Interviews
A story about his father
My father was, well, in a sense very quiet, because I didn’t see him that often. He would come back after his first job, shave and bathe and have his supper and off he goes to his second job, and that went on six days a week. Sunday was the only time we all got together, went to church, and maybe after that go to a restaurant to have something to eat which was a great treat. And so conversations were not too often, but I knew he was the head of the household.
And his law of the land was, no matter what the activity, you must be in the room by 10 o’clock in the evening. So here I am president of the YMCA club, in my senior year, I gotta be in, you know, in the room. That all changed after December 7th because I was out all night long. And one day I got in at 10:05 and he just looked at the clock and says, “You’re late,” I said, “That’s right, sorry.” Well the next 30 days, I stayed at home. I didn’t argue, I knew what the law was.
Date: May 31, 2001
Location: California, US
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum
