<Begin Segment 6>

TI: When we talked earlier, you mentioned how your house was nearby Boeing Field, and at one point they needed to expand Boeing Field and do more buildings, so the family had to move?

MT: Yes.

TI: About how old were you when that happened?

MT: Let's see. I must have been about fourteen or fifteen. Oh, wait, no, I was older. I was sixteen, I think.

TI: Sixteen So this is like right before the war started, okay. And so where did your family go?

MT: Well, my father found property that was about a mile and a half away from that, right by the Duwamish River.

TI: And when you say your father found property, was this something that he leased, he bought, or do you remember what kind of property it was?

MT: I don't know if I should say that, but he bought it. But in those days aliens were not allowed to buy property.

TI: Right, because they had the alien land laws, so unless you were... yeah, so a Japanese immigrant or Issei would be able to buy land.

MT: Yeah.

TI: So how did he buy land? It's okay, they won't get 'em now.

MT: [Laughs]

TI: I'm curious about how did he get the land then?

MT: Well, then he asked a family friend if he could use his name, asked him.

TI: Oh, so like an older Nisei?

MT: Older Nisei, yes.

TI: And so, but this was right before the war he did this.

MT: Yes.

TI: And do you know if he, when he bought it, did he have like a mortgage and all that?

MT: Oh, yes.

TI: So he was planning to pay it off over time?

MT: Yes.

TI: Okay, that's good to know. Before we go to the war, I'm just curious, do you recall, you talk about the Fourth of July, which is kind of a nice, fun day. Where there any other community events in South Park where the community got together and had maybe a picnic or other kind of...

MT: Yes, we had our annual Japanese school picnics, and I think there were other community picnics, too.

TI: So when you think about the language school, Japanese language school picnic, where would you have the picnic?

MT: That's a good question, I can't remember now. [Laughs] You know, I'm sorry, I can't remember.

TI: What would happen?

MT: Well, they would have a program of races for the kids, and we all packed big lunches, our parents did. So it was kind of a nice outing. I can't remember exactly what time of the year it was scheduled, but it was kind of like an annual affair.

TI: And generally it was kind of like in South Park, do you recall, did you go outside of South Park?

MT: Well, I don't think it was too far if it were outside of South Park there, but I'm sorry I just can't remember exactly where we used to have these picnics.

TI: Yeah, because I'm thinking of the area, and now it's not too far away, but might have been far then, but you had like Jefferson Park where I know they had a lot of, other people in Seattle would use Jefferson Park for picnics, but that'd be up on Beacon Hill.

MT: Yes, I remember that.

TI: And then more Lincoln Park, which is more by the Ocean and West Seattle, was another place that I heard serviced picnics, so I was just curious.

MT: No, I'm sure we didn't go that far.

TI: Yeah, today with the freeways and everything, those places are not that far away. But back then, it was probably more of a trek to do that.

<End Segment 6> - Copyright © 2016 Densho. All Rights Reserved.