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AI: Well, and now that Jeni's an adult and her children are adults also, now you've both been published in this book the Last Witnesses.

MY: Yeah, and they came to the reading at the Elliott Bay Bookstore and you saw my grandsons were very much involved, and the youngest of Jeni's -- Adam is now twelve and he's getting to understand it, not completely. And so it's fun to watch the children growing up. And my girls, I just keep thinking, they're such good parents and I thought gosh, the way I raised my kids, they just seem to -- I had just let them fend for themselves. [Laughs]

AI: Well, one thing that, interesting thing that Jeni wrote in her essay for that Last Witnesses book was that she mentioned about how your relationship with Yosh, your husband and her father, how that had changed, how that shifted and that she was aware of that, that over the years that had shifted and changed.

MY: Yeah, that Dad used to -- of course, my mother was instrumental in keeping him, you know, in the level that he was. But he knew that I didn't... but then when my mother left and he knew that I had to do -- so he was very able to shift, you know. And he started to help me with the dishes and things like that, and so... and then he would, and my sons are really very, very conscious. And so yeah, I find that very, very refreshing. And both of my sons now live in Seattle, they love to come to the International District, they are in a bus-, my older son is an architect. But they really, they both, all my four children married white, have white spouses, so all my daughters-in-law and my sons-in-law are white. But, and we talk about that issue, too, about the out-marriage of Japanese Americans, and I think it's a good thing. We have succeeded in changing the spouses, you know, into -- the men to becoming feminists and the women to recognize racial problems of the Asians in this country and so forth, and it just gradually seems to change, you know, in the social structure.

AI: Well, we have covered many topics and times in your life.

MY: Topics, yeah, exactly.

AI: Is there anything else that you wanted to add, any other thoughts?

MY: No, I think that we just about covered everything. Maybe if you think about something, I guess -- as my brothers are always kidding me that I just talk too much, my mind is always, hopefully, it will continue to be active for a while longer. [Laughs]

AI: Well, thank you so much for all your time and participation.

MY: Thank you. Thank you, it's been really, it's really been a wonderful experience being here in Densho and seeing all the great work that you're doing here.

<End Segment 45> - Copyright © 2002 Densho. All Rights Reserved.