Other Faces, Other Lives

00:07 You get a break every 20 minutes

00:22 okay, well why don’t you start off by just telling us a little bit about your background

00:30 or background Well, I was born here in Pocatello. 1950 been here all my life

00:50 I’ve never lived left this area except for short trips

00:58 and my life has been quite tranquil and placid here I think I have many friends I don’t think I have

01:11 any enemies that I know of and get along pretty good with the general public can’t I farmed? My father was killed when I was 15 years old and I had to quit school it’s okay, it’s okay. When you whisper and it sounds like having to ask it was alright to speak up. Yeah. Oh, is that okay? How did your father’s

01:53 my father was killed when auto accident run over by a truck. He was had been helping a neighbor put out a fire using his trip to assist him because it was a burning haystack and he used to help tear down the haystack and saw he was having his truck pulled back to Pocatello this place where he farmed at
the time was approximately 10 miles north of Pocatello but he was riding in the truck that was doing the pulling with fella that worked for him and he was going to get off the truck at a place called Tai Chi which was about five miles north of Pocatello to talk to my wife’s father and he asked him not to stop he would just jump off and some or the other he fell in front of the rear wheels and he was practically killed instantly. The time I was 15 years old my father really had a truck garden at that time here in Pocatello. And since I had gone with him quite a bit I knew most of his customers and knew pretty much how he did his business so I quit school and continued the business with my mother and my younger brothers and sisters however they went on to school Jaya after we continued truck gardening or vegetable farming until World War Two started and at that time, man took so much hand labor which became scarce that I went into general farming and continued

04:30 until about 19 or in early 50s. I started to work on various jobs part time while I was cutting my farming operations down because we were the the city was growing out to where we were living and ground. It was getting so crowded that there wasn’t too much ground available. So after about 1955 or six, I quit
my farming operation altogether. And since that time I have mostly been working in construction maintenance or our supervising that phase of it. And I retired about I guess eight years ago, but after about a year I kind of got back into it again. So I’m on the face of retiring again, this present time.

06:09 Do you know why your parents came to America in the first place?

06:13 My father came to America in right after the San Francisco earthquake which was above which was 96. But he came over more or less to make his fortune as I think the general people the man especially did at that time, our few of them came over I guess to for more or less on educational or learn something about this country but my father came over with the intentions of establishing enough. Well, I don’t think he ever did expect to establish a business I think he did want to have acquire a little wealth and probably go back to Japan but after he had been here several years why? I guess he liked it. And decided against going back so he sent from my mother and she came in 1914.

07:43 She has been here ever since except for a couple of visits she made back to Japan.

07:50 You’ll listen how many children? She what year the oldest of how many?

07:54 Yes, I’m the oldest of there were six originally. There are five of us still, maybe.

08:10 Where are they right now.

08:15 My closest sister is in Blackfoot, Idaho, which is about 20 miles north. Then I have a sister in Ogden sister in Omaha and a brother in Los Angeles. And I have a sister in Hawaii.

08:43 What were the early days like here in Pocatello recall what the community was like at that time.

08:54 Course I think we have about twice as many people today as we did back in 1920s 25. I can’t remember much farther back than about 1925. But I know the area of that town has grown or must be three times bigger than it was in those days. I think my father had loved friends and I think through that

09:36 our family fare well. socially accepted. He had many people that came to see a call on Him have Caucasian people and so we were fairly well known. I think and from I think from that we fared fairly well during World War Two period,

10:24 so you didn’t feel the prejudice that was going on?

10:27 Very little. I think there there was some sense wasn’t directing directed directly to us but I did hear of some I think generally general director generate towards Japanese people. Excuse me to kind of stop this clock Sure. Just depends a

11:09 little bit on the board

11:18 How do you feel your family has influenced this community and how has this community influenced your family?

11:31 I don’t know if we’ve been influenced to community so much except that I’ve been I think both of us are quite proud of our heritage and our culture. And we tell everytime we have an opportunity we don’t necessarily boast about it but we like to tell him good points and which I truly believe there are is a lot of fine points in old oriental culture.

12:16 Tell us a little bit about your children.

12:22 We have both been married before and she has a family and I have one so we have decided

12:30 we’ll get to Sanaya.

12:36 My oldest son he is about 51. Two lives in Caldwell, Idaho. He has married to a Caucasian girl. They have five children. He is they farm they have three grandchildren. Then

13:21 what are their children do?

13:25 My once married and farming and one boy is in service Air Force and he’s in England after President have one. Then the oldest daughter is going to Rick’s College. The others are still in high schooler. Then I have a daughter in Kuna Idaho. She’s married to a son say no, no. But they have three children. The eldest daughter goes to University of Idaho and the other to go to school there in Kuna. See, going was in a dream as the camp admin adult camp and he was about three points. My oldest daughter Edith lives in Los Angeles. She is working for city Los Angeles City Water and Power and they only have one daughter. And I think she’s going to school now. Then I have a daughter in Fremont California. She has two daughters and one is going to college. The oldest one is going to college. Next one is just going to high school she is widowed she that’s all mine.

15:30 Did you feel you were raised in a more traditional Japanese family or Americanized? How do you feel you and your parents?

