Densho Digital Archive - Yukiko Miyake Interview (denshovh-myukiko-01-0032)

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SY: So what did you do after you were in Spokane?

YM: Oh, I just lived in -- we lived in this little house that had a wood and coal range, no gas, no anything. We had to have that wood and coal range to get hot water to cook. It was horrible, but it was better than living in camp. And I learned to make a lot of things on the wood and coal range and burned a lot of things, too.

SY: Well, how did the community accept you in Spokane?

YM: Well, in Spokane they were really nice. The reverend that was -- there was a church nearby and the reverend used to come every week, once a week, and pray for us. That was kind of nice because it was a different religion, but he thought about us. And so when he heard we were going back to Seattle, he said, "Don't go. Don't go. Let your daughter finish school here because he says the feeling there isn't good," but we came back. And what he said was really true, the feeling wasn't very good.

SY: What was the feeling like when you came back to Seattle?

YM: We were Japs, but fortunately -- you asked about the studio. We got the studio back and I don't want to talk about it, and the black people were really good to us. The Chinese wouldn't even serve us or feed us or anything before we went. After we came back, well, we were number one customer. They were really nice to us, the Chinese people.

SY: After you came back.

YM: Oh, yeah, because some Japanese really had money, and they treated us to Chinese food and that was delicious. [Laughs]

SY: Why do you think the Chinese weren't very friendly with you before the war?

YM: Oh, before the war they all wore "I'm Chinese." "I'm Chinese" button because they didn't want to be mistaken for Japanese. I didn't like that, but for self-preservation what can you do because some Japanese got beaten up. They don't talk about things like that. And there was one man, Japanese man, I think he died in jail because he had some kind of a sickness, and he asked for help, but they didn't give it to him. And I think he died, but I can't verify it so I can't say much about it. I think there was one Japanese man that died at the jail just before, I mean, right after the war started. Things like that. It leaves a bad taste in your mouth. And so to me, maybe because I am more Japanese-y than the rest of them or because of my influence of my grandmother, sometime when I hear things on the radio, I think oh, bunch of lies again. Bunch of lies again. But I don't know. Maybe it's the truth. Well, when I hear how they treated the Indians, I think maybe Japanese were better because at least we got fed three times a day.