Densho Digital Archive
Manzanar National Historic Site Collection
Title: Tommy T. Kushi Interview
Narrator: Tommy T. Kushi
Interviewer: Richard Potashin
Location: Sacramento, California
Date: October 18, 2008
Densho ID: denshovh-ktommy-01-0008

<Begin Segment 8>

RP: Florin had a small business area, downtown area.

TK: Yeah, right by the railroad.

RP: Right by the railroad tracks. What do you remember about that community? Particular stores that you used to go to?

TK: Yeah. I still remember Mr. Tanikawa's, on this side, Mr. Tanikawa's and Mr. Kato. One was a dry goods, one was a fish, groceries. On the other side, there was, Moritas had a barber shop, the Akiyamas had a grocery store, and you know, a couple of grocery stores all along there. So that's where we'd go, we'd shop.

RP: You get your rice there?

TK: Yeah, rice or... and one or two of 'em used to have a panel truck, they used to come around all the farms.

RP: Oh, the markets there would send a...

TK: Yeah. I think only one or two, I think. They have their fish, they just come and... instead of the farmers going to them, they come to the farmers.

RP: Fish, tofu, things like that?

TK: Yeah.

RP: Who had the best candy in town?

TK: [Laughs] I don't know, really. This one lady, Tanikawa, Mrs. Tanikawa used to be so kind, they used to give us candy and stuff. To me, anyway. And others, Akiyamas, well, her sons, one of 'em was a classmate of mine, and couple of 'em were a little younger, but they're all boys. They all took kendo and stuff like that.

RP: Did you get involved in outdoor activities at all like fishing or hunting when you were growing up?

TK: No, no, I never did. My dad, he wasn't into fishing and stuff, so I never did take up the... but where I used to live, in Stockton Boulevard, right now it's all covered, but it used to be big, what is it, drainage or whatever, the big culvert or whatever. And every year, when it rains a lot, all the fish used to come, carp and perch, and so we'd just go in there and fish. That's my fishing, you just go in there and just grab 'em. When the water gets low, we used to just walk in there and just grab the carp. But I don't like fish. [Laughs] My mom loved it, but I don't like fish, so I never did eat 'em.

RP: Since you guys grew so many grapes, did you also make wine at the farm, or sake?

TK: Yeah, Dad, he used to make a few wine. I used to, used to just shove 'em through that slot, and they'd get the juice and all that. Then he used to have a little basement, he would store the barrel, of course, trying to make some wine. Then these... I remember the one time, the FBI or somebody came. [Laughs] My dad was heating the outdoor bath, and he was stoking the... well, they thought he was making moonshine. [Laughs] So they came by just to, they tasted it, it's water. That was it.

KP: Those guys were drinking bathwater.

TK: Yeah, I remember that.

RP: Were there, were there farmers or moonshiners in the Florin area like there were so many other places?

TK: I don't remember that. They just make their own wine to drink, and that's it. I didn't hear of anybody trying to sell it. I don't think they even thought about it. [Laughs]

RP: They were selling their bathwater, too, huh? Wow. You mentioned about the Depression years. Do you have any particular memories of how difficult times were?

TK: Oh, yeah. 'Cause I remember I used to love cartoons and stuff. Just to get a Sunday paper, nickel or whatever, those days, we didn't have any. Like grammar school, I think, they would serve, gave us lunch. It was just soup and stuff like that, that's about it. I says, "Oh man, it's bad." So right to this day, I worry about the economy right now, I say, "Hey, we're going right toward it." Scary. You see some people spending money left and right, said, "Oh, man, they better try to save it or something." Those days, those Depression, man, that's scary. You can't even have money, ten cents for the newspaper or whatever.

<End Segment 8> - Copyright © 2008 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.