S1E8 Reviving Tradition Through Manzanar's Historic Diamond

In this captivating episode, we explore the profound impact of baseball on the Japanese-American community. From personal stories of youth baseball to the inspiring journey of special guest Joshua Morey, who played professionally in Japan, the episode delves into the cultural significance of the sport. We highlight the Manzanar Baseball Project, an initiative to revive a historic baseball diamond that once brought solace to Japanese Americans during WWII. Through discussions on representation, challenges, and the transformative power of baseball, this episode showcases how the sport bridges generations and cultures, fostering a sense of belonging and resilience within the community. Tune in for heartfelt stories, insightful conversations, and a celebration of baseball's enduring legacy.

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Joshua Morey is the chairperson of Ori-gen and president of The J Morey Company Inc. Ori-gen amplifies the voice of diverse communities throughout America by providing resources, services, and perpetuation planning for independent agents and brokers from diverse backgrounds. Morey serves on the board of directors for the U.S.-Japan Council, JANM, the Little Tokyo Community Council, and the Japanese Evangelical Mission Society. He was recently featured on the cover of Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America’s national magazine. He is co-founder of KODO Insurance Services (Insuretech) and chairman of the board of Arrowood Insurance Services. He has a BA in Business Economics, from Wheaton College and a MA in Intercultural Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary. In his free time he loves playing baseball and spending time with his wife and three kids.

ABOUT US

Welcome to "Japanese America," where the Japanese American National Museum unveils captivating stories that add a Nikkei slant to the American narrative. In each episode, we explore Japanese Americans' unique experiences, challenges, and triumphs, illuminating their rich contributions to the mosaic of American life. From historical milestones to contemporary perspectives, join us for an insightful journey showcasing the diverse tapestry of a community that has shaped the American story in extraordinary ways.  Welcome to "Japanese America," where each story unfolds like a chapter in a living history book.

For more information about the Japanese American National Museum, please visit our website at www.janm.org. 

CREDITS

The music was created by Jalen Blank

Written by Koji Steven Sakai

Hosts: Michelle Malazaki and Koji Steven Sakai

Edited and Produced by Koji Steven Sakai in conjunction with the Japanese American National Museum

Transcript

0:00

Baseball or death. Death. I mean so much of my life is around baseball. You know, when I was a kid, I played it, and then we played travel baseball. And now, as an adult, my son plays baseball year round. We practice every day. We have practices all the time. Pretty much every day is baseball. What position did you play? I played second base and kind of utility. So I played all over the place, but mostly second base. And my son is a catcher. Wow. Wow. Catcher is the brain. Yeah. He has to think about baseball a lot. Wow. Did you know that I was a Nomo fan? You were a Nomo fan. I was a normal fan, too. No, I wasn't a normal fan. But according to Fox News, I was a Nomo fan. Because you're Japanese? Yeah. He was really good, though. So when he came to America, the Fox News came to my office with, you know, everybody, everybody who works there were of Japanese, and they came to our office and interviewed everyone, and everybody knew about baseball. I don't know anything about baseball. And so I was like, okay, uh, Nomo, I hope Nomo will do well because he's my age, he's Japanese. He's a nice-looking man. And then everybody else said like, something smart. They pick my footage to be on TV. Oh, nice. So I said, Michelle Nomo fan. But your son played baseball, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, He plays baseball. He plays baseball. Okay. He's a pitcher. He does everything. But oh gosh, he pitched and he hit a boy three kids in a row. So I'm like, okay, let's get out of here. Welcome, welcome, welcome to episode number eight of the Japanese America podcast. My name is Michelle and I'm one of your hosts. And I'm Koji. How was the beginning of the school year going for you? Yeah. It's great. I am back to school taking my music class again. What? Your kids are in school? Oh my kids. Oh, gosh. My daughter became a high school student. Oh, wow. Okay. And she went to the homecoming game already at high school. I'm like, oh my gosh, it's American high school, like Greece. Greece. Okay. And for me, yeah, school is a wonderful time because I get a lot of writing done and work because during the summer, my the amount of work I get done is so much less in terms of my writing and producing stuff.

