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FK: Isao, tell me about your parents. Did they... where from Japan they were.

IY: Yeah, they came from Japan many years ago, I forgot what year it is. They lived in Taniyama, were born in Taniyama. I'm sure both of them were, but my dad came first to the States. And then he was settled for a while, workin' on the island. Well, no, he worked in Seattle first and then came to the island. And I think after that he got settled. He went back to Japan, picked my mother up. They came over and I think the first thing they had was a farm here on the island but it wasn't too good. So he got into butcher. His occupation was butcher before we were born. Since market wasn't too well, the farm was getting better. So he turned into farm and from there we were born and just continued farming until the war started.

FK: Do you remember about what year it was that your father first came here?

IY: He must have been about twenty-six? She knows more.

Off camera: She's shaking her head.

FK: She says, "Yes."

IY: Gosh, I'm not too familiar. I've forgotten all the... his side.

FK: Yeah. If he was about twenty-six, then about what year would that have been do you think?

IY: Eighteen somethin'?

FK: Where on the island was your family farm?

IY: On the road where it says High School Road. It was just Winslow then. First farm that we were was by where the Safeway is located now. The house we stayed there. And then we moved to another area where the real estate, right across from McDonald's, there was a house there. And the later part of the year we moved again about two miles from Bainbridge High School and there was a house there and we settled there for, until the war started.

FK: So what was your, what was your main farm then?

IY: Strawberries. Strawberry and tomatoes. And few peas and corn.

FK: Did you farm near where you lived or was it... was the farm right on High School Road then?

IY: Yeah, they were all farm. We had farm, well the main farm was strawberry, I'm sorry. And all three places that we moved were all strawberry farms. We just moved because of better soil I guess.

FK: Well tell me about your siblings.

IY: Well, my oldest sister, she... let's see. Well, she passed away already. Also my brother, he's gone. And my... next to me, my other sister, she's passed away. Well, my brother, let's see, he went into service just before the war because he knew one of his friends that was in the service at Fort Lewis and eventually joined. My oldest sister, she was already married and she lived in Seattle somewhere. And my other sister, she worked in Seattle in a restaurant. Which left, in my last area there, in the farm, left me and my mother was the only one. Since my mother was invalid, then they used to do too much. My father was... worked a little bit there but the war started at that time. And he was gone so I was the only one on the farm. Tried to keep it up, but it didn't work out too good, not by yourself.

FK: So were all of you born on the island then?

IY: Not on the island. Just two, myself and my sister. The oldest one, my sister was born in, I think it was Seattle. And my brother also. It was just the two younger ones were born here on the island.

<End Segment 1> - Copyright © 2007 Densho. All Rights Reserved.