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TI: And do you know what your father's family did in Japan?

SI: I don't know. They farmed, and I don't know whether they had a store or not. The store was next door, not theirs. I think farming is all they did, I think.

TI: And do you know why he wanted to leave Japan and come to the United States?

SI: Well, you know how all of them think that they're going to get rich quick and take the money back. Well, they never went back. They stayed in the States.

TI: In terms of birth order, did he have any siblings in Japan?

SI: Yeah. I don't know how they go, but I think he had an older brother. Oh, my father was Fujita, but then he was adopted by the Fujita family, he was Kuribayashi. He was born a Kuribayashi. And then I don't know, his aunt or somebody must have adopted him, and he became a Fujita. She probably got married to a Fujita and then adopted him. So they're brothers, but Hikogoro or something is his, something like that, the oldest brother. And then he had a sister. I think he had two sisters, and I'm trying to see what their names were.

TI: Now, did any of them come to the United States or was just your father?

SI: They were in Japan, so I don't know too much about 'em, but there was two sisters.

TI: That's good. And when he came to the United States, do you know about what year he came?

SI: No, I don't. Not exactly the year, I just knew he came. See, I didn't live in Portland too long, because after I got married, all my other siblings, they know all about more, because they can ask questions anytime. But I was here, and I never went back too often. Maybe once at Christmas, New Year's, but otherwise, we stayed here and farmed.

TI: But do you know why, are there any stories of why he chose to live in Milwaukie outside of Portland? So Milwaukie is like seven or eight miles outside of...

SI: Milwaukie is more farming. Portland, they don't... town, it's a city. So they have to move away where there's farming areas.

TI: But do you know why he chose Milwaukie?

SI: Well, I think he was in Seattle area, Auburn area first. And then they went to Gaston, Oregon, I remember they were saying. And then I guess they didn't like it around there, so they went to Milwaukie. They must have saw something better.

TI: That's interesting. Because Auburn...

SI: Tacoma, Auburn area.

TI: Because Auburn is kind of a suburb or outside, a rural area outside of Tacoma, and kind of outside of Seattle, so between the two.

SI: Yeah. So they farmed there. I think that's where they were kind of farming, probably farming for somebody else. I don't think they had their own farm.

TI: Well, that makes sense, too. Because when I think about it, like Auburn farmers, Japanese farmers, they would raise crops, and it's good to be by a city because they could sell their produce to the cities. I mean, in the same way...

SI: But I think he just worked there. Because I think when he came from Japan, I think he was saying he worked around that area, and at night, he went to night school to learn English so he can speak good, you know.

TI: But when he decided to go to Milwaukie, when he raised his crops, where did he sell his crops?

SI: Well, with his brother, the Kuribayashi, he had several boys, you know. And one of them would take it to the market. They have to go three o'clock to a market and sell all their stuff and then come home.

TI: This is like a farmer's market in Portland?

SI: Yeah, I think so. So they drove every day we had crops to sell.

<End Segment 2> - Copyright © 2023 Densho. All Rights Reserved.