So it's nice to have, you know, 8: 2:38

00 to three to get my work done. And then after that, it's all baseball. And don't you also teach? I do teach, but mostly that's at night or some during the day, but mostly at night that I that I do during the summer and the winter. Like that doesn't change anything. I teach year round, so. Wow. It's always just. And the scheduling doesn't match up with my son's scheduling. It's. The quarters are all kind of all over the place. So this is where we look at all things Japanese American. We'll bring alive the history, culture, and people that make up this diverse community. Please consider writing a review of our show on the platform you use to listen to this podcast. We know it's a pain in the butt, but it does go a long way in helping the show. It helps us reach new listeners, grow our show, and most importantly, it enables us to keep putting out the content that we hope you enjoy. In this month's episode, we're getting ready for the baseball playoffs by looking at the Manzanar Baseball Project. During the 1940s, baseball was the national pastime of the US, including in America's World War Two concentration camps. Japanese Americans created leagues in all ten camps, and the games drew huge crowds, with spectators often standing and sitting on bare dirt under the blazing sun. Baseball was a way for Japanese Americans to find a sense of normalcy, uplift their spirits, and claim a connection to American culture. Today the Manzanar Baseball Project is rebuilding and bringing to life the baseball diamond at Manzanar National Historic Site. Artist and project director Dan Kwong is spearheading the project. Two exhibition games are planned for September. The Little Tokyo Giants and the Lodi Jacl Templars, as well as North versus South all star game. We are lucky enough to have one of those players join us for the podcast. A member of Jam's board, Joshua Morey. Joshua Morey is a chairperson of Ori-gen and president of Jay Morey Company, Inc.. Ori-gen amplifies the voice of diverse communities throughout America by providing resources, services, and perpetuation planning for independent agents and brokers from diverse backgrounds. Morey serves on the Board of Directors for the US Japan Council, JANM and the Little Tokyo Community Council, and the Japanese Evangelical Mission Society. Wow. Wow. I didn't know there are baseball teams. What? The little Tokyo giants. Yeah, they're like adult baseball teams. Oh. And Lodi. Lodi. How many Japanese Americans are there? I don't know. There's a lot of Japanese Americans who are playing baseball. In Lodi. Wow. Probably from that area. I don't imagine they're all from Lodi. Okay. Because I've driven through. Yeah. It's like a farming community. Yeah, Yeah. Oh, wow. Wow. First, let's get to know Josh a little bit. Tell us about yourself. Josh? Yeah. Um, hi. My name is Josh Morey, the president of the Jay Mori Company and chairperson of Ori-gen Insurance Group. Uh, come from a legacy business that my dad and uncle started 44 years ago. And since then, I've just. We have roots in the communities that I grew up in, in Little Tokyo and in San Jose Japantown. And I've since expanded to Hawaii as well. That's what I do as my day job. What I do on the side is I just I love baseball, and so multiple different engagements and businesses surrounding baseball as well. Next we asked Josh about when he fell in love with baseball. I fell in love with baseball. Gosh, probably four years old. My dad was a lefty, and I think he was trying to force me to be a left handed pitcher, but I was naturally right handed. But, um, got into baseball at T-ball, and I just I loved the game the first time I picked up a bat and that's, like, came home from school and just wanted to, like, play catch in the backyard or hit baseballs. I would say, though, that my love for the game grew when the Dodgers won the World Series in 1988. And I mean, just like seeing the energy when Kirk Gibson hit that home run in game one and like 88, I was probably like, you know, like six years old. And so but I still have vivid memories. And I was living in the Bay area at the time too. And so like not many Dodger fans up there, but my dad bled Dodger blue, you know, growing up in the Bay. So I mean, I think at that moment I really, really fell in love with the game. And sorry, long winded answer to your question. I think it comes in different steps, but it was when Hideo Nomo came to America to play for the Dodgers that I think I really started to identify with the game. And growing up, I was the only Asian person on my team. I was usually the smallest kid, and to be able to see someone like Hideo Nomo come and have such great success that someone that looked like me, and that everyone else on my team was trying to emulate with his, like, tornado, you know, wind up. It kind of became cool to to to have my teammates emulate someone that looked like me. And so I think that's where I personally started identifying and embracing the game as who I was in the game. While researching Josh, I found out he played college baseball. More of that to come later, so I asked him to tell us about his baseball career. So I played baseball my whole life. I actually played three sports my whole life. Unlike today, where my kids are having to pick one, played in high school, went on to play at Wheaton College, and then went on to play in Japan for bounced around for a couple of years and came back and hung it up in 2006. I noticed that Josh was always batting high in the order, so I asked him what kind of hitter he was and who