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DG: All right, and so he came to the U.S. and he first was in San Francisco and then he came up to the Seattle area. Let's see, can you tell me more about when he arrived on Bainbridge Island? Did he talk about what his living conditions were like and working conditions?

DR: He said the working conditions were fine. They stayed in cabins, and I, that's a lot of, what a lot of the Filipinos did. He stayed in the cabins and he worked in the winters and saved his money. And he said that the one thing he really learned how to live on the island is, he said that he learned from the Japanese farmers that all you have to do is go to Chinatown, get two hundred pound sacks of rice -- [laughs] -- and you could live off the land, you know, fish and whatever else... shellfish.

DG: Did he ever tell any other stories of interactions with the Japanese farmers?

DR: Oh, well, he, yeah, he really did. He... very respectful for the Japanese farmers and everything and then, like with Akio Suyematsu and stuff, during the war, Dad took care of his Olympic berries, you know, just that part of the berries. And, beside doing his own farm, too, at the Furukawa, at the leased land he got from the Furukawas.

[Interruption]

DG: Okay, so Doreen, if you could, too, tell me more about your father's first experiences on Bainbridge Island with farming with the Japanese and what sort of things did he take away from working with the Japanese in the early years?

DR: Oh, he said, well, he said the Japanese farmer were very hard workers. And actually, the Filipinos were hard workers, too. And he just learned that if you just work hard, you can do anything you set out to do.

DG: Do you know if he developed any personal relationships with the Japanese?

DR: Well, he had a fondness for the Suyematsus and for the Takemotos, our neighbors. Because I remember we always went up to Canada during the salmon season and then we'd get salmon from Mom's family, we'd get, and bring it down, we can take as much down as we wanted. I remember he used to go and bring salmon over to Mama Takemoto and Mama Suyematsu, bring them salmon. So that was outreach there. And actually, too, during, during... your grandfather, I remember, after the war and stuff, and your grandfather had that, what was it, the store that he had over in King Street, I think it was, or Jackson, or King street, in Seattle. So they got on the phone and I don't know whether it was, maybe Felix Narte, and everything, the word got out. So they got their settlement for their strawberries and stuff and they, they went over there and that's where we got our first refrigerator, was from your grandfather, from his store. And I think we got a TV there, too. We were the only one on the whole block, the whole neighborhood that had TV. Everybody used to come over and watch Mickey Mouse Club with us. [Laughs] But, that, yeah, so they actually all kind of wanted to support, you know, in any way they can, and that was one way.

DG: Okay, can you do me a favor? That was a great story. Can you tell me that story again and instead use Mr. Kitamoto, or -- I don't know what they would have called him -- just so we could use it. Do you mind re-telling that story? It's a great story.

DR: Oh, okay.

DG: Here, I can give you a prompt. Can you tell me about how the Filipino community and the Japanese community might have worked together, supported each other together?

DR: Well, yeah, well... Mr. Kitamoto, when he came back to the island and he went and had that, opened that store in Seattle on King Street or Jackson, whatever it was. And then after the Filipino farmers got all their, their settlement from the cannery, you know, for the strawberries and what have you, I know they, I think it was Felix Narte, called my dad and everything, so when they, they went over there and they bought things from, from Mr. Kitamoto. Like we got our first refrigerator, and then we got a range, and I think we got our first TV from him, too. Yeah. So they wanted to go over there and just support, be moral support for him, help him out.

DG: Good.

<End Segment 2> - Copyright © 2007 Densho. All Rights Reserved.