<Begin Segment 20>

MA: What about Spokane today? How have you, what are some major changes that you've noticed? I mean, you've lived here for many years.

SO: Well, it's all for the worse, population growth. Yeah, it was just a real livable town years ago. You didn't have to worry about, oh, going around that corner and getting into wrecks, or somebody holding you up. I think what I hate the most is the growth.

MA: The population growth?

SO: Population growth, yeah. That's ruining the country, I mean, the city.

MA: What about with the Japanese American community in Spokane? What sort of things have you noticed, the changes...

SO: No, we're all doing pretty much the same old thing that we used to do, I guess. Like I say, we, at least in my part, I've never had any hardships of any sort.

MA: What do you see is the future of the community in Spokane, Japanese American?

SO: Oh, there isn't going to be any. Because we were just, I was talking to Mas yesterday, we were talking about the original Spokanites, there's only thirteen of us left in Spokane, including myself and Mas, that's all. I mean, that's depleted us, that's it. And our church is mostly hakujin now, too. Well, that's, can't be helped. I think there (were) thirteen, yeah, thirteen I counted. Went through the phone book and counted 'em, there's thirteen of us left. Yep, then all the so-called kids like ours, Sanseis, (after graduation, looking for jobs were unsuccessful because) they don't have any good manufacturing jobs and things like that (here in Spokane), so they all leave town. That's why very few of us here have kids here. They're all scattered throughout the country, wherever the jobs are. So you can't help it. When you (graduate with a degree) you have to go where the jobs are. That's why (ours are) scattered all over, nobody here hardly.

MA: Do you still talk with some friends that you had, like, childhood friends?

SO: Well, what few, there aren't very many left. All my close friends are just, we were talking about it last night, I haven't got any what you call close. All my close friends are, they've died. Every time I read, or open the paper, that's the first thing I look at, the dying, obituaries. Yeah, I don't have what you'd call a close friend now, other than relatives, but they're not friends. Well, they're friends, but...

MA: So can you tell me about your children? How many kids did you have?

SO: Well, we had, like I say, we had one daughter and two sons. And the daughter died (as) I told you, and my youngest son, he lives, resides here in the northeast part of Spokane, and he, he looks after us, does all the lawn work and repairs, all the repairs and everything. He looks after, he's about the only one we have here, the rest are all scattered in Oregon.

MA: And your other son lives in...

SO: In, in Salem. And that's the only two we have, the one here and one over there. Of course, I've got my granddaughters, grandkids, they all live in Oregon, too, so I have no one here, other than the telephone. [Laughs] It's all we can do, is just talk over the phone.

<End Segment 20> - Copyright © 2006 Densho. All Rights Reserved.