15:41 Well, I kinda would think about half and half. How so? Well, because we had Oh, I think 50% of our meals were American style meals. Then friends, there was a lot of Japanese spoken at home.

16:18 Do you speak Japanese?

16:21 I can understand it. And I can speak. But I wouldn’t say all those long ways from I would say a long way from fluid anymore. I used they used to have what they call Japanese language summer schools here before World War Two. And most of us attended those and

16:51 we were taught the basics, how to read and write. But through not using it, I have lost all of mine. Now,

17:09 my sisters that live out of town they write to my mother so they’ve retained theirs. But I’m sorry to say that I’ve lost every bit of mine. And we don’t have too much of an opportunity to use the language except we have to speak it when we’re with my mother, but that’s the only time

17:41 some of your background

00:10 Emile was married. Jimmy, not coming. Excuse me. Richard.

00:20 Sort of Buddhism is met.

00:22 I don’t know. You have a lot of religions? Yes. We have some of the United Nations family. Yes. melding them out in melting pot Are you going?

00:44 Why don’t you tell us about your family?

00:48 See, I am the eldest of five, family of five. And I was born up in black. And oh, let’s see. family migrated down to Thai here, which is about six miles north of here. And her went to school there. Most of my life, I mean, first through the sixth grade, and then I came into Pocatello to go to high school. After that, mom decided that I need to be a more refined labor like so they sent me to Japan, I was in Japan for a year and a half, came back. And I went to Utah State for a year. And then was married, had my family and after my, the youngest boy was in the fifth grade, I went back to school, plugged along and, and tried to get my degrees I went along. In the meantime, I got a job in this foxhole school system, and I taught for 21 years and primary grades. enjoyed that experience very much down and then fall in love. I have been married now for 22 years, I think. And so we have the combination of two families.

02:42 I, let’s see, other than just working for all those years, I suppose that I’m having been in Japan. My life has been a happy life. But I can’t say that there was anything particularly exciting or you know that you think of that now I think of all the things that a person can do now, I think it would be wonderful. But in those days why? We’re pretty much set, especially the girls like you can be a teacher or a nurse, men being of Japanese descent why? Jobs were hard to find. And in fact, most of the girls around here just
didn’t think that it was possible for us to get jobs. But I was fortunate because I knew the the superintendent of our schools because I had worked in BTA and he had promised me I said well when you get ready to detail. So I hadn’t quite finished with my degree. But I started there was a year of where there was a shortage of teachers and I just started and I continued on and finished teaching getting my degree. My DJ

04:14 Do you know why your parents came from Japan?

04:18 My father was a very adventurous guy. He had gone to Washington University in Tokyo for several years and decided that he wanted to try coming to America and sewing came on over any was one of those wonders that hit stoned the freight cars in those days, you know, wandered all over the United States doing odd jobs. I can tell when he

04:49 came here to the United States.

04:52 What year I have the information on the sheet there but I can tell you up and down He must have come right around my team. A nine along there, I think like he talked about going through Colorado, picking cucumbers going to different parts, you know, parts of the state and picking watermelons and things like that. And then with travel. A lot of times, I guess he was just a regular old trap, he said during the attack on the freight cars and moving from parts of the country to another part. But when he was 37 years old, why his mother decided that he should get married and so at an our family was that my father’s mother was an adoptive mother, Dad had lost his mother when he was about three or four and was adopted into the dmrb family. And she had a sister. And so these two my grandmother’s of mine, were actually sisters. And so when the dad Manabi, mother decided that, that needs to get married, and she went to their sister and said was you’ve got a daughter? And I think she’d be a good wife for my son. So would you mind talking to her and seeing if she would come to the United States? So grandmother approached mom and asked her mom, mom was the only daughter, she had two brothers. And she said, I don’t want to go that far since is that halfway around the world. But after she thought about it, she decided, well, if that’s what you’d like me to do, I’ve been she would come. So she, at the time she was teaching school in Japan to give at a game.

07:13 Did you feel that you were raised in a traditional Japanese family?

