<Begin Segment 5>

KB: So if you are living here at the Beaver Apartments, what kind of meals did you have? Did Mom fix them, did you eat Japanese food, American food, what did you eat?

SO: Both, (yes).

KB: Did you take any trips with each other, family trips?

SO: No, we weren't, we weren't that mobile.

KB: Did you have a car?

SO: No.

KB: No? How did you guys get around?

SO: By bus, I believe.

KB: And so you spoke, your primary language was English, you yourself. And did you like school?

SO: I loved school, yes.

KB: And what did you like about school?

SO: Gym. [Laughs]

KB: Were you an athlete?

SO: No, I wasn't an athlete. But just playing.

KB: Did you like your teachers?

SO: Yes, they were very nice, yes. I liked to play marbles, I think, when I was a youngster.

KB: Did you have your own marble set?

SO: [Nods].

KB: How did you get your marbles?

SO: Started to buy them, I guess.

KB: Were there places around your neighborhood that you would go buy...

SO: Near the school you can get marbles and then get, play with the yo-yos.

KB: So you had some change or some money and you would go to the store?

SO: Yeah, very little.

KB: Did you earn the money, did your mom and dad give it to you?

SO: They gave me a little stipend.

KB: Do you remember the store at all?

SO: There was a lot of stores on Twenty-first, I believe, Couch school's on about Twentieth or Twenty-first Street, and there was a lot of shops up there.

KB: And you and your friends would go after school before you came home and buy marbles and yo-yos, just being a kid. And you had no nickname, or did you have a nickname?

SO: No, just Shig for short.

KB: Your brother had a nickname.

SO: Yeah.

KB: What was that?

SO: T-bone.

KB: Do you know where that came from?

SO: He was lanky and tall, I guess.

KB: T-bone. And you said you went to Japanese language school. Do you remember where that was?

SO: It was on Sixth and Glisan (northwest).

KB: Did your family and you participate in any of the community events like the picnic?

SO: Yes, at the end of the school year they always had a picnic, and we went to that.

KB: Was that Japanese school?

SO: Yes, Japanese school.

KB: And do you remember where the picnic was held?

SO: They were held in some farmland, I can't remember.

KB: So what was your favorite part of that picnic?

SO: They had contests running, and they gave out prizes, that's why.

KB: Did you like the food?

SO: Yes. Picnic foods is always good.

KB: And did your parents talk to you at all about the Japanese culture or being Japanese?

SO: Well, they followed Japanese culture, holidays, too. New Year's was the very big one, and we had Christmas. We celebrated many different special days.

KB: So you learned about both cultures as a child.

SO: Correct.

KB: Did you feel more than one or the other? Did you feel more American or more Japanese or balanced?

SO: Probably more American.

KB: More American?

SO: I was born and raised here.

KB: And you talked about New Year's, did your mom cook for New Year's, traditional?

SO: Traditional.

KB: Did you have a community event at New Year's, or was it just celebrating it at home?

SO: Mostly celebrating at home.

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