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MW: I was teaching in the '60s, and I don't know when Hosokawa's book came out. I think when I was teaching, first of all, I didn't have that many Japanese American students in my class. I had one that I can think of, but she's almost a Sansei, and had come east as a child. She grew up in Swarthmore. I didn't hear it much when I was there, because I have a feeling it got a little stronger in the '70s, didn't it? I'd finished my teaching by then.

HH: To what extent do you find that your values, your personal values, and the way you live your life, is rooted in your Japanese heritage?

MW: To what extent do I think my personal values and my lifestyle are rooted in Japanese heritage? I would say that... there may be a few things about it, of course, but I think... I'm sure my mother would talk about, you don't want to do this or you don't want to do that because of the shame it would bring on your family, which comes later on, haji. Or else this feeling of on, which is, maybe you didn't specifically mention this feeling of gratitude towards people. I think those aspects, I think -- I'm not positive -- are probably stronger in the Japanese community of my mother's generation than they were in the average WASP or white community, I'm not sure. So they may have influenced me, but I think a lot of the other things that I can think of, like, conscientiousness or hard work or being honest, not being lazy, I can't say that they're necessarily Japanese traits, do you? I mean, I'm not interviewing you. So I'd say... so perhaps this feeling of being, remembering those who have done things for you, and maybe being influenced a bit by about not putting your family or yourself to shame.

<End Segment 8> - Copyright © 1994 JACL Philadelphia. All Rights Reserved.