07:17 Oh, I think mom tried to awfully high, but I just wasn’t very much of a good performer, I guess. Because they just felt like when I graduated from high school, I needed to be sent to Japan. Take Well, I think after many, many years, I’m just beginning to appreciate it. You know, as a person gets older than you, you begin to see, well, I see why mom wanted me to become more of a lady and the different things that they taught me when I went back has come into practical value, you know, and I’ve been able to pass it on to my girls and tell them well, you know, I can see like, grandma sent me back because the different things that you need to learn to do. And like, when I went back, I didn’t understand the language. So for six months, you know, it was just hardly any communication at all. And I move they sent me back with a family who the husband, Mr. Suzuki had come to the United States as a an exchange student. And during the summer time, I don’t know how my father became acquainted with them. But during the summertime, he used to come up from Logan and work on the farm for expenses spending money during the year and after he had been with us for two three summers why then he promised my dad mom that if anyone in our family ever needed to go back to Japan, they would be glad to do the same for us, you know, to take care of. So I was sent back all my the lady that I had to live with the wife of Mr. Suzuki. Her father had been was a prison warden in Shizuoka City and a very strictly motivated person you know, and everything was on go but you had to do it according to the strictest sense of Daphne’s manner at that time and and me going back as a 1718 year old you know, just as carefree and and I’m concerned about everything especially responsibility a man I mean, I must have been horrible. But anyway, they sent me back so you can imagine what the change was, you know, but I had to go through one of the the jars like I had had to do was every night after school I they had an old boy was about a year and a half. And it was my job to pat him on my back and walk until I put him to sleep. I was rain or shine that was the same routine that I had to go through every night. And if it rained, or it was stormy, then I’d have to walk a mile with the Japanese apparel Japanese get us to meet the master Mr. Suzuki, who was commuting by train through another city because he also was a teacher. And I’d have to meet him. But to get on him so that he could walk home, you know, not that his feet wet. And then there were, there’s another chore I had to do. And of course, that was every night, I would be the last plan out. And they had what they call a GET UP mic or you put all your gifts out. And so you would place all the guitars in the in the boxes and neat little rows. And then in the morning before that everyone would get up and go to work. Why then I’d have to get up and take the get those out and put them out on my veranda so that you know what they came down, they’d be able to get into it. And I know towards the end, I resented it. Because I think, well, why need to do that when every night and I was the last one there. No one went out after you know the they went to bed. And so naturally the ghettos would be in a nice, neat row, the next morning, when they got up there, I couldn’t see the need for putting him in the boxes every night. But that was just one of the routine and discipline discipline, things I think that I had to learn to do. And school every day was good, because you know, they go to school, they’re, what 11 months of the year, they went to school on Saturdays. And then on Sundays, I had the flower arrangement from 11 in the morning until about four or five in the afternoon. My days were busy. And at the time, I didn’t really appreciate all the things that I had to learn to do that I think as years gone by least it’s taught me to be more patient understanding and that type of thing that I probably wouldn’t have learned.

12:42 Regarding you growing up in this area, how have you noticed the community interact? You’re changing?

12:50 I haven’t really it seems as though I’ve I’ve grown up kind of what do you call it? Just very happy, atmospheric thing. You know, we all have our ups and downs. But I think basically speaking, I haven’t all the years that I taught school, I never met but much discrimination. I’d find low children coming up to me and, and not realizing that I was Japanese, you know, in our conversation because I have one little girl that came on. As we were visiting. We were studying about Mexico and Latin. And she was wondering what color to color the skin complexion of her picture. They had to color and I said, Well, I think perhaps their bodies as dark as I am. And I put my arm out and she came up and she was just a little blonde, just as light complexion. And you know, she’s just always just about like you and me that and you can see. And I noticed that for the first time she hadn’t realized there was any color difference, you know, between us. I had many wonderful experiences like that one time when at school, and we had some third graders who I’d had well, we were in a team situation on top the last proper 13 years. And so we had the children for three years. And by the time you have been that long, you know, they get to know you very well and you get to know them. And we have our annual Christmas festival type of parties that we had every year. So we were to dress in our native costume and go to school and our recess time. One more girl was talking to the teacher whom I was teaching with and said, You know, I think Mrs oakmark AR makes the best Japanese I’ve ever seen. And it had, she hadn’t dawned on me being anything but just like herself until I wore the Kimora on, of course, but just made it separate, you know, differently. I meant, she said. But she just makes the best Japanese. So when she came in, my other teacher said, you know, Debbie didn’t even realize that you were Japanese. She She didn’t realize it until today. And I had to point it out during myself. Oh, well, that’s me. Well, I’ve had experiences like that, that have really been rewarding.

15:38 How about your parents and their parents? Yes,

15:41 they were very supportive. I think I can only possibly just one out of all the years that I taught one parent and, and so when I found out that I, this parent was, was questioning, you know, me being a Japanese and that I asked the parent if she would come to school, and we and I could visit with them. And I was going to tell them that if, you know, they opposed to having their child as my main, the third teacher why then we can easily enough have a child transferred to another teacher, because there were several teachers who taught the same grades and other bills and by the building that we went in. So did another bother you? Have people not recognize I?

16:39 Don’t I don’t think in a Santa, it ever bothered me. I’ve always known that I was Japanese. I it’s just one thing that I’ve always been proud of. And if there had been, you know, serious problems, or something I might have worried or been concerned. But basically, I know Paul and I were just talking about the other night when I said, you know, I, I had never had to face a problem that was off my serious. So I said to him, Well, have you had to when you’re thinking about it? And they said, No, not really. And so I think we have lived in a community where they have accepted us and of course, we’ve been here all our lives. And maybe that makes a difference. There haven’t there aren’t as many Japanese as there were when we were younger. The families have either moved to California or they’ve passed on and that type of thing. And of course, as a younger generation grill has gone to school, they have all gone to school out of state and to different universities you know, just haven’t come back Dido because we just don’t have the businesses here. One thing

18:09 I noticed is that you have Japanese art all over your house. And I was wondering how much cultural influence you have instilled into your children

18:24 I think I should have probably Sibley instilled more than I have. Because when I’ve visited with my girlfriends and different friends they have done they’ve asked me Well, have you taught your children Japanese like you you know? Like your grandma so they can communicate with your grandparents and I’ve said now that one thing and I know the year that my mother died she had said well I’m going to teach start teaching the kids some Japanese so we can they can understand some of the things that I you know, tell them in Japanese but then we missed out on that opportunity to speak Japanese Oh, because I’ve been to Japan possibly the only reason why you know am I just speak birth mother well in their fight peewee said ladies around and I used to speak well enough to read magazines and newspapers. But I couldn’t I couldn’t retain it and try to master my English too. So one had to go and it was Japanese.

