<Begin Segment 17>

TL: In another conversation, I think you mentioned that you stayed in one of the hotels in the International District before driving down to Sacramento?

AT: That was N-P hotel?

TL: Uh-huh.

AT: Is it still called N-P Hotel?

TL: I think so. Do you remember anything about that hotel or...

AT: Not very much about the hotel. But next morning my father had a friend who had a restaurant, it's in the International District -- Nakashima family. There were two brothers who had a big restaurant, and I had waffle, first time, and I thought, "My!" With lots of syrup and lots of butter. I thought it was best thing in the world. It tasted so good.

TL: Do you remember any of your thoughts about the different kinds of people that you were seeing, or was the International District all Asians so it didn't seem so different?

AT: And then that same day, my father took me to -- there was a big Japanese knitting company on Main Street, or Jackson Street. I think they were well known for their knitting, and my mother and I had heavy sweater ordered and tried on different things, and that was one impression. And then eating waffle. [Laughs] And then we drove, next day I'm sure we drove -- not "we" drove, Father drove and Mother was taking driving turns too -- and drove back to Sacramento and stopped at Roseburg overnight. And that was quite experience for me because comparing from Japanese towns, it was different. And we stayed in this hotel and everything was decorated with rose. It was nice.

TL: What other kinds of differences left an impression on you?

AT: Of that trip?

TL: Well of, either of the trip, but also just being in America, a place that you'd heard a lot about, but now it was -- you were here.

AT: I cannot recall one particular thing. Living in Japan, although because Mother was sending enough money for us to live quite comfortably, we traveled. Like especially, I was sent to Beppu or some other place, resort, or hot springs and so going places was not shocking.

TL: Was it very easy to get to know this stepfather?

AT: He was very kind. Of course, he never had his own children so he was glad to have my brother and I. And Mother was very outgoing so he liked that, too.

TL: How about your own relationship with your mother, now that you were together?

AT: Little difficult, I think. I was... I always had to think twice for anything, because it was different from talking to my aunt.

TL: Because of how your mother would respond, or because you just didn't know her very well?

AT: I didn't know her very much, yes. And, of course, my kid brother was more closer to her I always felt. So I was trying to reserve my feelings, yeah. See everything was new to me when I returned. Father -- I couldn't call him 'Father' at first -- seemed like some stranger, man. But he was more than happy to have family so he was very good to us.

<End Segment 17> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.