<Begin Segment 21>

SY: So when he came to Little Tokyo, when you first came to Little Tokyo, how, what was it like? Was it just kind of, just First Street was the only business area?

PM: Yes.

SY: So it was just between First and Second and...

PM: Central and...

SY: San Pedro.

PM: Uh-huh.

SY: So this was in the '50s, so it was, was it thriving at the time? Did you feel like it was, there was a lot of business there?

PM: Yes, there were a lot of stores. There were grocery stores, a church, Union Church, and it was really a Japanese-town, Little Tokyo.

SY: And where did you live? Where did you end up living?

PM: I ended up living -- this is in Los Angeles?

SY: Uh-huh. When you came to Los Angeles.

PM: Well, Mom and Dad were living in Pasadena, so we lived with them for six months, and then we found a home in Altadena and we bought a home there, 'cause I had, we had two children.

SY: So it was close by. Yeah. Now, tell, what was that house in Pasadena like? 'Cause I remember it being very nice.

PM: Yeah. It had five bedrooms, eight bathrooms, and it was just a very big house. It was an old mansion, and in the back there was even a tennis court, which Baachan had dug up and planted vegetables, so it was really a hard --

SY: She dug up that tennis court?

PM: Uh-huh. Or maybe he could've had someone do that, but then she planted vegetables there after that, so she was always in the garden making vegetables.

SY: And how, how were they able to afford this house?

PM: Uncle Tari helped Mom to find the house, and I think it was only about sixteen thousand dollars. It's an old mansion and people didn't want it, and so they got a pretty good deal on it.

SY: And they, by this time he was able to own property.

PM: Uh-huh.

SY: Because before the war they --

PM: They couldn't.

SY: They couldn't. You know, there was also this, a story I remember about him having to give up his car before the war. Do you remember that at all?

PM: No, I don't.

SY: 'Cause that was very, I remember it, it was hard for him because that was the only thing he owned.

PM: I see, yes.

SY: So after the war he always had nice cars, right? [Laughs]

PM: He liked to have a Cadillac, yes. [Laughs]

SY: And he, that started, did that start in Denver or did that start in Los Angeles?

PM: I don't remember. I think in Los Angeles.

SY: And he, 'cause he always bought a new car, or he always seemed to have a new car every year, right, or every other year?

PM: I don't remember that. [Laughs]

SY: So he, yeah, so anyway, this house was very conducive to having these big parties, right? [Laughs]

PM: Yes, yes.

SY: And all the children lived there for --

PM: Right.

<End Segment 21> - Copyright &copy; 2011 Densho. All Rights Reserved.