Densho Digital Archive - Nancy Iwami Interview (denshovh-inancy-01-0010)

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MA: So did your parents maintain ties to Japan? Did they keep in touch with relatives in Japan?

NI: In a way they did, my mother did. In fact, she was the only one, she was the oldest, and she came to this country and never went back. One time she was going and the war broke out, so she canceled. But, so therefore she never went back. She kept in contact with her family, and she was the only one that came here, she was the oldest, and she lived the longest. Yeah, she lived a long life.

MA: How, how old was she when she passed away?

NI: She was ninety-eight. So I say, "I want to live that long, too," if I'm healthy.

MA: So how much did your father and mother emphasize Japanese traditions and Japanese culture in your, in your house?

NI: Well, they kept it up pretty good, I think. But, as we grew up, it changed. Yeah, I think so.

MA: So as you went to school and maybe...

NI: Yes, uh-huh, and our eating, the eating habits, the food also changed. Observed all the holidays, Japanese holidays.

MA: New Year's.

NI: New Year's, yes, Obon and what else?

MA: What would you do for New Year's, what did your family do?

NI: Oh, we prepared all the goodies, he said we must clean the yard, we must clean the house, everything must be new when the new year comes around. So we'd try to get new clothes, which was hard.