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JS: So when your, the Fujimuras came and took you from Auburn, you went to Seattle first?

RN: Yeah.

JS: And what did you do in Seattle, or where did you stay?

RN: She came from Hawaii.

JS: Oh, your auntie came from Hawaii?

RN: She lived in Hawaii, and then she came to Seattle, and that's when she adopted me.

JS: And what did you do in Seattle? Do you remember much about Seattle?

RN: Nothing, I just went to school, uh-huh.

JS: Do you remember the Japanese town?

RN: Yeah, I was interested in Japanese music, biwa, and I was too small to carry that biwa, it's heavy and big. So I used to put that biwa in my doll buggy, and go for my lesson.

JS: Did you start lessons in Seattle, or was that after you came to Fresno?

RN: No, Auburn.

JS: In Auburn? Oh. So even in Auburn you were studying biwa.

RN: Yeah.

JS: So there was a teacher in Auburn, so there was quite a Japanese community?

RN: Yeah, Auburn, there were a lot of Japanese in Auburn.

JS: And what else in Auburn do you remember? Was there a Japanese school that you went to?

RN: I don't know.

JS: You don't remember that.

RN: I know there were a lot of Japanese, they were all farmers. They all, milk, they had dairy.

JS: Right. And what did you do to help on the farm, do you remember?

RN: I didn't do much. I was little then.

JS: Uh-huh. Did you have to milk the cows?

RN: Yeah, milk the cow.

JS: Uh-huh. Did you help make the butter?

RN: No.

JS: No, that's too hard work? So did you enjoy having fresh milk?

RN: Oh, no, I didn't.

JS: You didn't. [Laughs]

RN: To this day, I don't like milk.

JS: So when did you move to Fresno?

RN: When did I...

JS: Yeah, when did you, after you were in Seattle... how long were you in Seattle?

RN: I was in Seattle, then this auntie came after me. She brought me back to...

JS: To Fresno?

RN: Seattle.

JS: To Seattle. And when did you go, how long were you in Seattle before you went back to Fresno?

RN: Oh, I was in Seattle for quite a while.

<End Segment 3> - Copyright © 2010 Densho and Preserving California's Japantowns. All Rights Reserved.