<Begin Segment 32>

SY: Well, I, it just strikes me as interesting that being the oldest you were the only one who went into business on, went into business and managed a business for so many years.

PM: I don't think nobody else wanted to. Are we on now?

AK: Yeah, we are.

PM: Well, Chieko never wanted to. She used to come in ranting and raving at me and telling me how I should do things, but I had to ignore it because she is the way she is.

SY: Right.

PM: But every person is his own, has his own personality.

SY: Yeah. Well, I remember working in your office when I was growing up, working for you, so all of us spent time working in the office because I think that was sort of the ethic, right? The family ethic was to work. We always had to work, right? I mean, was that something you felt?

PM: I don't remember, but yes, if you worked that was fine.

SY: [Laughs] That was fine. You didn't feel that we were kind of, there was... in other words, nothing was maybe out in the open?

PM: Right.

SY: There was always a feeling, and that, because, maybe because of the philosophy that you wake up early the first day of the month and all of that. So there was a real strong work ethic in the family. So what was it like having one brother out of nine children?

PM: Well, the brother is somebody that Baachan and Mom really were so happy, and they depended on him a lot, so they were, he was gonna carry on the Yamato name. The only thing that made me very disappointed was that Fred had worked for Dad for twenty-five years and when they decided to close the office they didn't leave it to Fred. They left it to Victor, who knew nothing about the business, but he has a good business head, so that was okay. But it was a big, big disappointment to Fred. That's about all I can say about that.

SY: But something that Fred never probably said to, to any, other than you he probably didn't tell anyone.

PM: Just to me and, that's the reason why I think he took it more out on the kids.

SY: I see.

PM: It was not easy working for his in-laws and then having his own parents living there and having his wife working. He liked to be waited on, so many times he didn't want to join my tour because he knew I wouldn't be waiting on him, I would be waiting on our clients. In fact, he did mention that. "If you want service from Mom you have to be her client." [Laughs]

SY: That was true, huh? Yeah, I remember him saying he hated going on the tours with you.

PM: [Laughs] But after a while, if it's some place he hadn't gone, he went. So now that I look at the pictures I see that went on quite a few with me. He enjoyed it once he went. He was always in the back of the bus talking to the clients, but he did enjoy it. He just felt like he wouldn't.

SY: Yeah. But, now, with all the traveling you've done, do you still enjoy the just traveling for traveling's sake?

PM: I enjoy it if I have people to take on tour. So most of the time, I've been all over the world, but I don't know too much about the locations. I've seen them, but I'm mostly concentrated on my clients' faces, to see if they are enjoying. So I lose any, if I'm hurting in any way it all disappears when I have my clients. I enjoy my work.

SY: I'll say. You focus on your work. So the, and as far as the family goes, do you still focus on that part of your life more now than you did when you were working, devoting more time to your --

PM: Unfortunately my family -- you mean my children?

SY: Uh-huh.

PM: They all have lives of their own, so we don't get together that often. But yes, I keep in touch with them and do what I can, but they are busy with their own families. It's very difficult. So we try to at least at New Year's get together, once a year, and I try to do all the cooking. And last year I wasn't even here, but Joanne did all the cooking. She knows exactly what I do and she did it all. I was very surprised.

<End Segment 32> - Copyright &copy; 2011 Densho. All Rights Reserved.