<Begin Segment 7>

JS: So when you went to... when did you start helping at the store?

SK: Well, like everyone else, I mean, every family, if you had a business, ever since I can remember, I was over there. So naturally you're gonna help out, so like everyone else did. Let me tell you a little bit about the store. I think they moved once before from another location. From what they tell me, it was, they first located in part of Italian town, and then I don't know when, but they did move the store right in West Fresno. And let me give you a little background of the West Fresno, about the Japanese. Almost every Japanese family that I know of were in the food business, or restaurant. That was, as I remember, there was a packing house, and it's still there. And I didn't know whether it was called the California Packing Corporation or not, but anyway, that's the basis of West Fresno. And maybe I can go into detail about that. There were jobs in the country where... I mean, there were any number of packing house jobs. And the Japanese people were primarily, as I know it, they were in the restaurant business. And every, every house, every business that I know of, so-called Chinatown in Fresno, where Japanese ownership. There were so many restaurants, there was, almost every other house was a restaurant. And then I can only remember about two or three Chinese shops, pretty good shopping, Chinatown, but mostly they were mostly Japanese stores.

JS: So what restaurants do you remember? Just a few?

SK: Well, I don't know the names, but I know the folks...

JS: Uh-huh.

SK: Well, let's see. One was Takata, Mr. Takata and his wife.

JS: Did they serve Japanese food or American food?

SK: No, American, mostly American food. Very few Japanese food. In fact, I just know of one, but that came quite a bit later. I mean, I was almost grown up. But almost every family... let's see now. One of the girls' folks' restaurant, I mean, she just died recently, was named Hamaguchi. And let's see if I can remember some of the names.

JS: So who would come and eat at the restaurant? The people that worked at the packing house?

SK: Well, I don't know why there were a lot of people in... very busy place in this... well, there were a lot of businesses in downtown, too, but I just can't remember... there were some Japanese on the, let's say, the railroad track ran through the center of town, and there were some Japanese, three that I know right now, near the main street. Watanabe was one of the names, and Hamanaka, Sahara, and those were the three that I remember. Then I can go... let's see, the other way. Let's see.

JS: Can you describe Aki store? What kind of goods you sold?

SK: It's just an old, old-time grocery store, really old-time. I can remember prices, too. For instance, cigarettes were selling for fifteen cents, and Bull Durham, I don't know if you remember or not, but it was only five cents. If you're a pipe smoker, you can buy a can of pipe tobacco for, I think, fifteen or sixteen cents. I guess the good old days. [Laughs]

<End Segment 7> - Copyright © 2010 Densho and Preserving California's Japantowns. All Rights Reserved.