his professional player comp was. Oh my goodness. I think my player comps Dave Roberts. I depended on my speed. Great defensively hit for a high average. I guess that's relative. But in my mind a high average and mostly singles and doubles. Michelle, Josh played in Japan. What do you think the challenges of a Japanese American playing baseball in Japan would be. Wow. He played in Japan? Yeah. Wow. I don't know, there are many foreign gaijin baseball players, But not Japanese American. I know gaijin baseball players called Sketo like helpers, but I didn't know Japanese Americans. I don't think there were a lot of them. Yeah He might be the one a few Because I don't know, Japanese people are racist. I'm sorry, I am one of them. But because there are only two races, Japanese and foreigners. Yeah Non-Japanese and Japanese Americans look Japanese, but once they, you know, people figure they don't speak Japanese and they start treating you kind of bad. Yeah yeah It must be. That's what I was thinking. It must be tough because culturally, it's so different. Yeah, I think Japanese. Japanese people are a little jealous. Maybe, I don't know. Japan is very in-group. Outgroup. Yes. And so Japanese Americans are definitely outgroup. So. So I think that that's a big issue that's that comes up if you play if a Japanese American plays in Japan. But I think the bigger issue is almost philosophically like everything is super different. And I think that there's an expectation with the Japanese American that they understand those expectations. And also like Japanese players in Japan, they've been playing since they were little in Japanese leagues. And they have like senpai Kohai. Yeah They oh my gosh. But that's what I mean, that there's these kind of expectations that are completely different, like just how they interact with their teammates and how they interact with the coaches and other players. And you know, like, for example, I played a summer in Japan and I remember, you know, I was a they made fun of me a lot because my approach to baseball was very American, you know, like, I would try to hit the ball hard or pull the ball. And Japan at the time especially wasn't the case. And so every time I would do something that they would just say things like stupid American or, you know, like. Oh, that's so mean. It's just, I mean, you know, they wouldn't say it out loud, but it was like in the looks, right? So I think that there would be kind of those expectations where I think it might be easier if you don't look Japanese, because then they just expect you to be stupid and not know anything anyway. Yeah. So. But the moment you look Japanese, it's probably pretty challenging. You know, that's why I tell my son it's probably easier to play in Mexico than it would be to play in Japan, because in Mexico, everyone knows that you're not Mexican Because it's clear you're not Mexican. But if my son plays in Mexico, he looks Mexican. Because he's hapa. Yeah. He's hapa. Okay. Oh my gosh. My son's playing with Mexican people at Adult League. Yeah. And I'm like, okay, who won? He's like, I don't know. They drank like three cases of modelo in two innings and they are all drunk. That's funny. So he plays an adult league now? No, he like he got invited to play because he works at the restaurant. Oh. Got it. And so he's been going here and there. But like he's like he loves it because they have tacos. Well, the Mexican League pays really well. Oh they do. Yeah. They actually play pay really well. They pay better than American independent ball. Oh, Yeah. And I don't know about Japan, though. I don't know how much Japan pays. Next we asked Josh about the importance of baseball to the Japanese American community. To me, the significance of baseball to our community stems from the incarceration camps, and I do not think, but I know for certain that it did provide a sense of normalcy. Just being in the camps and being around a game that's still required one ball, you know, nine players, a wooden bat and and people around, you know, competing at this as if they were competing back in LA or San Francisco or wherever it was. I think that really helped solidify our community within the camps. And I think coming out of the camps, these teams that were formed have now continued on. And like this year for NAU, we're celebrating our seventh state. 70th state tournament. So it just says a lot about how the baseball was so influential then and is still very influential in our community now. We asked Josh about the Manzanar Baseball Project, I love it. So Dan is the is the mastermind behind this Manzanar baseball project that, you know, he wanted to he had this vision of bringing baseball back to the camps. I think it goes into all the research that he did of how influential baseball was in creating community in such a hard time, and so he wanted to go and find home plate at Manzanar, and he's got pictures about all the brush that was in the area and how hard it was to actually find home plate and then start clearing out the brush, laying down the foundation and creating an actual field where we can bring back our community for the first time to play on this field. And how he got involved in the project. Surprisingly, I'm 41, soon to be 42. I don't know how old Dan Kwong is, but he's been playing for the Little Tokyo Giants for, uh, I don't know, a long time. Right. And so Dan still plays with us. He starts sharing this idea when we're playing on Sundays, that he wanted to go and find and bring back the bring back a game to Manzanar. And so inevitably, he loops some of us