Densho Digital Archive - John Tomita Interview (denshovh-tjohn

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KP: So, what are your earliest memories of Isleton?

JT: The earliest memory, you know, I don't know. It must have been when I was about five or six years old. They, it was a wooden sidewalk, it was a wooden sidewalk. And the, well, the contractor or whoever, they were taking the board off and every time they take the board off there's some coins down there. And we used to fight for that coins. [Laughs] Yeah, so that's about the earliest. And then in 1926, the whole Chinese and the Japanese town, maybe about fifteen, fifteen, twenty, about twenty buildings on the Japanese side and about maybe twenty buildings on the Chinese town, the fire start... we were, at that time I heard that Chinese gambler fell asleep with cigarette in his hand and that start, started the fire. But, in the Japanese section they gathered all the children and I remember there was, we were on the truck and they, they took us to a pear orchard about a half-mile away from the town. And then they kept, they told us kids to stay there so the parents could get their stuff out. But I could see the fire started jumping from next building or it goes beyond a couple buildings then spark flies and it start burning that, the whole Chinese and Japanese section of town all burned down. I heard that the fire department were all volunteer firemen were at a picnic at a town called Davis. Davis is just west of Sacramento. I don't know, anyway, the, the fire, all the Caucasians had a big picnic, so nobody could start the fire engine. Anyway, the whole town burned down.

KP: Did your father have a restaurant in town at that time?

JT: Yes, he had a restaurant. And then...

KP: Did he lose everything?

JT: Yeah, they lost everything. Though somehow I guess the Japanese from all, all over the state, whatnot, they, they heard about it. They read it in the paper. And so they start pouring donation to the town. So somehow I, you know, I'm only six years old, so I was not... but that's what I heard. That, that's how they, they re-built the town.

KP: Did they just rebuild the Japanese section of town or the Chinese section?

JT: The Chinese section, the whole town. I don't know, so, I don't know how the Chinese got their money. But, but the Chinese... there was big people because they had the market and they had a gambling house. They had about one... so they had two big gambling houses. So, but they built, built the town too. And the Japanese section, I heard a lot of donation came in and that's how they got, yeah, uh-huh.

KP: How did your father react to that fire? I mean, do you remember him? Just was...

JT: You know, with Japanese father I, my father especially, they don't tell us anything. Yeah. We really didn't know what was going on. They, they, but I still vividly see the fire jumping from... you know. And all the kids in the trucks are crying. And I still remember, I was the only one that wasn't crying. I wanted to go down to watch the fire. But I was afraid to leave the truck because we were all in the orchard. It was a pear orchard about half a mile from... it wasn't that far.

KP: Did you, did you personally, I mean, you're only six years old, but did you notice any kind of adversity from the effects of the fire that your family had to go through? Was it difficult before the place got rebuilt or...

JT: No, I can't remember that. But, everybody got a house built though. And all the families that, that was living in town... I know my father was quite a businessman and he had a lot of contact. Maybe I shouldn't tell you this, but I, the thing that we used to do for him, I mean... well, he was a bootlegger actually. [Laughs] And I know we had the only phone in, in town. Everybody would have to come to our place to use the phone 'cause we were the only phone. But, I realized later on in my life I knew why he had the telephone. And, and somehow I remember we had a Ford, a Dodge, a Chrysler, and I asked my dad, how come you didn't... Chryslers, I said... well, that's the fastest car you could get and, and, yeah. See, he was getting liquor from... but, you know I never seen him go anywhere. But he seemed to bring his liquor. And this special wall on the floor (is a) little tiny hole, he put the pin down to unloosen the latch and the door opened up and, and on the wall we used to push that thing and it open up the door and that's where we used to put all the liquor. And, as a kid, we don't know any better. It, we thought we were just helping Mom put, putting things away. And, but and all these, he had this... I know one time he got a call that the, the county sheriffs are gonna raid our place. He got a telephone call. He put, clean everything up, make sure. And then they came, couldn't find anything. And we, every so often we, we get a raid on it. And then they, I understand that I, but I was told that my mother forgot to clean the cup, clean one of the cup that had, someone drank. And the sheriff found it and they, so they, my dad had to go to the county jail. But that may be part that he went to jail but early next morning he's back already. So...

KP: Do, do you remember these raids?

JT: Huh?

KP: Do you remember the raids when the police came?

JT: Yeah, I remember those raids.

KP: What did your... you were still a young child?

JT: Yeah.

KP: And what did you, what were you told about those when the police came? What did your parents tell was going on? Do you remember?

JT: No, they didn't tell us anything. And, and we didn't ask because it's obvious the, the county sheriff came and, and they, they poked the walls and whatnot and check everything. But they, they never found anything. But we knew where it was but I, we saw the sheriff coming by and go to each room and you know... but they, they always check in the wrong room. I don't know whether they...

KP: What did you think about that as a kid?

JT: Huh. We thought it was a game. Yeah. We thought it was a game. And, gee, and then, you know my father somehow, he knew which farmer is making wine and he goes to Lodi, he knew where the wineries are. I couldn't figure that out. I, how did he know there was a winery? But as I got older, I think it was 1932, when I was twelve years old, Roosevelt came in made it wet. I mean, everybody could drink in the United States. And my dad, and, and you could buy beer. At twelve years old I'd drive to Sacramento Brewery, which is about thirty miles away, I'd drive to Sacramento to the brewery and pick up two case, two case of beer. That's all they pass out to each restaurant owner. And, and I used to go pick it up at, at twelve. Twelve I'm driving on the highway. I see the... you know, those days I remember the highway patrol used to give the driving test. They were doing it at this garage that my dad owns too, so I used to see them. They, they give the test. So, that highway patrol knows my dad. He knows me because I'm always in that garage. And every time I see him on the highway I just wave at him. Yeah. I'm, I still remember, I'm driving on the highway, right through the steering wheel. I can't, I can't get above the steering wheel, but I know I'm looking through the steering wheel and driving. And If you know that, that delta, that highway is only for, is only two lane. Every winter somebody's land in the river. Yeah, so my father, I remember, he want to get the tow truck but the tow truck he, he couldn't afford it you see. But I remember I went to see a couple of tow truck. We went as far down as Merced to look at a tow truck. But he couldn't. Because he figured that he could make a fortune towing... [Laughs]

KP: So, your father at this time still had the store, restaurant, right?

JT: Yes.

KP: But he also had a garage?

JT: Garage. Yes. What I heard is that he loaned that man, I don't know how much he loaned. But he couldn't pay it back so my father took over the garage.