Densho Digital Archive - John Tomita Interview (denshovh-tjohn

<Begin Segment 5>

KP: Well let's, let's get back into Isleton and your, and the grammar school there, during that time.

JT: Yeah.

KP: What kind of languages did you grow up with?

JT: You know, as I remember, we were all speaking Japanese in a public school. And every so often they set up a rule that you can't speak Japanese in, in the public school. And that they used to, people that tell, try to catch you speaking Japanese. But, yeah, there was, they tried to make us speak English. What I heard when I went to, after I left Isleton, I went to Berkeley. And when I went to Berkeley, they thought I was a kid from Japan because I was speaking English with Japanese accent. I didn't know that. Because I came from a community that spoke nothing but Japanese. But I know the parents of older people in other cities, they liked us because we spoke good Japanese.

KP: So, was Chinese also spoken at your grammar school, do you remember that?

JT: I really don't know. They must have been speaking because there, there was no English [Laughs]

KP: Who were your teachers and what were they speaking?

JT: Oh, we, it's all Caucasian teachers. Yes. I remember I got sent to the principal several times because I didn't want to participate in the program and whatnot. But the principal was real nice. I liked sports and the principal knew that. So he'll, he, we just talk about sports. And then he sent me back. He'd just tell me, "Just listen to your teacher." So I said, okay. [Laughs] But, yeah, the teachers, I thought they were pretty good teachers, yes. In grammar school I never thought I was studying at all but I must have studied a little.

KP: Did you participate in a lot of sports?

JT: Yes. Well, I'm the captain of the baseball, captain of the basketball, captain of the soccer. And any fight, I'm right there.

KP: Captain of the fights, too.

JT: Yeah, in fact, in grammar when, when I became, eighth grade we have to go to high school. We have to go to next town. Rio Vista is, that's the only high school there. So we had to go to Rio Vista. The coaches at Rio Vista High, I knew two of 'em, the basketball coach, he made sure that I came out for basketball. And the football coach came and told me, came to my home and said, "You're gonna start playing football the first year." I might not get to play too much the first year but by sophomore, he said, "I guarantee you'll be on the first string." [Laughs]

RP: John, can you tell us a little bit more about your father's restaurant? What type of clientele did they have? What type of food did they serve? Did you work there?

JT: Actually, the only thing I used to work in the restaurant was I had to bring in the first log from the back. From the log, it went into coal. I was, I was the, well, I bring in those stuff. And then take the garbage out. I was the garbage man. And every so often I'd forget and my dad used to come after me. [Laughs] Yeah, he was a tough dad, but he was a good dad.

RP: What type of food did you serve, did they serve in, in your father's restaurant?

JT: Oh, they served just about everything. I know, I used to love the stew, stew that they used to make. I mean, but, yeah, I know my dad's, his breakfast is steak and glass of wine. That's his breakfast. I still remember that. Yeah, oh... and then we'd, we had two, Chinese, we had Chinese and English food. And we had a Chinese cook and a English cook. I don't know... my dad wasn't doing much those days. But then when the Depression came, yeah, he had to take over. But, yeah, as far as serving the customers, doing the waiter work like that, I didn't do a thing because my sisters were doing the, taking care of that.