<Begin Segment 31>

EG: Anything else about your stay in Japan that we'd like to know?

TM: Yes, well, I thought... I stayed in Japan I guess you can tell from '46 to '50. And because I lived in Japan before that, I was very sympathetic to the people there. I would try to be as kind as possible. I was not too friendly to their black market people, but otherwise I try to be, I try to be friends of the Japanese. When I was up in Hokkaido, of course, those are the days our jeeps were breaking down all the time, there weren't enough parts. And so the boys from, our boys from Hawaii were in the motor pool, and they were supposed to repair the jeep and keep it up and all that. And when they couldn't maintain on a scheduled, on a regular schedule, according to the schedule, they used to blame on the Japanese. And so the Japanese came to me and said, "We can't do anything. There aren't enough parts, the right parts, and so we can't repair. And yet this fellow from Hawaii gave us a bad time." And I had to go and talk to the soldiers from Hawaii who didn't understand (Japanese) too well. And then after that was straightened out, I believe the soldiers from (Hawaii) understood and they were not as harsh to the motor pool workers.

And, well, something about postwar Japan. The Japanese soldiers who came back, no job maybe, and they were struggling and selling all kinds of things, personal things, personal property at so-called 'Ginza outside store.' They put up a tent, they have about six or seven feet wide store on outside, outside of the Ginza stores. But they had a tent over. They called it Ginza stall. I still have picture. And they were selling just about everything they had. And this soldier -- I could tell, because he had a uniform -- selling among other things his medal, and I asked him not to sell it. And he said, well, he had no choice. He has to feed the family. So I said, "Well I'm in a different army, but your blood is no different from mine and I feel bad, and so I give you (the) money. So take 'em home and don't bring 'em out." And he said he would appreciate very much, but he thinks he will bring 'em back again. So after I gave him enough money he said, "I'll give them to you." And I said, "No, you earned it and you should keep them." "No," he said, "I will, I'd like to give them to you." And so I said, "Well, let me keep that for a little while then." I want to do that so he won't sell them to different people. I still have 'em. I still have 'em. And that was in Tokyo and we were living in Yokohama and about a month or so later, I wanted to return that to him, but I couldn't find him anymore.

EG: That's a sad story.

TM: Yeah that's one of those pretty sad things. You know, I gave him a soap, candy and money and all that. And there was another, another instance when a Japanese from here in Seattle, he was here in Seattle, and he went back to Japan during the war or soon after the war. Exchange ship maybe. And I happened to see him. And we worked in a salmon cannery together and he was in pretty sad condition. I happened to see him and he recognized me and he said, "I hate to beg, but my wife just had a baby, she doesn't have milk, so can you find me a couple of condensed milk?" And I said, "Why, sure." And I went to the PX, and I wasn't supposed to do it, but I got a case of condensed milk, so big, and I give him the whole case. And he cried. And I said, "If you need any more, I'm, I live in such and such place, don't hesitate to call me." And I gave him even my phone number. And he never called me back, but I was happy to do that. There are many, many stories like that.

<End Segment 31> - Copyright © 1997 Densho. All Rights Reserved.