<Begin Segment 15>

BN: How many times did you go back to Okinawa to visit?

SI: After my brother pass away, I don't have feeling. [Inaudible] [Laughs] No, that's feeling different.

BN: Well, you go to see people, and they're not there anymore.

SI: Yeah. Different, brother pass away, pretty not like before. Mother and brothers living, yes, I want to go, I don't want to go Okinawa. I like go Okinawa.

Off camera: About four times.

SI: Yeah, four times. After that, after my brother pass away, I never go yet. I told my brother, "Oh, Niisan, you go come Hawaii, okay?" And after that we go back, so, okay, so okay, okay, then. He said, okay, okay, but after that he pass away. I never visit yet.

BN: You were mentioning yesterday that you do like to go to Las Vegas. How often do you go?

SI: Only last year I went.

Off camera: I think it's once or twice a year.

BN: Do you go with a group of friends or family?

SI: Sister and niece or nephew.

BN: How many... that's something we didn't talk about, is you came and you had your auntie here, then you brought over...

SI: Oh, my sister. Before, she was all complain about that kind, I think she got hurt, brother scolded her or whatever. I talked the telephone and they said, complain, so, "Okay, if you feel like that, why don't you come over to Hawaii then?" She said okay. So I told 'em, oh, let's go that kind for Sachiko come to Hawaii. That was so fast. And she came. Oh, you better go something, send to sewing school, and then excuse. For the meantime, she got married, so I don't need [inaudible] it's okay then.

BN: She got married here?

SI: Yes.

BN: To a local?

SI: Yes. [Inaudible] it's okay. When I was, called my sister, my nephew answered the phone. Oh, no, my sister, he said, "Okaasan nakunatta," that's my big sister pass away. That's why you stay here? Yes. "Okaasan nakunattake kochi no oru," that means my big sister pass away. But after that, he was telling me, I was thinking about, I going to Brazil or something, talking about... what you talking about that far place you go? Okay, then you go come to Hawaii. You okay? She said okay, so I called my friend, he used to do this kind travel kind of, so you know, "My nephew want to come to Hawaii, so which way to faster?" "Oh, go from fishermen then." Okay, you take care of that, oh, that was so fast. Yeah, the fishermen, they came. And after that, he said, "I no like fishermen," he's working for the Nishimoto Trading, long time he work over there, over twenty years.

BN: How old was he when he came?

SI: He came over here only twenty... oh, before that he came over here. He was experienced, have the Okinawa, you know, the American government helping for the young Okinawan boys for the, training for the Big Island to the farm. Six months he was there, Kiyoshi. This was, he first went.

BN: So he was already familiar, so he knew he wanted to --

SI: Yeah, before I sponsor, he came...

BN: He was probably waiting for you to offer.

SI: [Laughs] He didn't talk about Hawaii, he was thinking, "Oh, I was thinking about I go to Brazil or..." why you go that far place to go? So now he get family and married.

BN: So you brought over your sister and nephew.

SI: Yes. And then her daughter come to pharmacy, he's doing good. He said, "Oh, Auntie, thank you for, you called me. Girls doing real good." He's appreciate.

<End Segment 15> - Copyright © 2012 Densho. All Rights Reserved.