<Begin Segment 17>

[Translated from Japanese]

TY: You lived in Fresno for five years and returned to Japan.

YI: We returned to Japan once. We lived there for two years. Then we came to a temple in Seattle.

TY: Your children, Satoru and others, were still very small when you returned to Japan, weren't they?

YI: How many did I have at that time? My daughter who is in California was five months old. She was a baby.

TY: You returned to Japan with three children.

YI: I went back with three children. A girl, Noriko, was born in Japan. In Kobe. She was five months old or three months old. Since she was born in October... November, December. She was five months old. I came to Seattle with four children including the baby.

TY: When you returned to Japan... did Satoru and the other children miss America?

YI: The only time was when we lived in Kobe, they wanted soda crackers. You could not find soda crackers in the countryside. But many Caucasians lived in Kobe and so the American goods were available. So I went downtown where streetcars ran, found a store and bought the crackers. The American white crackers. The children said, "You found them!" I bought that for them.

TY: They remembered the food.

YI: Yes, they did. They wanted those crackers.

TY: So Satoru was about five years old when you returned to Japan. When your oldest, Satoru, was seven, you came back to Seattle...

YI: When we came to Seattle, he was in kindergarten.

TY: It must have been hard for you. To travel by ship with small children.

YI: Yes. With four children. But I was healthy. I did not think much of it.

TY: You have a daughter who was born in Japan. Was her name Nobuko?

YI: My family do not have English names. The first generation parents named their children in Japanese. Later, they gave English names because the children wanted them.

Shinya: Mom, the name of your daughter who was born in Japan is Noriko.

TY: Noriko?

Shinya: Her name is Noriko.

YI: She doesn't have an English name. Now I understand she wanted an English name. Do you know Port Townsend? In Washington. My daughter, Noriko, no, Hiroko lives there. Somebody told me, "Your daughter Hiroko is using the English name Mary." I said, "I don't know." That person said that she made up an English name when she introduced herself. So he asked if Hiroko was Mary. Now I understand. She wanted an English name just like everybody else. She was very young. "My name is Mary," or "Gloria." She picked a name every time she met a person. I was in shock when I heard that. She really wanted that, I guess.

TY: Since you did not plan to live here permanently, did you give Japanese names to your children?

YI: I think so. Nowadays even the first generation Japanese have names like George or James.

TY: So Noriko was born in Japan. But no Japanese were allowed to immigrate to America after 1924.

YI: When were they allowed to enter again? Much later, I suppose.

TY: Satoru, Etsuko and other children had U.S. citizenship. You and your husband had proper visas. Then, how did Noriko enter into America?

YI: I wonder how Noriko entered this country. Since her parents had valid visas, probably she could come with us. She was only a baby.

TY: So you had to do all the paperwork.

YI: That's how we could come.

TY: You boarded the ship at Yokohama again. By the way, when you were asked to come to Seattle, did you reply right away? Or did you need some time to think about it?

YI: Reverend Ichikawa must have given a lot of thought. Since we had three American-born children, he must have thought that we would be better off living in America.

TY: Did he ask for your opinion? Or did your husband decide and that was it? Did you discuss this with your husband?

YI: The headquarters took care of it properly. Hongwanji Temple, the headquarters in Japan, ordered my husband to go to America as a missionary.

TY: That's how you came to Seattle. Was there anything different in the application process to come here, compared to five months prior?

YI: Well. I don't think there was really much change.

TY: Again you took a physical exam...

YI: People in Seattle were very kind.

TY: The first time you traveled in the second class, you did not like the western food served on the ship. How about this time to Seattle?

YI: What?

TY: You said that when you traveled in the second class of Korea-maru, you did not like the western food on the ship.

YI: Yes, I did not like it at all.

TY: How about this time?

YI: Once we arrived in Seattle, all the food served at the parties was Japanese. In those days, mostly Chinese food was served at the wedding receptions. Many second generation people got married one after another. All the receptions served Chinese food. Some served Japanese but Japanese food was more expensive. Here many friends and others were invited. All were done in Chinatown. In Seattle. Many parties were like that.

TY: Which class cabin did you reserve this time to come to Seattle? What kind of food were you served?

YI: The first time was Korea-maru. This time, it was Hikawa-maru. Hi is a Chinese character for "ice." Kawa is the same "kawa" of "Ichikawa." It was "Hikawa-maru," though soon afterwards the ship was put out of service. My sailing was the last service.

TY: Why do you think that happened?

YI: I wonder why. Was it too old? The year I came was... 1900... March in 1936. That was the last time. I read in a Japanese paper that it was turned into a hotel. In the Yokohama area.

TY: By the way, did you order Japanese food on board?

YI: Oh, I remember. We did not buy the second class cabin this time. We had children. We came by the third class and were served Japanese food.

<End Segment 17> - Copyright © 1999 Densho. All Rights Reserved.