<Begin Segment 17>

AM: You talked about expectations, too. Japanese Americans had a certain expectation when they came to get their hair cut as far as how much they were gonna pay. And did they expect to pay more or less?

JS: No, they, Japantown was always less. It, our haircuts were less, and that's why these younger barbers right now, they don't come to Japantown, they all go out.

AM: And you talked about how your customers tipped you. Was there any kind of difference between...

JS: Well, some don't, some do. It's not, it's not what you have to, it's just what you feel like doing. That's why...

AM: And it didn't break down between Japanese Americans did a certain way and --

JS: No, no. There's no breakdown, just how they feel.

AM: Now if some of your customers had businesses, or had service businesses, did you use their services and feel like you should or anything like that?

JS: Well, yeah, you, you kind of work together, uh-huh.

AM: And you mentioned that the Issei and Nisei felt more comfortable coming to Japantown. What do you think contributed to their feeling of being comfortable?

JS: Well, I think in any case, Japanese Americans, they felt more comfortable among Japanese Americans at the time.

AM: Because of what --

JS: Now, yeah, at that time, it was kind of, the comfort level was with your own kind at the time, I thought.

AM: Right. And how much do you think the fear of discrimination played in their feeling uncomfortable outside of Japantown?

JS: Well, anybody that went through the evacuation, they, they would, they know what it's like, because when you go back east, it's a lot different, too. And the people are different, the Coast was a lot different.

AM: And how they reacted to you was different.

JS: Yeah, to you, uh-huh.

AM: Let's see... oh, how much did you charge for haircuts when you first started?

JS: It was a dollar.

AM: And when you closed?

JS: When I ended up, it was ten dollars when I finished. It was quite a difference.

AM: But everything else started costing more, too.

JS: But that's, that's still cheap. [Laughs]

<End Segment 17> - Copyright © 2004 Densho and The Japanese American Museum of San Jose. All Rights Reserved.