Bunro Sakaino Concentration Camp Diary

Transcript

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I have been keeping my diary based on what I remember and on bits of memorandum that I have kept since the 7th day of the month. It has been a similar situation all the way through the end of the month. I find a table unsuitable for writing, and the lighting is also extremely poor at nighttime. It is not only very hard to write, but I tend to avoid writing because I worry that my eyes may be affected by the darkness.

Almost everyone experienced side effects from the shots, and quite a few people stayed in bed. People had severe chills and headaches at night, and it was difficult to raise the left arm where the shots had been given. Fortunately, I only had some difficulty raising my arm and a bit of chills around midnight. However, I have been suffering from digestive problems ever since our train ride, and these give me a hard time at night.

A lot of people got food poisoning from a meal we had and suffered from diarrhea in the middle of the night. Loud calls for a Japanese doctor were heard, but there were no means of obtaining any medication for it.

It is quite chilly in the mornings and evenings, and we need to light the stoves early in the morning. It is extremely hot during the day, but it is comfortable so far because of the strong wind blowing.

We were told that vaccinations were to be given two more times within the next two weeks.