<Begin Segment 22>

TI: You know, so NOC was originally formed to talk about the redevelopment issues of Nihonmachi. I'm just curious what your thoughts are. You live in the neighborhood, in Nihonmachi, what's your thoughts about the future of San Jose's Nihonmachi?

RK: I mean, that's the question we had talked about way back in the late '70s and '80s is, you know, would it survive. And thirty years later, it's still here. I mean, it's... I think there are challenges, continuing challenges in terms of the businesses at that time were very much family-based. Some of those have changed. I mean, the grocery store on Jackson Street, the Dobashi Market, the family sold out, it's now part of the Nijiya chain. There's another family market on Taylor, the Santo Market, whether they continue with that, it's unknown. There was a big plan to do a large redevelopment project that takes up like a city block. Unfortunately or fortunately, I'm not sure what, the financing for that fell through and now it's just sitting as a vacant lot. They're using part of it as a parking lot. So Japantown has changed. I mean, there's a Blockbuster Video in town which probably won't be here much longer. The hall that used to be used as a theater in the old days was used for a while by the taiko group, and used by an aikido group, and now an Ethiopian church has bought the property, and I understand they don't want to keep it much longer. Maybe the taiko wants to try to relocate back in there. The Soko market, Soko hardware store, he decided he was gonna retire, it's been taken over by a Hawaiian group that teaches hula lessons, there's a ukulele store in town, my son goes to a ukulele teacher in Japantown which is new. So, I mean, there's changes here, and they seem to be changes that are positive. So I'm hopeful for the future.

TI: So looking thirty years into the future, so you mentioned thirty years, so as you were talking, I was thinking, okay, so the Niseis I see walking around Nihonmachi today are in their eighties and some in nineties. So thirty years ago they were pretty much your age, thinking about the future, and now in thirty years you'll be in your eighties walking around Nihonmachi. I mean, what will it take for it to survive thirty more years? I mean, what do you see thirty years from now, what Nihonmachi will look like?

RK: You know, the two religious institutions are critical elements. They serve as kind of centers, anchors. I'm guessing that they're gonna survive. Again, there may be some change in the composition of the churches, but I think they'll survive. There's a lot of different activities that kind of relate around the churches, whether they be Cub Scouts or other kinds of cultural kind of related things. It'll probably be different to some degree, but I think it'll still be here. And hopefully some of us will still be walking around, maybe living in the retirement housing up the street and enjoying our years of retirement.

TI: Yeah, it is, when you said thirty years and you start doing the math, it is interesting when you think of, yeah, the Niseis were essentially our age, grappling with these issues like redevelopment, and thirty years later, similar issues that we have to deal with.

RK: Right. I mean, here we're sitting in a great resource to the community. This museum hopefully will survive into the future and will help us remember our roots and the internment experience.

TI: Great. That's actually a good way to end the interview. Tom, do you have anything else? Well, Richard, great interview. This was really fun.

RK: Yeah, it was fun. Good talking to you.

<End Segment 22> - Copyright © 2010 Densho. All Rights Reserved.