Densho Digital Archive - George Nakata Interview (denshovh-ngeorge

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MH: You know, I can see what makes you pretty happy, George; your family, your paintings, your artwork, even your consulting business. You know, is there anything that you really worry about for yourself, for your kids, you know?

GN: Not to be too overly philosophical. I look at the global situation and look at what to some degree is finding its roots in religious origins have pitted people against each other, and sometimes in the political arena, it could grow fairly ugly. And as most people think of their children and their grandchildren and the generations to follow, in the total expanse of time, an individual life is such an infinitesimal dot on that line that goes on 'til infinity. But when you see clashes and non-productive things, why does a person spend their energy creating a virus that infects thousands of computers? Why would someone train themselves to be a terrorist to wipe out other human lives? So again, not to be too broad, but it would seem to me that those concerns on a more global basis, when one thinks of the environment, when one thinks of terrorism, when one thinks of human beings doing unproductive rather destructive things, small way, big way, I'm not talking of media spin, but I'm talking reality. You wonder about the world in 2050, 2025. On the short term, you wonder about education. You wonder about medical. Sure, the family down the street is concerned about budgeting for future medical expenses. Hundred thousand dollars for four years to go to state university, few years is going to be $250,000 to go to a private university for four years. You have to budget for that. And all the educational IRAs and the 529 plans, the financial planning, that's important, yes, but in the bigger and broader things, picture, I look at some of the global happenings right now, and you can't really erase that. They have to be I think of major concern, and hopefully, some way, somehow, that fear, that huge concern will be kept under control some way. That's my hope, of course, that my three grandchildren and fourth grandchild coming on and the generations to follow them will have a world. I'm enjoying life, put it that way, and I want them likewise. So it might not be, you know, having their favorite Chinese dinner or something or whatever that I might enjoy, but hopefully in their age, they can enjoy things in a world that's moving so very fast. The high tech industry obviously is great. I'm not talking about the speed with which we can do things on the computer, but it makes life totally different than when we were growing up. We had to add the long way. We had to sharpen pencils by whittling with our knife. We had to, the engineers had to use slide rules. You know, now blackberry, you can send an e-mail on, and Japan for many years had picture telephones way ahead of us. To me it's mind boggling. I still can't fathom how an airplane flies for the simplest of reasons. I don't even know why a motorcar of this spontaneous combustion even works. But when somebody goes to the moon or when somebody can telephone and take my picture, it's moving very rapidly. And what I, I think what I'm leading up to is that I hope we don't outrun ourselves, but there's a quality of life that there comes a time that the old saying goes, "Yeah, you better stop and smell the roses." And in today's world, yeah, you better smell the aroma of Starbuck, but you better not rush because you might miss something. And in this high tech world, yes, Intel, yes, Microsoft, yes, internet, high definition TV, it's all great. I enjoy it myself. But I wonder when we get too overly immersed in it that we're not losing something.

MH: So then, what advice would you give like to your grandchildren or this next generation that's coming up? I know you said stop and smell the roses. What else would you tell them?

GN: Well, as I reflect back on the annals of Japanese and Japanese American history, it's relatively short history here in Portland. And if my grandchildren came up to me someday when they're a bit older and asked, "Grandpa, tell me a little bit about the early years, about your history, about what's important, maybe some guidelines, maybe something to think about," I guess I would harken back a little bit to the three first marine folks that were shipwrecked in 1834, and these Japanese sailors, merchant people, landed in the Oregon Territory, the three first Japanese. And many decades thereafter, the Issei followed. In the late 1890s, the early 1900s, and along with them came Jiichan from Okayama, and he settled here with his grandparents who subsequently went back. He went back and got Baachan, married and came back. He developed two businesses and then Nihonmachi grew, thrived, and mushroomed and then seemed to disappear. And Executive Order 9066 came, and our family suddenly was not just Nakata, it was 15066. So suddenly, we find ourselves in Section 3, Portland Assembly Center, then on a train to parts unknown which happened to be Minidoka, Idaho. So another set of numbers, 34-6-A is permanently etched in my mind, Block 34, Barrack 6, Apartment A. The days in Minidoka from the sagebrush, the coyotes, the ticks, to the enjoyable days of greasewood and fishing, baseball and school, coming back to Portland, the resettlement days, and the government in 1988 maybe recognizing redress, 1990, disbursement of funds, my regret is by the time they got around to it, one-third of the Isseis were gone, so the people that were really deserving of monetary help were not with us. But all the things that we learned of Issei pioneers that were small in stature but giants when it came to the spirit of ganbare and giri and on, gaman, perseverance and dedication, and how they got knocked down and got up again, how they persevered in Minidoka, how they lost their total assets only to start all over again, that spirit is somehow enduring. It is somehow unwavering, and it is somehow being passed on to Niseis, Sanseis, Yonseis, to the fifth, sixth, seventh generation, so when my grandchildren ask, I suppose I would recite some of that history to them and tell them to look at the new millennium, the diversity, and the high tech, but never let your roots fade away. And let the strength given to you, passed on to you from the Isseis stay with you and build from there.

MH: We're just about the end of our interview. Is there anything else you would like to add?

GN: No, I don't believe so except making the comment that I hope the aggregate of all the oral histories, not just mine but the aggregate, can be somehow compiled, blended together, which really tell a story of our people. They're really amazing people that pulled up their roots and planted and nurtured new roots, and this project, hopefully Niseis older, Niseis, maybe a few remaining Isseis, other folks that have had a role in the Nikkei community of Portland and Oregon can give their contribution because I think the aggregate will be a very powerful story.