19:39 Paul, how would you how much did you raise your children within a Japanese culture? Was it more American?

19:48 There’s one thing about this Japanese culture that comes for most my mind is that they have a sense devolved delegation and responsibility. And I’ve tried to impress that on my children, not to forget when someone does you a favor, or helps you in any way. But outside of that I don’t, I’ve told them

20:26 my three daughters I have separated from my mother and my mother. And one of my sisters more or less raised those girls for me. I was there at home with them. But being girls couldn’t couldn’t do too much about it, except being the fact that I was your father. So I’ve told my daughter’s houses. Don’t ever forget what your grandmother had to go through for you.

21:05 But they had their Caucasian friends and I didn’t try to influence their childhood too much. As far as culture went, and there they can understand my mother fairly well. When she talks to them, but they can not express themselves to my mother.

21:46 Except in English, my mother uses mostly Japanese and talking to them. They get a message somehow

00:06 He was only 15. So of course like in my family why then Mom was able to send all the kids to school and everything were basically in pulse family Paul was a sole supporter he was he had taken place with his dad. And so their life has been in that respect has been mo harder perhaps than they had both parents.

00:38 Did your family’s originally work on the railroad in Pocatello or did they come here to farm and what made them choose Pocatello?

00:48 The railroad, I think you were a little while in California. But in those days, there were a lot Orientals working for the railroad. And however, my father didn’t work for the railroad. Oh, I don’t know, couple of years or so. And then he said, started a little garden on the edge of town. And as a town grew, he had quit his little gardening project moved farther out away from the city and went into general farming too. And it was in 1927 I think he moved to back a little closer town when it’s strictly mostly into truck farming. And he had about 80 acres that he had all in garden produce. Then he bought when stuff was out of season he would buy from other sources other places and then resell it to his service. Or I think he had he had about 80 by AD customers around because there were a lot of little neighborhood stores back in those days in a lot of smaller restaurants and that he called on each one of them once a day, at least he had he had two or three trucks that the people working for him and that he made all the stops just about every day. What type of things did you do over time? What type of things did he deliver what types of all kinds of garden produce and then he would have some citrus that T would have shipped in? Were there other Japanese in the same business? Model? No,

03:10 no at that time where your mind is.

03:15 When I first started he was by himself but in a few years there was another Japanese family and a Chinese family also. Yeah, it was teaching during the war see?

03:41 Before return I think I talked to him about 55 to 76 or seven. So it’s quite so it was after the word because it was playing around like port forward what were your recollections of the area when during the war at that time I was living in Utah

04:14 basically, the part of Utah we were living in was about the same as it was around here. I didn’t notice anything in particular there were small incidences you know, that happen that you hear people telling about but really lived in Idaho. I was gonna ask you about your family. Well, with like everybody, my brothers and sisters. Sure. I have a brother who is next to me, who is the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine has been at Penn State now for about 20 some odd years. And then I have a sister who’s lives closest to us. She lives out You’re dying on the ranch. And she was library and bar at one of the hospitals booked a reasonable number of years. And her my brother in law was married to me. Graduated from Ames, Iowa as ag engineer, major, and since that time he has been on this school board to his farm. But in the meantime, he’s been on the school board and then he was on a county commissioner for about a year for Bannock County. My next sister is married to Ben karate, who was well Ben was noted for a tail gunner during World War Two. And he finished his schooling after after the war, and journalism and had the Williamston paper for many, many years. And then he went down to vendor and worked as Sunday editor for the vendor free breath. My system and moving time, worked off so far Ventura free breads, but she was kind of like a society editor for The Williamson paper. And then my youngest brother was a doctor, but we lost him about six years ago, and he was an internist or maybe the encounter. Say in my I have the daughter who was living in Long Beach and has four children. She’s married to a civil engineer who works at Mattel has worked there for over 20 years. I’m 25 years perhaps. And they have four children. Justin has graduated from long State Long Beach State and is working as an insurance not just what kind of world he’s running into. He’s in insurance, real estate. And then my next daughter, second daughter, Mitzi is married to electrical engineer and worked for Boeing. Well, he has worked for the government. Yes, and he worked for the state and city of Seattle. And then, but he’s now back at Boeing. They have three children, and they Oh, this is someone we’ve really been proud of. He graduated from MIT, and went back afterwards, you can serve on yours. He went back and graduated from Wharton this spring. And then I have a granddaughter there is going to school and finishing up at Ellensburg in nutrition, and John is just right now in college, and then I have the sun ray. And Grace. He’s the cowboy and a family man out there country town for all these years, but he loves horses. So you really need a real cowboy. Yes, real cowboy lives on a farm and passport says and they go rodeoing all the time. That’s that’s his main stay. But he teaches math and English in grace High School loves the teaching part. But I think he loves horses more. And I always thought that, you know, when when he was little whenever he saw blood, he would just pass out my that was the first time he gets hurt riding the horse that’s going to cure him. But it did. Oh, he’s got all these scrapes and they were they on him and he still keeps going I’m this year gone down to over for the rodeo that they have been window over your mouth. And I guess did alright yeah me the last last two years he’s won the saddle and won the championship for all time rodeo, you know in Wendover, so I guess that’s going to be is a hobby that he’ll never give up. Be willing to get squared away when he gets too old. They’ll have to but right now he’s still in that family stays in the family. And so now my grandson went on a mission to Japan came back and it looks like he’s just picking it up and following along with his dad. So he’s going to Utah State and he will be in Japan. In two years, so be about 2121 22.

