<Begin Segment 10>

[Translated from Japanese]

TY: So now you arrived in San Francisco Harbor. From there you went on to Fresno, didn't you? How far is Fresno from San Francisco?

YI: In those days it took seven hours by train. I don't remember exactly. Fresno is a ways inland.

TY: When you got off the ship in San Francisco, what was your first impression? What kind of first impression of America did you have?

YI: The first impression? Let me see. Well, we got off first in Hawaii.

TY: Oh, is that right?

YI: A short stopover in Hawaii. We went to a big temple there and did sightseeing in the city. The flowers were so beautiful. I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the flowers and thought maybe the flowers in the heaven would look like these. After that, when we got off in San Francisco, there was this gentleman who came to see us. I bet he was the person who came to the ship every time the Japanese got off. I have not seen him for a long time. He offered to take us somewhere. He took us to a Christian church. I did not understand English. I remember feeling extremely bored.

TY: Christianity was already introduced in Japan in those days, wasn't it?

YI: Yes, it was.

TY: In those days, generally speaking...

YI: In small villages, there were no churches but the services were held at private homes. Christianity had been in Japan for quite a while.

TY: Then it spread all over Japan in that way. By the way, speaking of the procedure when you arrived in America, was there any strict inspection when you entered the country?

YI: No. Not especially.

TY: Since you already passed the physical inspection.

YI: Uh-huh. The report had been sent already from Japan.

TY: So you took a seven-hour train ride to get to your home in Fresno.

YI: Yes, we rode the train.

TY: What did you think about during the trip?

YI: Well, we started seeing more countryside. Fresno in those days. It is a big town now, though. My husband came to work at the temple there.

TY: Was San Francisco a big city in those days, too?

YI: The temple? Because it was the headquarters.

TY: The one in San Francisco. Of America as a whole.

YI: San Francisco is still the headquarters. Of our church. It celebrated its 100th anniversary this year.

TY: Oh, is that right?

YI: In August. There was the centennial celebration.

TY: You received the announcement for that?

YI: Yes. Etsuko went.

TY: Is that so? By the way, you told me that you did not like the western food served on the ship. Were you worried that you would be eating that type of food from then on?

YI: But when we arrived at the hotel, we were served all Japanese food. I was so relieved. Even the rice bowl had the exact same design as the one I had used at home.

TY: You must have felt relieved. Particularly in a foreign land.

YI: I thought we would not use chopsticks here. I thought we had to use knives and forks. Since I did not know how to use them, I practiced using a knife and fork before I came. Then I was served with chopsticks. What a relief! This time when we went to Fresno, the people we met were all Issei. So no matter where we went, we were served Japanese food. Besides we rarely ate western food at home. All of these made me feel at home. But that was a hot place. I had a nosebleed for the first time in my life.

TY: Oh, because it was so dry.

YI: Yes, it was dry.

<End Segment 10> - Copyright © 1999 Densho. All Rights Reserved.