Densho Digital Archive - Kazuo Yamane Interview (denshovh-ykazuo-02-0002)

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LD: You finally did go to Japan.

KY: I finally... see, after finishing high school in 1934, then stayed in Hawaii for a year then in '35, went to school in Japan, actually to go to college. But since our language was not sufficient, then we have to take prep courses and then go to middle school and take the entrance examination.

[Interruption]

LD: What was different about the customs for you when you arrived? What was customs, different, besides the language, what was different?

KY: Well, you know, you have all customs like when you greet people, when you're going to be served your food, how you're eating, it's so different. When you go to the countryside it's one way. You go to the city where they are more sophisticated, and it's much, much different than what we was accustomed to in Hawaii.

LD: Could you talk to us a little bit about the ways in which you felt close to the Japanese or different from Japanese when you were there? Like you're just, maybe I'll remind us that you're just out of high school, you're college age, going there to go to college. So can you tell about that a little? What was that like for you?

KY: The most difficult thing I think was because of the language, and not having enough knowledge of the language. And the language, the Japanese that's spoken in Tokyo where I was is so different from the Japanese spoken in Hawaii. And you go to the country, there may be some similarities, but still there's a vast difference. And to read and write is one problem, but to speak it is another great problem.

LD: Did you want to go to Japan to study? What did your father say to you? How did he bring it up? Do you remember discussing it with you, or talking to you about going?

KY: Well, he did mention actually that...

LD: My father...

KY: My father did mention that, "You should have an education first, and secondly, of course, you should know the language and customs of your parents and ancestors, in the cultural area, too." But in the middle 1930s, actually, was right after the Depression. And to send a child to college or any high education in those days, going to the mainland was very expensive. So about that time, there was a trend of sending all the Niseis to Japan to learn not only their higher education, but to learn the language and culture and so forth. So I suppose weighing all things together, he thought that was the best way to get an education. And so I was one of many students that were going to Japan about that time for education.

LD: How long had you known that you were going to do that? Did you know it... you had known all along that someday you were going to go? Or about the time that you were a senior you knew it? For how long had you been expecting it? Did you expect to go?

KY: No, I did not expect to go. Some of my friends were already there. Right after high school they left, I went one year later. But I had many friends that had gone to Japan, and knowing what the situation was like, I thought that was a good idea. So when that was suggested by my father, why, I thought it was a good time for me to go.

LD: You saw it as a way of just continuing your education.

KY: Yes, that's the way that I looked at it, was a way to have higher education.

LD: So during the time that you were there, did you ever think about just staying on and getting, making your living in Japan? What did you think?

KY: My thoughts on living in Japan was the last thing I had in mind. We had a business here, my friends were here, and living and earning a living in Tokyo or for that matter in Japan wasn't that easy. Of course, if you had knowledge of English, that's a great advantage, if you knew Japanese and English, then you could get a good job there. In fact, there were a lot of the students actually chose to remain there, those who did not have anything to come back for. But actually, in my case, why, we had our own running business and being the first son, and my father was old, why, that was the natural thing to do.

LD: This is... we had this old picture, get the painting, too, that says you, Yamane store. What kind of business did your father have already at that time?

KY: Oh, 1930s my father had a grocery store and feed store, paint department, and he also had a lot of houses for rent. He bought land, built, and rented. So it was more than enough work for a family. Whereas others are, whose father was employed by someone, they would have to seek a job someplace, whether it was in Hawaii or mainland or in Japan, so they go to school to find a job. And those who chose to stay active were those who, if they came back to Hawaii would not have a business going, so they would be looking for a job.