Densho Digital Archive
Densho Visual History Collection
Title: Ayame Tsutakawa Interview I
Narrator: Ayame Tsutakawa
Interviewer: Tracy Lai
Location: Seattle, Washington
Date: May 29, 1998
Densho ID: denshovh-tayame-01-0016

<Begin Segment 16>

TL: When you... on your trip with your mother and Glen to the United States, what city did you land in?

AT: To Seattle. Yes. Not, not to Sacra -- (Narr. Note: San Francisco)

TL: What do you remember about that?

AT: This immigration house near International District, that's the building, I think. Just a few days ago, I saw that again and remembering it. But my father, Kyotani, had a friend who was a lawyer in Seattle, Yasutake, I think. And Mr. Yasutake was quite influential around here then, so he came and just next day I was out of there. Yes.

TL: So did they arrange to come through Seattle because they knew this lawyer?

AT: Yes, so I would get through the immigration easier.

TL: A little faster.

AT: And then also I think my father used to live in Tacoma before he went to California. And like Moriguchi family, Mr. Moriguchi and my stepfather came from same prefecture, so they knew each other, and they were good friends before my father went to Sacramento. I think because of the prohibition that he had to close his business in Tacoma and he went to California. So at Tule Lake my (father was) happy to see Moriguchi family because my father's friend.

TL: And how did you get from Seattle to Sacramento? How did that part of the trip go?

AT: Oh, my father drove from Sacramento to Seattle in a brand new Buick. Cream color at that. And most of the Japanese people had this square-topped black Ford or something. So I thought, My goodness. My, he must be very wealthy. [Laughs] Maybe that was my mother's choice.

<End Segment 16> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.