in. I haven't been up to the field yet at Manzanar, but a lot of our teammates have gone to help, then clear the field and build the field. And his whole thing is like, if we build it, they will come. So yeah, I mean, inevitably playing with Dan looped me in and he knows how much how meaningful baseball is in my life, so asked me to also play in the game. Finally, we asked about the importance of the Manzanar Baseball project to the community. I don't think many people realize the power that of baseball and, you know, and the power that baseball had within our community during the incarceration. So there's some documentaries that been done recently. There's one called Baseball Behind Barbed Wire. And although I've read a lot of the history, to be able to see that and see how impactful it was to bring us all together, I think would be great for our broader community to understand and to know. And like Dan said, if you build it, they will come. I think so many people within our community are going to come and they're going to, you know, experience this game, experience the impact that a simple game can have on building community. But also just like tying this back to our broader roots of education. Educating ourselves on incarceration camps post-war where we are today. And like even looking to the future of, you know, our impact as Japanese Americans in broader America. I think this simple game is going to is going to be able to help bring to light stories that we've never heard. And what it meant to Josh, personally, I. Love baseball and I love my community. And although my family was in at Manzanar, my family was in Amachi tying two things that I loved together and to be able to take part in a historic game that can help us, you know, remember where we came from, but also think about like, what is the future of our community look like? I mean, it is through the love of baseball that I'm most excited about this, but to think about the broader impact of what we can do, and it's a gathering point for us to to like, springboard what we can do more in the future. Koji. What does that Manzanar baseball project mean to you? Being able to go back and find the home plate and redo these moments, I think it's really important for the community for a couple of reasons. It brings us together, right? In different circumstances. I think it also brings up the the historic and the educational about why why these Japanese Americans are playing in this concentration camp in the middle of the desert. I think those are all important things. And like I heard that they're going to they might do a baseball game for kids, Japanese American kids. And I want my son to play there because I think it's important for him to understand that even though these Japanese Americans were incarcerated behind barbed wire, they were making the best of a bad situation, right? That they were playing baseball, they were having beauty contests. They were all those kinds of things were were there. And that these people, you know, just like they could have been sitting around and being sad or they just tried to make the best of it. And that baseball represented a, you know, 3 hours or 2 hours of me of being able to get away from the incarceration, so to speak, and play. So I think that it's an important reminder. And the more important reminders that we have of this to not only the Japanese American community, but the community, the broader community, I think is really important. What about you? What do you think the Manzanar Baseball Project means? I think it's going to connect all the people like that, by that, by that together as a community, because a lot of people still love baseball. I mean, baseball used to be the pastime, but nowadays there are many other choices. It's still the only. Yeah, but now with Ohtani, everybody loves baseball. Yes. So especially here in LA. Yes. And I think it's going to get more attention by different type of people. And I think it will put the light not just the baseball project but the whole. Incarceration. Yeah, definitely. I was super curious about what it was like for Josh to play baseball in Japan. Yeah, the being Japanese American playing in Japan, people kind of just expected me to speak Japanese, and my Japanese was horrible. And so I would try a little bit. So I think that was the hard part, is almost like just blending in with everybody and expecting to know all the norms, like even just baseball norms. Um, I didn't quite understand. I would say that was also the the most exciting part for me was I get to play in a game that I love and also learn it through a different lens. So, you know, showing up for us in America two hours before the game, while in Japan, it's well beyond two hours before the game. And the way that you respect your opponents, you respect your equipment, you respect your coach, your teammates, it takes it to another level. So, you know, I got to really kind of experience a different culture. Even though I am Japanese American, never experienced baseball from playing in Japan. Of course. Being a baseball dad, I needed to ask Josh for advice for my son. I mean, it's the greatest game created in the history of mankind. So. I love it, and I get nostalgic about it. I mean, to the extent where I can give it up. I still play almost every Sunday and NAU LABO whenever I can pick up a bat and ball and be part of a team. But I think any encouragement I'd give to your son or any other JAs that are playing baseball love baseball is like the it starts with the love for the game. Most of us aren't going to go on and play