Densho Digital Archive - Minoru Yamaguchi Interview (denshovh-yminoru

<Begin Segment 16>

KL: That reminded me that I wanted to ask you about your trip. Have you just taken one trip back to Japan?

MY: No, no.

KL: You've been back several times?

MY: No, I've been back, back and forth probably, average maybe every three years, every fourth year I take a trip. Last trip was exactly a year ago today. I was there in Japan in June.

KL: Did, your youngest sister stayed there? She never came to the United States, is that right?

MY: No. I did want to bring her to live with us, my mom and my sister, but because of the trouble changing the name, I just couldn't, I just couldn't put the papers in order to make the immigration department to understand what is really taking place. We had to prove that it's, they're actually my mother or my own sister. But I tried my best, I tried my best, but I -- I got the paperwork here still -- I just had to give up, because it's just, the paper was going back and forth, file the paper and never got any answer, and then try to get back and ask 'em, said they didn't know what I'm talking about. So I just had to give up.

KL: But you would go back and visit.

MY: Yeah, I'd go back and visit them. Much easier now. And another time, things are now different. Things are a lot different. They're, it's a small country, so it's very crowded, but regardless, it's a nice place, nice country to visit. People are polite and the food is good, sushi is good.

KL: Yeah, I'll bet it is. [Laughs]

MY: Yeah.

KL: Sushi's good in California too, some places.

MY: Yeah.

KL: Have your kids been to Japan ever? Would you tell us about your kids, what their names are and... your children? I didn't ask about your children.

MY: You know, I've been telling them and I said I'm getting old and will I still be able to walk around and be able, let's get together and make a trip to Japan all together. Maybe, my grandkids are seven and four, so maybe another couple of years, three years, we'll probably make the trip, all of us.

KL: Exciting.

MY: Hope to, anyway. Yeah, I'd really like to see my, my grandkids to see Japan. And my own kids, daughters been, seen Japan. I took 'em once, but when they were pretty small, so they don't remember, actually. Now they're all for going and grown up, and maybe it's a really nice thing, I think, to visit. Make a tour of our own, that'd be nice.

KL: Tell us your daughters' names.

MY: The one that's married is older, oldest one, Erika, and then the middle one's Michele. She's single, she just bought a house recently.

KL: That's exciting.

MY: And our youngest one is Karina, and she's gonna get married this November in Hawaii, so we're all gonna go out there.

KL: Are they all living in Southern California?

MY: Right here, just in the same, so every Sunday, every Sunday, most of the time, we get together here and have a dinner. We all have dinner here once a week.