<Begin Segment 23>

SG: So this is when you started your own company?

GA: Travel business, yeah, 1949.

SG: And from there, what happened?

GA: So for many years, I had both the insurance and travel business. But later, I sold my insurance business and just stayed in the travel business until 1988 when I retired.

SG: What made you decide to keep the travel and sell the insurance?

GA: More enjoyable, more fun.

SG: What did you enjoy about travel business?

GA: Traveling, getting to travel.

SG: What, in terms of having your own business, were there any difficulties you encountered?

GA: No, no. I didn't... oh, except I was telling you a little while ago that insurance companies would not accept Japanese for their fire insurance and automobile insurance and public liability insurance. They were saying that when a case went to a court, there would be discrimination; therefore, they would not accept Japanese Americans or Japanese, and that's when I got into that business.

SG: And you had mentioned how you really enjoyed the travel business. What was, and what was the, was there a certain secret or philosophy that allowed your business to be so successful?

GA: No, no. I just, no, there's no secret, just hard work, just hard work. That's all I can explain it.

SG: And at this time, you're raising three kids?

GA: Well, they're all adults. I had three kids, my wife had three kids from her previous marriage, so we had six children in all and twelve grandchildren.

SG: When was -- I'm going to go back a little bit. When was the first time you were able to visit Japan?

GA: Well, the first time was 1925 when my mother took me and my sister to Japan to visit her relatives, my relatives, 1925. The next time was 1959 I think when I went to Japan for the first time after the war, 1959.

SG: What was that like?

GA: Oh, gosh, it was a big change, huge change. Of course, there was still damage to areas like Tokyo in 1949, but there was a huge change, excuse me, since 1925 when I first visited. In 1925 when I first visited, went to Japan, I noticed the aftermath of the, that was the 1923 earthquake I think it was, 1923, and there were a lot of damage at that time still left. And it's the same in 1959, there was still some damage to Tokyo that's still not fixed, not repaired.

SG: How did you feel visiting as an adult, your first time as an adult the land where your parents came from?

GA: How did I feel?

SG: Yeah. What was that like for you?

GA: Well, I really enjoyed seeing my relatives, and you do feel a little closeness being a kin. I really enjoyed meeting my relatives. I can't recall any of their participation in the war, but I don't think we even discussed that, and I had many relatives at that time. They're all gone now, but I had many relatives at that time. We got along pretty well.

SG: Do you feel the Japanese in general or your relatives treated you differently because you were a Nisei or Japanese American?

GA: I don't think so. I don't think so. No. I think as far as my relatives were concerned, they treated me very nice because I was a relative. That's the only explanation I can give.

<End Segment 23> - Copyright © 2003 Oregon Nikkei Endowment and Densho. All Rights Reserved.