<Begin Segment 19>

AI: Well, in fact, we're going to ask you more about the news later, but right now I wanted to just get back to this point where you said that you started thinking about returning to the United States. And so when you started thinking about going back to the United States, how did you plan to do this? How would you get the money for the transportation and where... what was your plan?

RM: Well, my mother is really understandable. That is, not my grandmother -- mother. And she understand that, "You are American and born there." So then says, "Loyal, too," she didn't tell other, from other people because they don't want, telling the Japanese to be loyal to American. Later on, war broke out, you cannot say that, but anyway, she know the way my, she hear about it, what my grandmother treated me. So my mother knows that... but being mother-in-law, she cannot say anything, but she told me that, "You're an American. If you want to go back, do it, but you gotta be loyal, too." That's my, my thing. So even though I got Japanese education and you say that, "Oh, Japanese be loyal to Emperor," and things like that. But to me, still, I was young, but I'm an American. See, that came in, well, bear the fruits, to speak what I've done.

AI: So, so your mother is the one who really encouraged you.

RM: Encouraged me to go back there.

AI: And she --

RM: Then she knows that my grandmother objected to... and she liked this girl because she was smart and I didn't say pretty, but she looked like Yashiro Aki, this singer there, that she had a deep eye and a pretty girl. But I was a disappointed because at the time, you know, the heartbreak.

AI: And your mother --

RM: Of course, and later on I met lotta girls, but I didn't pay much attention until I made this thing here and it's the last page mention, you asked me how met my wife, but I didn't go into detail, but anyway, that's one of the reasons I --

AI: We'll ask you about that later.

RM: Yeah. That's one of the reasons there, I think. Then other things, there's no future, like me. And later on prove that if you wanna keep, hear about it, go tell you later. But right know we'll talk about my youth.

AI: Yes, about your youth and, and the reasons that you decided to return to the United States.

RM: Uh-huh. So to me, it was kinda hard. But at the time, it was bad because the Depression time. But anyway --

AI: Well, let me ask you, who --

RM: -- I made it okay.

AI: Let me ask you, who paid for your transportation?

RM: My mother did.

AI: And tell me about the trip. You left from Hiroshima and where did you --

RM: We went to Kobe and I left from Kobe, alone.

AI: So you took the ship from Kobe. And did that go directly to California, or...?

RM: Yes, direct to California. San Pedro, Los Angeles Harbor, Los Angeles Harbor.

AI: So when you --

RM: Then my grand-uncle picked me up.

AI: In Los Angeles Harbor.

RM: Yeah, well, I was gonna punch him. [Laughs] He the one that left me, but it wasn't his fault, you know.

AI: So you hadn't seen him for some years, then.

RM: Yeah, well, a few years anyway. I think I saw one time him visit, another trip or something like that, but I didn't think of doing a thing. Of course, disappointed, other than that, but I had a good time, too, playing with the people and people was, some people nice to me. Some were mean to me, and I think it's... I don't know other people had the same experience or not.

<End Segment 19> - Copyright © 2003 Densho. All Rights Reserved.