10:08 So you said earlier that you had like a United Nations of religions in your family might you tell us all about

10:14 we have mom who is a Buddhist, and then goes on both sides of the family we have a sister whose is Catholic in Hawaii, and then to be sisters and their families are LDS. And then on my side of the family, I have strong lbs because my sister and her all of her family have been, you know, sent their children on missions and things. And my son married now they asked girl from Salt Lake so he has been LDS now for several years. And I have a couple of methods. One daughter is quite strong. There’s not quite so but they are. They’ve been baptized.

11:05 I heard overheard speaking before about how the Japanese generations of generations and the families are becoming less and less Japanese. Soon, you pursued a day where you might have a blond haired blue eyed granddaughter or grandson something like that. Can you speak

11:26 about that a little bit? Well, I think it’s wonderful. And to the extent that the the races have been able to mix them and be a cohesive group, you know, I always thought that when I when I was younger, I had a friend who was Caucasian and I it was a very dear friend, because we live he just lived down the street aways and and if something came up, and he proposed to me, I still as much as I thought of him, I wouldn’t have thought of marrying him because at the time Caucasians were you know, and Japanese married just just didn’t go and they had all these laws to that, that regulated us from so since that time, it’s really been almost a complete turnover and because we have children and I on his side of the famine and mine too, who are married to Caucasians and dying very nicely and I think I think just as much as the daughter in law’s is if you know if they were Japanese and I think the grandchildren naturally they’re just your grandkids are just extra special. And like you say we’ve got blonde and darn near blonde, blue eyes and curly hair. You know, I said I’m, I’ve often wondered how mother would think if she saw curly hair, granddaughter or grandchild, because in all in Japanese always have straight black hair. And here we have our grandchildren who have pretty curly brown hair and beautiful all his complexion and everything. And somehow I feel like that the offsprings of an inner marriage, the children seem to be stronger and healthier, better and stature. They’re taller. They’re better looking. They’re much more intelligent in school. I mean, all the children, you know, I’ve done very well on school. So far, so they always talk about hybrids, you know, the first strain of a hybrid being so good, whether it’s wheat or corn or whatever. I kind of think that what children to my I don’t know what our next year I’m afraid that like I say, you know, the next generation our great great grandchildren now will become more Caucasian, and I’m having to lose begin to lose the Japanese features. But down

14:22 Excuse me, how come oriental and Caucasian marriages are not only accepted but welcomed. Yeah, I mean, very, very much a part of the Society of Black and Caucasian because both sets are mixing races.

14:44 Yes, that’s right. And yes, I have never thought of that. Because I’ve seen a lot of black mixed black and white marriages that were the the girls are the offspring. I have been beautiful children. And but um, it’s just like the same way with Japanese and man, but I don’t know why other than one at one time, you know, I was visiting with a professor about mixed marriages and mad and I said something to him about the Japanese have, I said, we’ve been fortunate because we have more or less been accepted. And and many times when they talk about race, we used to always put down yell, you know, because we’re just Japanese. And I thought Japanese are shallow. Well, the last census or something we were talking about weren’t concerned race. They, they classify us as white. And I said, Oh, how come and and they said, Well, one thing is that they thought that this person, this may have been just one person’s opinion. But he said he thought was because the race, the Japanese race itself, conducted themselves in such a way that they were acceptable to everyone, you know, we weren’t late, we weren’t classified as a lazy race. We weren’t. And most of them are quite investors, we, we and we believe in education. You know, that type of thing. And I just, I don’t know, to really tell you the truth. I have no idea. Other than just thinking about different things myself by

16:40 I think we’ve more or less stayed pretty much in the background, especially those of us in the inner mountain area, I think, more than than over on the West Coast. And I think generally we tried to not be arrogant. I think that’s helped. Then, as I said, Before, I think we it’s funny thing, you go over to the west coast, where there is a large congregation of, of our people. I’ve noticed that down there. Since I went to a convention in 1934, in San Francisco. I went to a barbershop. It was must have been a real pop your barbershop because it was full of people that no one would speak to me. No, we’re all Japanese Americans. Now, if that had been back here, and that’s the situation was reversed. Because we speak to if we think they’re Japanese, whether we know him or not, we say hello to him, you know, but they wouldn’t, they just totally ignored me, which, well, that’s the way they do things down here. However, but in living here, we’ve been lot more sociable among all people. So but I think that’s one part of the Japanese culture that I really, that stays with me is to remember your obligations. you befriend me today, or do me a favor. Don’t forget it. Remember? And I think the younger people today are going the opposite direction from that. Not that I guess they don’t care, but they just don’t take the time to think about I think,

