Densho Digital Archive
Preserving California's Japantowns Collection
Title: Rose Nakagawa Interview
Narrator: Rose Nakagawa
Interviewers: Jill Shiraki (primary); Kerry Nakagawa (secondary)
Location: Fresno, California
Date: March 9, 2010
Densho ID: denshovh-nrose-01-0011

<Begin Segment 11>

JS: So what else do you remember about... about Fresno's community celebrations?

RN: Oh, yeah, Raisin Day.

JS: Raisin Day. And what was Raisin Day?

RN: Raisin Day was a whole town celebration. Every year, the president of the Buddhist church would send a, make a float, and I was chosen couple of times as a queen of that float.

JS: Uh-huh, queen of the Japanese float?

RN: Uh-huh.

JS: Wow. Wow. So there was a float that was like a boat, and there was another one.

RN: Yeah.

JS: Like a pagoda? What other activities do you remember from growing up in Fresno? Did you go to the Buddhist church, were you active there?

RN: Uh-huh, yeah. Then they'd have... I guess they still do have those race.

JS: Uh-huh, like a undokai?

RN: Uh-huh, undokai. Yeah, we used to have that.

JS: Were you a fast runner?

RN: Uh-huh. [Laughs]

JS: And then did you go to Japanese school?

RN: Uh-huh.

JS: You went to Japanese school after school, after regular school? Oh.

RN: After Saturday, and weekdays after American school.

JS: Oh, so you also went on Saturday, too?

RN: Uh-huh, we used to have a class.

JS: Wow. So you were busy. And then on Sundays, did you go to Sunday school?

RN: Uh-huh.

JS: Sunday school, oh.

<End Segment 11> - Copyright © 2010 Densho and Preserving California's Japantowns. All Rights Reserved.