<Begin Segment 29>

TI: And then after Chicago, where did you go?

RN: We came back to California. Because they opened California, so we were able to come back.

TI: And back to Fresno?

RN: Uh-huh.

TI: And what was it like coming back to Fresno? Were there very many Japanese when you first got back?

RN: No. There were my friends, the McClurg and the Ravens, they came to the station to greet us. And they were real good to us. Whereas there was a couple of white people, says, "You Japs got nerve to come back to this country." That's what he said. I didn't answer or nothing.

TI: And so when you came back to Fresno, I guess there were two things. You had the restaurant and then the ranch, those two things? So what did the family do? Did you try to start both of them up, or did you do one first, or how did it work? What did you do first?

RN: I don't know. We went back to the restaurant business.

TI: Okay. And how difficult was it to start the restaurant back up?

RN: It wasn't...

TI: So the customers came back pretty fast?

RN: Oh, yeah.

TI: Did your customers ask you what it was like, where you were, what you did?

RN: Uh-uh.

TI: So it was almost just like nothing happened, to some of them, they just came back.

KN: Well, it was restaurant, but it was -- tell Tom -- it was more of a pool hall than restaurant, right? Can you describe the Tom and Rosie's? See, my uncle Johnny had the co-op right next doors to help the farmers. Mr. Shirakawa, remember, was the founder, and Uncle Johnny, and then right next door was, was it Tom and Rosie's pool hall? Describe to Tom what was in the pool hall, Mom. What would you guys have food-wise? What was in there? Pool tables?

RN: Yeah.

KN: What kind of food would you serve? Remember, you had a little milk shake?

RN: Yeah.

KN: Milk shakes, hamburger?

RN: They all come from the high school.

TI: Oh, I see. So a lot of your customers were high school kids.

RN: They were all high school kids, they came for lunch. Hamburger and milkshake.

KN: They even had the old pinball machines, and sometimes I'd see Dad paying people off, 'cause it was like a little slot machine, huh? Then at night, music?

RN: Yeah.

KN: What kind of music?

RN: Modern music that was popular then.

KN: Yeah, a big jukebox.

TI: Oh, so it sounds like a real big hangout place for high school kids. Now, why did you decide to go to Fowler and not come back to Fresno?

TI: Gee, was I living in Fowler?

KN: You and Dad started the pool hall.

RN: Yeah.

TI: Do you recall why, why Fowler and not Fresno?

RN: Yeah.

KN: I think it was probably because it was closer to the ranch.

<End Segment 29> - Copyright © 2010 Densho and Preserving California's Japantowns. All Rights Reserved.