19:13 Amanda look at it in a different aspect. I think it’s partly our fault because we haven’t taught them and made them aware of it. You know, sometimes. There are a lot of things I’ve learned even dents ball and I have been married through my through I’ve lost my mother early. So I didn’t have the advantage of having a mother close by as I’ve gotten older. But now mother has made me aware of a lot of things that I shouldn’t do or should remember to do. That. My mother never got around to teaching us when we were younger because the occasion never rose, I guess, you know, and it seems like that’s the way a lot Other things that we do we learn when we face up to problem and we will say, Well, how are you know, how is that going to affect us? Or how do we take care of that situation? And I think a lot of it, I feel at times when I haven’t done something that that bothers me, I think, Oh, I was on the way my fault because I didn’t teach kids that I that this is one thing you know, another thing you should remember to do, or why don’t you do this when this comes up or something like that, but not being there and being together? I mean, that makes a difference to

20:45 her mother. And Father, and like my mother and father. You did something for them. They never didn’t forget it. We say, Well, they did this for us. Today. We got to remember to try and show our appreciation to the scene. Well, they didn’t only say it they saw that it was done that way. So they didn’t because my mother now if you take her a piece of candy, they give you two pieces from

21:27 whether you want it or not.

21:34 Okay,

00:03 She was quite young she was 16,17 and he died with lightning hitting him

00:12 it was raining and he was

00:13 kind of putting people in the barn or cows or whatever doing something as he’s walking

00:28 down
Are you married to a Japanese and you’re married to a Nisei?
So here’s the product

00:39 bigger bigger

00:46 she’s wondering stronger bigger taller
It’s surprising how different they are they they some of them have minor characteristics visible characters are Japanese but they’re kind of a group all erase all their own and I know I have the grandchildren who are mixed marriages my they’re just good looking, beautiful children and it seems like but they do they do well and everything else.

01:30 This whole class now, of Vietnamese American children from 20 years ago who are now here for

01:41 Progress on are one of those cosmetic companies has one, has an admiration child. It’s like the the woman of the 90s. Yeah.

01:51 Oh, I see.

01:53 Tell us a little bit about your involvement with the Japanese community.

02:02 I think we’ve been involved in JCL ever since it first started in Pocatello.
When was it first founded here?

02:13

1. George’s, my brother in law was the first chairman and I was, took the next term after him and both of us have been in and out of there, for time since that time but gosh.

02:43 Everyone belonged to JCL, you know whenever they had a convention or anything it there wasn’t just a select group that went. We all went in so our conventions were large and and number and and just fun to be at. They have changed now because I think as we’ve our children have grown they have found themselves going into different organizations becoming involved in their own so many different organizations anymore you know, that but they aren’t so much for JCL. You know, what you find that around here? It’s just the old standbys, the ones that grew up in a in our still plugging away at it.

03:29 So that’s interesting in terms of how you really haven’t noticed that much of a change in the general Pocatello community. But within the Japanese community, you’ve noticed the change.

03:42 Yes. I don’t know just how, there are a lot of people, Caucasian people, and I know that like Paul worked when he had his vegetable farm and delivering, you know, all the vegetables to different stores. And that he was more involved with the Caucasian families than I ever was. And I I think there were a lot of Caucasian people who used to come to their farm to buy these different groceries and our vegetables and things. And man, they still speak of it, how much fun they used to have and all but these are as we say, all older people. Since then, since the supermarkets and that have command and everyone goes and of course (unintelligible) and don’t sell vegetables in that fashion anymore. The, m involvement as far as just neighbors and that was concerned. We lived in the country and there were never neighbors that close. Went to school and we had friends but we were still in the minority, but just a part of them because it seems like grade school and online. You don’t notice so much. Same way through high school, I guess. We were never segregated or discriminated to the point of where I think we were hurt, you know, in any time. And I guess so we just never thought that it was serious enough. I know there were a lot of minor things that happened during the wartime. I’ve heard my sister talk about a neighbor who she thought they were just neighbors who really understood them and would stand by them thick or thin. But when the war came along, said they were, they were different for a few years back. I think after the war, why things came back to normal again.

05:48 Is your involvement with the Minidoka camp project related to the JCL? Or,

05:54 Yes, the Minidoka project started, oh, Mossy, who is another longtime member of our chapter, became involved. By thinking when he had gone out Minidoka several times he said that air one time where all these 10 1000s of people, and after they left, everything was just forgotten, and bought. Well, now, that
isn’t the right way, you know, to let things go after there have been all these people have been moved to Minidoka and placed there against their will. And so we started on this project. And there is also, a now the remains of the guard house and a what was the other building. There two remains, partial remains, I should say. And so we took that as the kind of a starting place. And we’ve built a monument around it and through the ethnic heritage committee, who gave us the grant of $5,000. And then searching through our own the members who were, at one time interned in camp, we thought perhaps that would be the best way to go. Since so many of them were from the northwest Seattle area, we tried to contact them also. All the JCL chapters throughout the country. And the response hasn’t been as good as we had hoped. We had hoped of getting 1000s of dollars so that we can really put up huge bronze monument and all. But that hasn’t matured. So were, we plugged away and getting them what we could. And I think that through the day sale members there have been over $5,000 donated and through the ethnic heritage, the other and I we are not expecting about well, possibly not monetarily, but the Idaho farmer company is going to come through and pave around the the ground out there. The designated area for Minidoka. And so, but the monument part has been completed, we can use that just a couple of weeks ago. And on that we’ll have three different plaques. One will give the history of the internment camp, and then another will be the map showing the ground layout as it was when they were interned. And then the third will be the names of the people who donated money to make the monument possible.

