<Begin Segment 12>

TY: [Jpn.] Also you said you could not cook rice when you first arrived in the U.S.

MK: [Eng.] Yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] So you ended up working in the greenhouse only.

MK: [Eng.] That's right. Yeah, because you know my uncle says, "Oh, you tonight, you gonna make a rice." Then, water this much, but I don't know how to, first time...

TY: You can speak in Japanese.

MK: [Eng.] -- Yeah, first time, first time okay, but second, third, you know, I don't know that one, that's why you know, oh funny rice cooked. [laughter]

TY: [Jpn.] So, then...

MK: [Eng.] So then, come back, then eat, but they can't eat that kind of rice, you know. So... neighbor, Japanese woman, and I don't know their age. But Japanese woman come to my place and then cook near, that's why I don't need anymore cook. So, I'm at the -- go back to greenhouse, but working.

TY: [Jpn.] Then you were originally brought here to do the housework but then ended up doing the greenhouse work.

MK: [Eng.] No, after the married, no, I never back, I never bring, go back to South Park, no I never.

TY: [Jpn.] Then when you got married and moved to Sunnydale, who did the housework?

MK: [Eng.] Huh?

TY: [Jpn.] You three started living together. Your father and Naoe and you.

MK: [Eng.] Yeah, yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] Who did cooking?

MK: [Jpn.] Yes. Always... [points to self]

TY: [Jpn.] You?

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah. I learned. Since we had a child that I had to feed.

TY: [Jpn.] Oh, yes. That's right.

MK: [Jpn.] See? How can I say I cannot cook?

TY: [Jpn.] Then, did you learn on your own? Just by doing?

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah. That's right.

TY: [Jpn.] Nobody taught you.

MK: [Jpn.] Uh-huh. Little by little.

TY: [Jpn.] I see.

MK: [Eng.] Uh-huh.

TY: [Jpn.] But then, didn't you work at the greenhouse, too?

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah, of course.

TY: [Jpn.] It must have been really difficult after you had children.

MK: [Jpn.] Really hard.

TY: [Jpn.] Right after you got married and before you had children, you started doing the housework.

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah, that's easier, but if you had a child, you could not be with the child all the time. I nursed, changed diapers and cleaned up the baby and made sure that the baby would not move. It is dangerous if the baby moved around.

TY: [Jpn.] I see.

MK: [Jpn.] So if the baby looked this way or that way... either way, I had to work in the greenhouse. I gonna working greenhouse, that's why I put big blanket and then tie up, then I gonna go back to greenhouse, and then working, then some but, sometime come back and see, uh-huh.

TY: [Jpn.] Oh, then you left the child inside the house and went back often to check on the child.

MK: [Eng.] Uh-huh.

TY: [Jpn.] Then you cleaned the house, took care of the children and did the cooking...

MK: [Eng.] Uh-huh.

TY: [Jpn.] You also worked in the greenhouse.

MK: [Eng.] Yeah, when I got a time, go back the work, because a help.

TY: [Jpn.] I see.

MK: [Eng.] Uh-huh.

TY: [Jpn.] So you three shared the work.

MK: [Eng.] Yeah, that's right. Uh-huh.

TY: [Jpn.] I see. You had some time off, or, let's see, is your family religion Buddhism?

MK: [Jpn.] Yes.

TY: [Jpn.] Did you have to work on Obon or other religious holidays?

MK: [Jpn.] Just one day off. It was wonderful, but no time.

TY: [Jpn.] You didn't have time to rest.

MK: [Eng.] Yeah, very few times, that's it.

TY: [Jpn.] Did you work on the New Year's days?

MK: [Eng.] Yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] You worked all the time.

MK: [Eng.] Uh-huh. Because greenhouse grow all time you know, that's why watching all time.

TY: [Jpn.] You said earlier that farmers cannot work during winter, but...

MK: [Eng.] Oh yeah, that's more easier. Yeah, summertime only. Winter time nothing to do. Mmm.

TY: [Jpn.] But the greenhouse...

MK: [Eng.] Yeah, all year round.

TY: [Jpn.] Even at night with lights on?

MK: [Eng.] Yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] That's right. You cannot work outside when it's dark, but inside the greenhouse you can still work.

MK: [Eng.] Yeah, you can, but nighttime not much though, because I -- we gotta wake up early in the morning you know. So lots of work.

TY: [Jpn.] What time did you get up?

MK: [Eng.] Already up, five o'clock already. Yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] So you had a lot of work to do, the housework and greenhouse work, etc.

MK: [Eng.] Yeah, yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] Did you ever get sick because of overwork?

MK: [Eng.] No, anyway, that's a old timer you know, so everything old fashion.

TY: [Jpn.] But didn't you ever get sick due to overwork? Did that ever happen?

MK: [Jpn.] No. Never. Never.

TY: [Jpn.] You didn't even have time to get sick.

MK: [Eng.] Because I was young. Young and very strong, you know so... yeah. Just like you. Uh-huh.

<End Segment 12> - Copyright © 2000 Densho. All Rights Reserved.