<Begin Segment 8>

AI: Well, that is a wonderful story to hear about, and I... it's so interesting to hear about your work in the camp. But I want to back up now to before the war years and ask you a few more questions --

MH: Yes.

AI: -- about what happened before the war. And for example, you had mentioned that you weren't aware of your parents' plans for you to become engaged. And I'm wondering, after you returned from Japan, that would have been 1939?

MH: Yes.

AI: To Seattle. How did your parents give you the news, and what did you think?

MH: Well, Iwao and I grew up together in the same youth group at church, so... you know.

AI: You knew each other.

MH: We knew each other well, and he went to University of Washington, graduated in accounting, and he was establishing his own (accounting business). I mean, it wasn't a shock, you see what I mean. It was a friendship that continued on (...). [Laughs]

AI: Did, did your parents... did they perhaps say, "Well, we've been discussing this with Iwao's parents and we think it would be..."

MH: They knew each other well, so it was not as shocking as it sounds, but as I look back, (...) it was something that naturally fell into line. So I wasn't quite as shocked.

AI: So, what year did you get married?

MH: Fall of, October of 1939, so things happened quite fast. [Laughs] I got back in (...) April of that year, and so, let's see. So I spent the summer -- [laughs] -- getting ready for it.

AI: Well, and so then after your marriage, where did you and Iwao make a home?

MH: Oh. In the meantime, Iwao's father found (these) two little houses on... let's see, Nineteenth (Avenue and) Jackson Street. (...) One set up in the back and one, and then a lawn, and it's all fenced in. And somehow or another, my... Iwao's father found it and he made the down payment for, as our wedding gift. [Laughs] So we lived in the front house and by renting the back house, we made the payments. So it worked out well. It's no longer there. I drove by it the last time I was in (Seattle), it's all torn down, and there's a commercial building. So it was in a commercial area. (...) But we didn't feel that way, 'cause we had this lovely garden outside. It was all fenced in.

AI: And so tell me a little bit more about your neighbors in that area. Were there other Japanese families?

MH: No, they're not... most, there (were) mostly surrounded by commercial (properties), very few residential (homes). And, of course, we didn't live there too long. So... but it was a nice place to get started.

AI: And did you say that Iwao was an accountant?

MH: Yeah.

AI: And he was beginning a business?

MH: (...) He was connected with the Yamacho importer (firm), but of course, when commerce became (impossible) he worked harder on his accounting business, and he established his office down on Main Street on (somewhere) like 600th block of Main Street. He had his office with a Mr. Bill Mimbu, who was a lawyer. (...) They helped each other out. He took care of a lot of accounts, grocery stores and hotels, and set up their accounting system and helped them with their income taxes and corporation papers and whatnot. And so he was building up quite a business in that respect, and, of course, he was helping his father who was part ownership of the Grand Union Laundry with the Okada family and the Okamura family, and he was helping with that, too. So he was getting a real good start. And then slowly he was getting more and more accounts among the American people as well. Not only limiting himself to the international community, but it was interesting to see that reaching out and being accepted, you know, in the field of accounting.

AI: Well, Iwao must have been very, in demand, for example, not only his accounting skills, but for his language skills, being --

MH: Oh, I think that helped, too. And then there were a lot of law changes at that time, too, so people needed help. And then when Pearl Harbor happened and all the men were picked up leaving the wives to try to run the barbershop, the hotels, restaurants and different things, and they didn't know how. Iwao had... and that was probably a reason why we couldn't leave voluntarily when the evacuation problem came into being.

<End Segment 8> - Copyright © 2004 Densho. All Rights Reserved.