09:04 What is your responsibilities?

09:07 Are you doing everything by committee?

09:09 What we’re more or less doing by committee. Our, Mossy is headed and he has just (unintelligible) come over. Yes. And as headed as just worked out relentlessly, because we came to a point where no money and no enthusiasm and they said we got to get that project finished. And so when I hear oh,Oshiro, who is now the JCR chairman for this area, made contacts. He’s a, works for an insurance man on claims in that and travels quite a bit. And he met with the ethnic heritage committee up in Coeur d’Alene and presented it and we were given the grant. So then… So that gave us a nice boost. So we said, Okay, let’s get going again. And through that we’ve been able to complete the project and we’re hoping now to meet with idol person and Mr. Bowler, Aldrich board to be placed on the calendar for next year’s dedication.

10:25 What does it mean to the two of you to be called Japanese Americans?

10:42 I really haven’t been called that. I don’t believe. Although I know I am. But I’m, I’m proud of the fact that I am.

11:05 So that’s about the only way I can put it is that I’m…

11:10 Do you think the Japanese tradition has contributed anything to Idaho? The Japanese Americans who have lived here?

11:21 That’s a hard one too.

11:23 Oh. I wouldn’t think so any more than any other culture or race.

11:38 And I think, though, that a lot of our, in some small way, I think our cultures have all had to contribute to the American way of life. In other words, you know, we’re not just not just English, Irish or whatever, because it’s just, it seems like we’ve lived in the community. And there are a lot of things that we have helped to do. Whenever there have been projects come up and that, and I’m hoping that in some small way, you know, we’ve been able to leave a mark for ourselves after we are done. It may not be much, but I do think we’ve, we’ve made it a little nicer place. I used to think that when I was, you know, when I was teaching the kids in school, and I hope I’m teaching the children, some things that will help them become better citizens, better people. The children themselves might not have realized that at the time. But I’ve since then have had met, a lot of parents of the children who I had when you know, the years that I taught, and the parents have mentioned how much they appreciated it when I taught their child and wished I was back there teaching some of the younger one, things like that. So I’m hoping, you know, in some small way I’ve I’ve helped,

13:08 How do you feel your Japanese background has contributed to your style of teaching?

13:18 I was a disciplinarian. Very much. So, you know, my mom was I think, when you speak about this, disciplinarian, my mom was probably the strictest person I’ve ever met. And so I’m pretty much that way. I think I go along with a lot of fun and that but there wasn’t much monkey business. I just and that was just my, my own way. And I had to have discipline in the classroom, because I just, that’s the only way I could teach.

13:51 I think that this community pretty much knows that when one of us Japanese Americans localities, state something that they can pretty well, bank on that we, we’re not just talking idle words, we’ll do what we say we will follow through on it.

14:26 I don’t know. I would say that that would be 99 and a half percent true with all of us, Japanese Americans that live in this area. Now, I don’t know. I don’t think I somehow, maybe I’m prejudiced but I don’t have that feeling about the Japanese Americans over on in these bigger congregated areas. Now going back to thisMinidoka Memorial thing. We sent letters to all the JCL chapters and all the people that were former residents there. We have, I think we got less than 1% response rate from those that we sent letters to. So we’ve had…

15:27 You asking for a specific amount or know anything?

15:30 No, anything you know, but there were a few. But if there were 10,000 people there, I know. We didn’t get 100 responses. So we’ve had to go ahead and figure out a way to raise the finances for that. No.

15:56 When, when the people were in Minidoka camp with the assistance, were you aware of it? And what did you think?

16:04 He was. Well, that was quite a desolate place. I had some cousins in there. And then that time, I was farming. So I went over there to talk to several the fellows that eventually came to work for me. But it was a hellhole . How did you feel about it? Well, I felt that, I didn’t think it was right. Really, because it was they were supposed to be citizens and to be put into a place like that, you know, I guess I’m more or less thought that they were entitled more than that if they had to be

16:58 put under some kind of security. So I didn’t think it was at all fair.
You said that you went to visit?
Yes. See, we were only people that were moved or just those in Washington and Oregon and California and

17:24 part of the Canadian border, western part. Those of us in the inner-mountain we were not relocated at all.

17:36 Did you ever worry that maybe they would change their mind and relocate you?

17:40 Well, I didn’t think about you know if the war had taken a turn for the worse. I didn’t think about that.

17:53 (unintelligible) couldn’t you offer them safe shelter here in Idaho?

