B03C, Lok Shung Lau ‘86, Chang Chin-Tao, Mother, 1936, Yokohama: Naka-ku, Nagano
I asked my mother about her memories of World War II. She was born in 1936, and she is now 49 years old.
Q: How old were you during the war?
A: I was about nine when the bombing of Yokohama occurred [on May 29, 1945].
Q: Were you living in the house where Grandmother lives now?
A: Yes, for almost all of the time during the war [at a Chinese restaurant called Kaiin-kaku which still exists in Yokohama’s Chinatown]. The restaurant was open during the war, and many people lined up to eat. Your grandfather had connections with the food dealers, and at that time there was a shortage of food, and everything else. Therefore, many people came to eat, including some famous actors—but I’ve forgotten their names.
Q: What was the air raid shelter (bōkūgō) like?
A: It was dug just in front of my house. Many people living in Chinatown cooperated to dig it, so it was very big. However, during the bombing of Yokohama, there was no time to go into the shelter.
Q: Why? Can you tell me more about the bombing of Yokohama?
A: Well, as you may have heard in History class, the American B-29 bombers dropped incendiary bombs (shōidan). These bombs began dropping like rain, as soon as we heard the air raid siren. But it was already too late to go into the shelter. So my family escaped to Yamashita Park. By that time, Chinatown was a blazing inferno. Just then, a bomb dropped right at my feet! It had not exploded yet. So I just kicked the bomb with my shoe. I was so frantic to escape that I don’t remember it clearly, but I think it exploded when I kicked it.
Q: I thought my third uncle and aunt were born during the war, right? That means that my grandparents had to escape with six children?
A: Yes, your grandmother carried your third uncle and aunt. My grandfather took the hands of your second uncle and aunt. I was with my biggest brother.
Q: What else do you remember about the bombing?
A: Since the bombs were dropping so heavily, we had to go down the steps of the pier. (I used to call it the “apron,” because it looked like an apron.) Many people began to escape in boats. There were many Japanese and some Chinese people. At first, your grandfather told us not to go near the pier, but since the bombing was so heavy, we had no choice. However, we couldn’t board the boat. But we were lucky, because that boat was bombed, and all the people who were on it drowned in the harbor.
I don’t remember much about that night, but on the next day, we took a train to Karuizawa, where we had a small summer house. My grandfather felt sorry for his friends’ families who had lost their houses in Yokohama. (Our house was burned down too. Actually, nothing was left of Chinatown after the bombing.) The other two families lived with us in Karuizawa. But there were two mischievous boys in one of those families, and they broke almost all of our furniture. There was a large piece of land in front of our summer house, so we planted lots of vegetables. Also there was a mountain nearby, and we caught many animals there. You could see the Asama-yama volcano from the house.
Q: Did you hear the Emperor’s speech announcing the surrender of Japan?
A: Yes, I heard it, but since I was still nine, I did not feel anything. I just knew that Japan had lost.
Q: What did you do after the surrender?
A: We went back to Yokohama. We found the land where our house had stood, and we started rebuilding the house. As soon as our house was finished, your grandfather started the restaurant. At first there were not so many diners, and I remember selling doughnuts and buns that your grandfather baked. I sold them in front of the drugstore called Kōseidō, which is still there. Gradually, more people came to our restaurant, and again many famous people came. Even Prime Minister Hatoyama Ichirō came! It was featured in several novels and newspaper articles.
Q: As you look back, what are your conclusions about your experiences during the war?
A: Well, I think they were roughly the same as everyone experienced. I feel that I was lucky, because I had something to eat and a place to live in.
As a result of this interview, I think I learned more about the war, in ways that history books and classes can’t teach us. I feel like I can visualize some of my mother’s experiences.