<Begin Segment 23>

DG: So, can you remember some of your first cases?

TS: Well, I can't really, but I know I was busy.

DG: Dealing with what kinds of things? Wills?

TS: Wills and business transactions involving purchase and sale of businesses, lease problems, attending meetings of the Hotel Association, Japanese Community Service.

DG: So how did you get associated with Hotel Association?

TS: Well I was fortunate because I think, because of my father who knew, was known by leaders of the local Seattle leaders and apparently they, I assume, selected me.

DG: What did you do for them?

TS: Well, mostly in advisory capacity.

DG: So this was a postwar organization?

TS: Ah, the Seattle Japanese Apartment and Hotel Association was a prewar organization which was dormant during the war and became active as people came back. They had as much as 200 members prewar and as much as 350 postwar. And they dealt with problems of sanitation, building inspections, fire department inspections, boiler operator's licenses. They had these practical problems because of language difficulties. As time went by, their children became very active in business, and took over their parents' responsibilities and gradually many of them sold their hotels and apartments and oh, by late...

DG: So this was, this was still a lot of Isseis were a part of this group when you first joined them, right?

TS: That's right. But by...

DG: Were the meetings conducted in Japanese?

TS: As long as the Isseis were active. That... as late as 19, in the '60s, they were conducted by Isseis in Japanese and they were a very lively bunch of guys. At social occasions there was a lot of drinking. At parties especially, a lot of drinking and singing and dancing and it was very enjoyable.

<End Segment 23> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.