<Begin Segment 17>

[Translated from Japanese]

NM: I would like to ask another question about your life after you came to the States. Did you have a chance to get to know the Japanese American community?

TF: No, not at all.

NM: You didn't. When was the first time you saw Japanese Americans?

TF: I didn't meet anyone.

NM: When was it?

TF: I met Kazue after we went to Alaska when she moved to the island with her husband. That was my first time to meet a Japanese American.

NM: She was from Japan, wasn't she?

TF: She was.

NM: How about the Japanese American community?

TF: I didn't see any.

NM: I'm assuming Issei people were still around.

TF: I think so.

NM: You didn't see any Issei or Nisei people.

TF: No, I didn't. They were not in the place we were living. The only Japanese I knew was the friend and another one I met in Anchorage. She lives in Oklahoma, and we still write to each other. They were only two Japanese I knew.

NM: I see.

TF: Until I came to Seattle.

NM: Seattle was the first place you saw Japanese.

TF: I met Japanese. That was my first time.

NM: Seattle has a Japanese American community. When you came here, you had a chance to get to know the community. How did they accept you?

TF: I came to Seattle after spending some time in this country, and I didn't have any issues. I heard that people who came earlier to live in Seattle went through some experience.

NM: Was it not pleasant?

TF: People in our generation were married to an American [non-Japanese American] and didn't have to work with the community. We had an option to be distant. I knew people who were going to churches and Buddhist temples and was told they heard negative comments about them made behind their back.

NM: They did not blend in.

TF: That's right. It takes time. When I think about it, people in our generation made a decision to get married and went through hardships before coming over. We were probably hard-headed for self-protection. That was partially our fault. I think we appeared to be too strong-willed.

NM: I see.

TF: This is my opinion, but Issei people came over to work hard and go back to Japan as a successful person. That's not everyone, but some. They worked very hard and demonstrated Japanese endurance and politeness to other people in this country. Nisei people were brought up by them and were told to be patient and cooperative. They were quiet and hard working. Their parents really encouraged them to work hard. They finally earned to gain a high position in the society. Another example is Nisei soldiers of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. They pledged their loyalty to this country and bravely displayed the Japanese fighting spirit at the same time. We didn't have any obligations when we came. Our predecessors did a good job. We just came over with nothing to worry about and might not have seemed to be very respectful.

NM: [Laughs] Because our predecessors have built a firm foundation.

TF: We came in carefree, and we are married to a foreigner. [Non-Japanese Americans] We didn't have to live by the rules of the community. I think we appeared to be arrogant. That led to misunderstandings, and some people were accused of being rude. It is their fault too. That's how I thought.

NM: Newcomers don't have community obligations.

TF: On the other hand, we had to find our way into the American society by ourselves because we are married to a foreigner. We lived in a totally different environment from the Japanese society. I believe our generation's achievement is to introduce and spread the Japanese culture in an accessible fashion. There were three generations, and we each had advantages. Conflict happens when people are selfish or stubborn.

<End Segment 17> - Copyright © 2016 Densho. All Rights Reserved.