professionally, but the game of baseball teaches so much about life that I carry with me every day. And you know, if you're a 300 hitter, that means you fail seven out of ten times. So being able to forget your mistake quickly because you're going to have another at bat that day. Same thing here. What I do in business is like just because I strike out once in a meeting, may, you know, I'm going to have multiple meetings today. So how do you quickly erase that and baseball terminology. How do you turn the page and turn the page moving on. But you know, love for the game is number one. And it's going to teach so many lessons about life. Last but not least, we have to ask what's the importance of Shohei Ohtani. From Nomo and all the excitement to where we sit today with Ohtani went to the all star game in Colorado a couple years ago, and I thought that, you know, our community was the only one rooting for Ohtani when I showed up to the game. It doesn't matter what color skin you are, no matter where you are from. In America, everybody had on Ohtani jerseys. And like, I just felt so proud because awesome for me to see a Japanese player be the face of baseball, I think it does kind of change the narrative of who can accomplish anything in, you know, through this game, through in America, through whatever, whatever lens you're looking at. But I'm just so proud to see someone that looks like us being the face of baseball worldwide. Michelle, now that we heard all of this, what are your thoughts. On Shohei Ohtani? On all of it. On everything we've heard. Oh, my. I used to work for Japanese TV news, sports news, and I used to interview Matsui. The Godzilla. Yeah, Yeah, The New York. Yankees, Outfielder. New York Yankees. And that was so much fun. And now Shohei Ohtani is here and I don't know, like baseball game is so much fun. You go to different parks and and it just brings everybody smile. Yeah. And I think this project is amazing. I can't wait to see the game and outcome. You know for me, I think what Shohei and and kind of what it all represents, what this project represents as well is that, you know, Asian Americans, Japanese Americans are as are as American as everybody else. And, you know, when people see people that look different playing the sport, that is the ultimate example of America, then I think it it opens it up in ways that, that make it that make it more inclusive. Like, for example, my son plays like I've talked about. My son plays travel baseball. And there's a definite different feel for my son now than it was when I was a kid. Like when I was a kid, I was pretty much the only Asian person around. There was never Asian people. Now my son's team is about half Asian American. There's, you know, we go to places and we play teams with Asians and not a lot, but more than before. And, you know, when I was playing, there was a lot of I wouldn't say necessarily racism, but a lot of doubt about my ability to play there. But now you see people like Shohei Ohtani or Ichiro Suzuki or Hideo Nomo or any of those guys, and then you realize that we can play baseball for Japanese Americans. We've been playing baseball, you know, pre-World War Two. You know, it just shows how Americanized and how American we are, how good old fashioned American we are. Yeah. The baseball. So you you don't have to speak the English language to play together. Yeah, I mean, home, I don't know, you said you don't say home. Home Homerun. I don't know, but it's just like stand up comedy. I do stand up comedy, you know, you show up and people don't even say hi to me sometimes because I'm not them. Yeah But if you do a good set, they'll all come to me and say hi. I think the baseball is the same thing. Like when, you know, when you show up, you know, you kind of feel like outside a little bit. But when you play really good, you are one of them. And they really like people who plays together. Yeah. I mean, there's actually a funny story. We traveled to Iowa at the Field of Dreams tournament, and my son participated in the home run contest. Oh, wow. And he was a foot shorter, not a foot shorter. He's probably like 6 or 7in, but significantly shorter than everybody else. And I remember when he was going up to bat for the home run contest. Everyone's like, Yeah, right. Well, they weren't saying anything racist, which was what I was listening for was something like racist about him, but they were more like, who's this short kid? Yeah. Which was different because when I was a kid, that would have been like, who's the Jap or something? Yeah, But but now it's like, who's the shark? And then the moment he hit, he hit two out of three home runs. Oh, wow. Wow. And then they were, like, cheering for him. Yes. And I think that that's a direct effect of seeing people like Shohei Ohtani that you know, because before Shohei the criticism even Godzilla or Mizuki or. Matsui. Matsui. Yeah. Even before him, the stereotype of Japanese players was that they couldn't hit home runs. That we could hit singles like Ichiro or doubles and stuff, and we could run around faster, or we could pitch, but never, you know, never hit home runs, never be the big home run hitter. And I think that seeing people like Shohei opens the doors to make people think, oh, well, he might be short or he might be Japanese, or he might be Asian, but that he could do it, you know? And that made me really happy to see, you know, that there was a lot of that that representation means so much to to it. I love that the mural over there. Oh, That you could see. In Little Tokyo. The mural. You know it