Working in cane fields as teenager, and how it helped in his athletic training (Japanese)

Clip title: Working in cane fields as teenager, and how it helped in his athletic training (Japanese)

Interviewee: Wally Kaname Yonamine

Windows Media Player or Audio only

Clip transcript:

(Japanese) When I was in Maui, well, I was about 12 to 14 years old. I worked at a sugar plantation. I didn’t like the job very much. But at that time, we didn’t have very much money, and in whatever way possible, I had to help my father and mother. So I worked very hard. Because of it, when I played baseball and football, it really helped. Doing such hard work, when I played baseball and football, because they were very tough sports, I couldn’t forget about those early hardships. Even now, even though I am 78 years old, and it was almost 60 – 65 years ago, I will never forget.

Well, even when I played baseball in Japan, I also faced hardship, but I could get through it and do it. Well, my life changed a lot because of Japanese baseball.

Credits:

Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum.