<Begin Segment 26>

TI: So Japan, anything else that you want to talk about, anything else you want to share in terms of your memories in Japan?

KT: You know, Japan, they have this little fish called ayu, and they use cormorants to catch 'em.

TI: The birds?

KT: Birds, yeah. They got a ring around there so they can't swallow it, and catch the bird, bring it back and it... well, this guy, he gave, he brought some to the embassy for the MacArthurs, so the cook cooked it like the Japanese cook ayu and they served it. And the waiter's Filipino, Sergeant Valbuena, takes it in and gives, serves the general. He says, "This is a Japanese..." So General takes it and he cuts it, and he puts it in his mouth and he bites down, and when they deep fry that it's just the whole thing, head and all, so the General, the first bite he takes is the head. And he puts it back down, he says, "Sergeant Valbuena, bring me some ham. I think this fish is too bony for me." [Laughs] Yeah, and he comes back there and that Valbuena, he sits back and eats it all.

TI: 'Cause he liked it. It was probably really good. [Laughs] Interesting. So you, you probably got to know lots of the staff pretty well, then.

KT: Yeah.

TI: And so what are some fond memories of that time in Japan, when you think back?

KT: Meeting all my relatives. For a while there, almost every day somebody'd come out, and I'd get a call from Post Three and I'd go out there, and the guy says, "I'm So-and-So Hosoi. I'm your cousin." Another guy comes and, "I'm Hatakeyama Such-and-Such, and I'm your uncle." [Laughs] Yeah, I met a lot, all the relatives.

TI: And how were your relatives doing in Japan, postwar? Was it a difficult time for your relatives?

KT: They were doing good. One guy was doing so good he had a big party, and he got a hold of some wrong alcohol and died.

TI: That's unfortunate.

KT: It was sad.

TI: So Kiyo, how long were you stationed in Japan?

KT: I was there about fifteen years, fourteen anyway.

TI: And how many years with MacArthur?

KT: Five years.

TI: Five years.

KT: Four and a half, maybe.

TI: Okay. And then after that, who were you, what did you --

KT: I was with General Ridgeway for about a year, and General Clark for about a year plus. I don't know, maybe close to two years. And then General Hall, and General Max Taylor, and then General Lemnitzer, Lyman L. Lemnitzer.

TI: And these were all at the embassy? They were all with the --

KT: Yeah. No, not that embassy. When General Ridgeway came to the embassy, they signed a peace treaty in San Francisco with Japan, so we, the army had to move out of the embassy because the ambassador then occupies the embassy. And I forget when that was, but anyway, General Ridgeway was there and then we moved to Maeda house, Marquis Maeda's estate. And Ridgeway, Clark, Hall, Taylor, and Lemnitzer all used the Maeda house as their residence.

TI: And with these other generals, was your role similar to what you did with MacArthur?

KT: Yeah, more or less like. Well, later, after we went to Maeda house, then I had to sort of look after the personnel and things like that, whereas at the embassy I didn't.

TI: Okay, good.

<End Segment 26> - Copyright © 2012 Densho. All Rights Reserved.