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What was your first reaction when you found out about the relocation order?
But
before that, let's see, there was the curfew. Our first reaction when
war broke out? I'm still just in college, not very politically aware.
I would say I was naive. Not well-educated in terms of politics or
what was going on in the world. All I could think of is, as we heard
of the FBI sweep of the men, what would happen to my mother who had
been teaching the Japanese language? We were very much concerned. Of
course, she had the picture of the Emperor, she had the Japanese
flag, she had statues of the admirals and generals. She buried all
that. We just hoped that would take care of it. We assumed that women
were not taken, but I found out in later times that I was wrong. That
depended on the area and the FBI agents I guess. In some areas, Southern
California, women teachers were taken as well as the fathers. I often
wonder what happened to the children then. Nothing happened to my mother,
other than, we just buried everything she had.
You mentioned there were pictures of the Emperor and
statues. in your home. Can you explain that a little bit more?
Because
she's teaching the Japanese language, and then along with that the
Japanese textbooks would have what's going on in Japan. You know, written
Japanese textbooks for the Japanese children. So it would have the
Emperor's picture, the flag. I think that maybe they would have a
cross, the American flag and Japanese flag hanging up on the wall.
Did your family or yourself ever feel the need to hide your Japanese culture or history?
My mother, being the Japanese language teacher, had all kinds of things. From the picture of the emperor to Japanese flags. We had statues of admirals. All that she buried.
Was hard for her?
I don't know. That's a good question! It was something, I think, she felt she had to do. Is it to protect us that she would have done that?
Did you consider yourself affiliated with the emperor?
No. I had spent two years in Japan: my seventh and eighth grade. I lived with my grandparents and went to a girls' school, and I knew I was not Japanese. I didn't know enough of the language. I didn't know the history or the geography. And I'm treated differently. "Oh, your eyes are a little lighter than ours, that's because you're American." I just knew I was not Japanese.
How did you find out about Pearl Harbor?
We heard it on the radio. I think we had the radio going all the time.
Were you following what was happening in the war at that time?
Before? Yes, yes. Every evening: dinnertime. Who was it we listened to? Edward R. Murrow of course, but then Counten Born was the other one. Every evening we listened to the radio. This is before TV.
What kind of news was relayed through the news?
We are listening to the radio and so we hear about blackouts. When I was in Saratoga there was a room that would be a safer room because we could black it out. Meaning putting up curtains that are dark. But there was a room we considered a safe room. And, again, it's just preparing for wartime.
What else would the radio talk about?
What's happening. It would have to be what's going on in the Pacific area. Everyday there would be more bombings or troops, and we would hear that kind of thing. I'm trying to think how specific they were and I don't think they were, not like today.
Can you tell us more about the blackouts you had to conduct?
All the lights in the house would be turned off, except this one room where you have curtains all—so that light would not be seen from the outside because they were worried about air raids.
How were you notified when a blackout was taking place?
We lived in Saratoga, which is a small town. I think we were prepared, but I don't remember ever even rehearsing for such a thing.
How do you think that living with a white family for the first days after Peal Harbor would have been different from living with your actual family?
That's interesting. Again, we weren't told what our parents thought. So I don't know that they would have told me. But surely there must have been expressions that we could tell or feel. And I'm sure they were concerned because they had family in Japan. My mother surely did. But again, as I said, she never expressed these feelings to us. It would only be how I felt it rather than heard it.
What things did you bring with you when the executive
order was issued?
When
I had to pack my suitcase? I remember taking a book called Vamoon's Lives, and then the Bible. Those were about the only books I remember
taking; other than that it would be clothes. What clothes do we take? We are
going to camp. Those were the early days when we could wear, we didn't
call them pants, they were called slacks. My mother was a—she could
sew—she taught sewing at one time. I remember we made clothes:
pants and blouses to go with it. We don't know where we're going,
we don't know for how long we are going to be there. What do we take?
We would take clothes, not dress-up clothes for sure, sweaters, I'm sure, and
pants.
What happened to all the items you left behind?
We
were lucky in that the house and the property that my stepfather had,
was turned over to a friend. He turned out to be a really good friend
who took care of the property and probably whatever crops were there.
Our things were just put into one room. I went out from camp to
St. Louis. Then when my younger sister finished high school, then
with my mother, she came out to St. Louis. Then, eventually all the
things that we had stored in Campbell were shipped to us in St. Louis.
The old trunks that they had were full of our pictures so, that's
how I still have all those photos.
What was the experience like having to pack up and leave everything behind?
I would say traumatic. We had no idea where we were going and we were told just to take the one suitcase. The notice says "camp life" and they told us exactly what to take, in terms of bringing your own dishes. I remember that. And in those days, girls didn't wear pants like they do today. They were called slacks and my mother was a good seamstress. I remember she then made clothes for my sister and for me. That was when we first learned to wear pants.
Can you tell me exactly what you took and why you took it?
It would be immediate needs. Toiletries. The books I took, I said, I took the Bible and I took a copy of—I still have it there—it's called Van Loon's Lives. I took that. And other things. what could you get into one suitcase? Mostly clothes.
What didn't you bring?
What didn't I bring? All the family pictures. Personal things. What did one have as a personal thing as a young woman, right?
Did you ever think, "Gee, I wish I could bring that but it's too big?"
No. I'm thinking that now with all this I have. When I move now, what am I going to leave? And I've decided I really don't need much.
[Shows book]
Received June 1941 from the Morrisons. The Morrisons is the family I lived with.
It's called The Arts. Oh, it's not called Lives, I'm sorry—The Arts, by Hendrik Van Loon.
And who gave it to you?
The Morrisons—that's the family I stayed with.
And why did you choose that book?
Why did I choose this book? Because it had to do with the arts. I spent my summer living in the library, I think. And so they knew that. I would say also, Mrs. Morrison's the one that introduced me to the arts and music.
How did she introduce them?
By taking me to concerts.
How did your Caucasian friends react to Pearl Harbor,
and the entire situation going on?
The
family I was with wanted to know how they could help. The teachers
that I had wanted to know how they could help. I find out, though,
my dearest friend from high school was questioned by the FBI about
me. We were, as I said, totally politically unaware. The war didn't
mean anything much to us other than my brother, who had been in the
artillery, tells us that all his—whatever rifle, or whatever thing
like that he had—was taken, and he had an office sit-down job. The
Caucasian friends, they were helpful to me.
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