, what do you think is important in life?

AK: You mean besides the family?

BH: Including family. What's important?

AK: I think the most important thing is the family, and the family's future. I think they're coping real well. They're all making... what do you say? They're all doing well, and I'm happy for them. I could die any time and I'll be happy. [Laughs]

BH: We've talked about a lot of things including three or four generations. Is there anything that you'd like to add or anything that I didn't ask you about that you'd like to bring up?

AK: I think we... haven't we covered about everything?

BH: Maybe we have. I want to thank you very much, Ami. It's been an honor to talk to you and hear about your stories.

AK: I enjoyed talking to you, too. Thank you.

[Interruption]

AK: Well, I've lived here ten years. I came in with my husband. He'd been living in a different hospital, you know, and I wanted us to live together for a while. And so we moved in here, but he only lived four months afterwards. And I had a choice of living here and going to live in another apartment, and I decided I'd stay here. And they've been like a family to me. One of my best friends are living right nearby, and we love to go to Blazer games. [Laughs] In fact, I think everybody thinks we're kind of crazy about them. [Laughs]

BH: What other activities are you involved with here at Powell Valley?

AK: Well, they have all kinds of crafts. And I never did any kind of artwork before, but gosh, they've taught me so many things, you know. I learned how to make those fluffy scarves, and I made little blankets for the grandkids. I don't know, it's been a full life. Of course, I like to play bingo, too. [Laughs] I don't play poker, but they have poker here.

BH: And before Kaz became ill, I understand that you cared for your in-laws.

AK: Yes, I did. My father-in-law was, he was only seventy when he died, but then Grandma lived to be almost a hundred. Four months more to go and she would have been a hundred. But I did take care of her the last two years, though. But I was happy to do that because they took me in when I was... for them I must have been completely different. [Laughs] And we became close, and I'm very thankful for that. I always wonder what they thought of me when I first came here. That's about it.

<End Segment 16> - Copyright © 2014 Oregon Nikkei Endowment and Densho. All Rights Reserved.