<Begin Segment 16>

[Translated from Japanese]

NM: What was your first impression when you reached New York?

TF: I was somewhat nervous. I got onto a plane and arrived at the Haneda Airport. I was checking in and said I wanted to get changed. It was probably a student part-time worker. I was taken to a VIP lounge somehow. [Laughs] The room had beautiful chairs. It was a surprise. [Laughs] I was very lucky. Mike called me from somewhere to make sure I was there and doing fine. That really helped me. That was it, and I got onto a plane. We played all sorts of games during the flight, but I started to get nervous when we were getting close to New York. I went through customs in Alaska. I was bound to Seattle and then to New York. It was expected, but it took me a long time to get through in Alaska. It took me such a long time that the connecting flight had already left when I arrived at Seattle. I had to quickly change my plan and spend a night. I live here in Seattle now, and this is where I spent my first night. [Laughs]

NM: [Laughs] First night in the States.

TF: [Laughs] First night in the States. It was in May and was light out even at night. It was late at night but was still light out. I was surprised. I couldn't fall asleep and stayed awake all night. There was someone else, I cannot remember where he was going. He told me that he was going to work as a houseboy and going to school. The boy was on the same plane, and we went to the same hotel together. We decided to wake up each other in the morning. We didn't want to oversleep. We made a promise and went to the hotel. I don't think he slept either. We called each other before five o'clock, and we got up. I got on a plane and stared to get nervous when we were getting close to New York. A business person asked me, "Are you travelling alone?" I said yes. He asked if I knew where to go. I showed him a piece of paper with the address and telephone number and told him that was all I had. He told me not to worry. He will take me to a cab. [Laughs] I found someone I could rely on, and I got myself right next to him. [Laughs] I was following him when someone waiting there approached me.

NM: He came to pick you up.

TF: I fainted for the first time in my life. It was so tense, and my muscles just melted when the tension was lifted up. That was my first and last time.

NM: You felt relieved.

TF: I lost consciousness. It was the first time I experienced such a thing.

NM: That tells us how stressful the trip was.

TF: I think it was. I must have been very tense.

NM: You went over to an unknown land.

TF: I was just doing my best. I'm still joking about it. When I was a student, another student always got dizzy when we were standing and listening to the principal's speech. I thought it was such a nice way to be excused from boring rituals. I was hoping I would faint like that. It really happened.

NM: It did. [Laughs] You reached New York after the very intense trip. That is your first place to live. Did you see any Japanese people around you?

TF: No, not at all.

NM: What was the reaction of the people around you? They had a Japanese person joining them.

TF: I didn't meet any Japanese in New York. The family did not have social activities at all. I was always with just the family.

NM: Did the family give you a warm welcome?

TF: They didn't have any other options.

NM: [Laughs] You came anyway.

TF: [Laughs] This tiny Japanese woman joined them.

NM: Did you encounter any discrimination or prejudice?

TF: No, I didn't.

NM: I see.

TF: The younger brothers hadn't seen a Japanese person and came to me to take a look. They wanted to talk to me but didn't quite know how. That was okay. I lived in the same house and had nowhere else to go.

NM: You lived with the family and managed to communicate with them. What did Michael do? What was his job?

TF: He could not leave the military all together yet. His paperwork was still being processed.

NM: He wasn't discharged yet.

TF: The paperwork didn't get mailed to us. He requested expedited filing, but it was bureaucracy. We didn't know what was happening and waited for two months without hearing back from them. He went to a base to inquire, but they just turned him away. They didn't have any paperwork to process. They told him to wait at home and call them every morning. That was all. He was not getting paid either.

NM: I see.

TF: At first, a radio station had an opening. He went to apply and got a job playing records on the air. He didn't really like it, but he had to work.

NM: He was a radio DJ. [Laughs]

TF: [Laughs] We were still living with the family. The next job was with Lockheed. They were looking for technicians. Days after he started, they went on strike. He was unemployed again. [Laughs]

NM: [Laughs] Out of a job again.

TF: We lived with his parents. His father was still serving and receiving independent financial support for his mother and three sons, a total of four dependents. I didn't make a big difference.

NM: You had a pretty good start.

TF: It was good, I think. Some people didn't have a roof over their head.

<End Segment 16> - Copyright © 2016 Densho. All Rights Reserved.