moves, right? That's. Yeah, that's what I think. You're supposed to scan the QR code. So Michelle's talking about in Little Tokyo on the Miyako Hotel. On the wall, there's a giant mural of Shohei Ohtani and Yamamoto. And there is a QR code, I think, in the parking lot. Like, you have to go to the parking lot, you scan the QR code, it brings you to a website, and then when you take a picture of it, it moves. Wow, I didn't know this. Actually. I've been here like a year or like six months since it's gone up. I didn't even know until my wife told me when we came here for lunch the other day. Oh And she took a picture and she showed it to me. So yeah, there's a there's an awesome mural. I mean, who would have thought that we would have a mural of, like, probably one of the best baseball players in the world. Japanese. Who's Japanese? Yeah, yeah. That's crazy. So I have a question. Yes. The the baseball game is going to be held at Manzanar. Yes. Oh, wow. So, Josh, Josh talked about how Dan was, by the way, we tried to get interviewed, Dan, but Dan's busy setting it up so we weren't able to get that. But Dan had to go look for the the home plate like the original home plate. And I think he found it. And then he started, you know, getting all the the plants out and putting dirt in and stands. And so that's what they've been working on. So they're going to have the game there. There. From what I heard originally it was going to be open just to anybody we want. I wanted to go there with my family. But I think last I heard that it wasn't going to be open to public. It's only going to open to the families and then they'll stream it live. But I think in the future they want to have games like my son or something that that could play there. So time to build a hotel there. I think there's hotels in not next to Manzanar, but in, um, Lone Pine or the the city right next door. There's, there's a bunch of hotels that we've stayed at. Yeah. Because I went to In and Out after I visited Manzanar. I had to drive two hours. No there's a city right next door. Like. I mean, not next door, like 20 minutes away. Yeah. So there's, there's like motels and hotels. But the only thing is that's interesting about that, about the kid's game is that there's just I mean, how many Japanese American baseball players are around? Well, you. Like kids, like, Okay. Your kid. Yeah, there's I have another Japanese American Logan, on my team. So there's two. But other than there's just not a lot of Japanese Americans. My son is 18, so he's not a kid anymore. He could play on these teams. Oh. The Lodi. No he can play on the little Tokyo team. To learn more about the life inside of the concentration camps, I invite you guys to come to JANM and walk through our ongoing exhibition, Common Ground Heart of a community. My favorite section is where you can see a picture of people playing baseball, but also you can see Japanese American incarcerees making the best of a bad situation. Things like dances, basketball, and even a beauty contest. Michelle, if you could go back to one of these concentration camps, what activity would you want to still do? Well, if I could go back to the concentration camp, Like. Not go back. But if you could go to a concentration camp. Uh, I, you know, I used to do hand quilting. Oh, and I think it would be fun to form a quilting bees. Okay. With the other ladies. That's interesting. But also, like, um, calligraphy would be nice. You probably want to be a Japanese calligraphy. Oh, but there's English. I mean, like American calligraphy. Because anything Japanese would be seen as. Oh Not good. Oh, But they still did it. I think they still did it. They did, like, ikebana and stuff. But I think that, you know, the less Japanese things you did, the better, probably. I also like so there are so many photographers. Yeah. And I, I love them all. And the mountain or the mountain mountains are really nice. Yeah. Although it's. I think it was illegal originally to bring in cameras. Cameras? Oh. Because it could be a spy. Yeah. But I think that people did sneak in cameras. It wasn't. I mean, there are examples of people sneaking cameras, and when Ansel Adams came to visit, he hired Miyatake to take pictures as well to. But he was taking like, not the pictures with him. He was just doing his own pictures. But yeah, that would be great. Or maybe I could be the model. If I were in one of these camps, I would want to play baseball. I mean, that's what I want to do. But I have to admit that if you guys come to the if you come to the exhibition and you see the picture of the beauty queen, she's really hot. Ooh. Yeah. So I would I would want to be a part of that. Oh, maybe I yeah, I, I don't know. I just want to be a model for the photographers. I, I want to be the boyfriend of the model for the or the beauty queen. Oh, that'd be nice. You'd be the arm candy. Yeah. Thank you, Josh Morey, for your time. And thank you all for listening. There are almost 3 million podcasts we are honored you've chosen to listen to ours. And if you like the podcast, please share it with your friends, family, and even your enemies. You'll be doing a lot to help us keep bringing exciting and fun content every month. This podcast is a program of the Japanese American National Museum. The museum's mission is to promote understanding and appreciation of America's ethnic and cultural diversity by sharing the Japanese American experience. Please rate, review and subscribe to our podcast, and be sure to join us next month when we talk giant robots. Giant robots. What? That sounds fun. All right. Bye. Bye.