18:01 We finally, we finally did add the older ones. See they they could voluntarily leave the west coast before, before that, order came evacuation order was finalized, you know. So I did bring, I had two cousins. Three, two girls and a boy that came, that lived with with us. The older brothers. They were see, six of them in the family. The older boys a decided to go on their own. And they went to the this Minidoka camp for a while but the three younger ones. My mother wanted to take care of them so they live with us.

19:10 And while they were at the Minidoka camp, you couldn’t get them out?

19:16 I think hundreds of them, didn’t they come out to help the evacuees, hundreds of them come out to help with seasonal work going on different farms and that and that was quite quite a nice thing I guess. Especially when you speak to a lot of the Caucasian families who lived in, in that Minidoka area. They’ll tell you how much they appreciated the Japanese coming out and helping them harvest their beets and their potatoes. But they were allowed to evacuate before, I mean to to leave on their own before they had to evacuate to these, the inland getting off. So I know that we did the same thing, I had an uncle him and his family living in Los Angeles. And we moved them out. And they stay. They did. They never had to go to camp at all. And then there were several people in Utah when we were at the time that were not disabled, many, many families who evacuated on their own. And I remember this one fellow telling us that he thought that the time of evacuation was one of the best things that happened to him because he had lived in Mountain View California all of his life. And he said that, had it not been for evacuations, we probably would never let state and he said I’m learning so much by moving out and being you know, coming into different in different parts of the state well, different states actually and and getting to see the land and that and he said he thought that was just a priceless experience that he had. So I think and I’m sure there were a lot of people who lost a lot of property, well them at everything because of the evacuation. But there were also on the other hand, some people who didn’t have to go through that sad experience just… I’m sure it was bad enough having to move in on giving up their home and that but those of us in this inner mountain area where we’re fortunate and that was because we didn’t have to evacuate

00:06 1976 Family Reunion Paul’s

00:10 what’s building

00:12 that first building there’s where your parents lived? My mother

00:21 near Highland high school and

00:23 my mother and especially for 50 years I must live there for 45 That’s where all my children were raised.

00:36 yes it’s for sale.

00:38 And that at the time

00:41 a job to have about that because

00:45 on one side it was only

00:48 raise the money for the app half of miles were asked

00:52 city limits now it’s in town here are pretty much in the middle of what building is is that’s the residences I don’t know what the occasion

01:10 is where Paul’s rest just

01:17 everyone our plan probably with this is their Japanese language school.

01:23 They will serve you in the checkout get into the treasure he will

01:30 give time in well why don’t I begin my card? Yeah, and you can send me a letter and Paul right.

01:36 Most of that group was younger than I am

01:47 because the little boy on the right daddy

01:58 are you in here? No. I didn’t go Japanese

02:09 this sir Jeff was the police

02:11 that our son is maternal grandparents.

02:14 You remember with my own

02:18 microphone here

02:27 when they were younger,

02:27 okay. Yeah, no, that would be good. And so this is you?

02:31 Yes. And this is my this is

02:40 the Blackberry. This is her brother

02:53 Jeff’s mother

02:55 Sanaya Sanaya

02:59 Sanaya is the little girl on right. There’s a son of his parents and they’re the little person is so nice brother.

03:08 first reunion for the tomato beside this summer

03:17 but oh my gosh. Design shirts. Alright, so look

03:26 in there you say well he’s out older sheets. We don’t have

03:34 right here. great grandchildren are

03:38 in. This is Paul’s family reunion

03:44 1976

03:48 Michael, grant your daughter yet when was this? This was in July for that same picture. We were going to have been blown up because it desperately was talking that’s

04:09 Ellen can get a

04:11 real tight shot with him. This huge picture

04:20 this is just my favorite. This is my brother. Oh no this is the four of us. That border knob is my brother and my sister younger sister. So basically brother sister

04:41 and the other pictures are old pictures of your son and

04:47 your parents are things that are wrong.

04:52 Long distance and you know long term albums and latest

05:00 Would you mind if we got a shot at this one?

05:02 No, no just whatever you like excuse me this is clearly here but

05:13 you know we used to have those community picnics and races Major All right ladies, is it clear back in 34 and that’s in

05:31 this area so that would be interesting to show life as it was.

05:37 And I was just the manual guy himself he was talking Japanese and very this is

05:44 this is Sanaya his mother when she first came from Japan

05:48 remind me so I laughed I said, that father must look at either don’t have any moral

06:00 do you know about what year that was when your mother first came here

06:03 that was no paying 1515

06:10 This is a nice you 34

06:16 In the Pocatello area.

06:19 Here’s a ball team that broke down I used to have and they were the naysayer. Here’s ball oh

06:30 there’s a later fixture in

06:37 Idaho

06:40 that’s probably also like 34 I would imagine was that

06:46 Montana put in my team

07:01 baseball

07:07 thing my husband system is married to

07:12 what it was they were from

07:16 age to have armor Japanese

07:22 name to Tony Aiders. Paul’s mother’s missing him still 9030 should have been our 29.

07:41 For fundraising ideas,

07:45 oh, send something up to

07:49 1922

07:51 last year, the Asian American National Asian American association or conference was held at Washington State University and one of the things they had with a theatre group. Japanese American Theatre Group in Seattle and eight