<Begin Segment 11>

MK: Where did the ship land?

RM: At Seattle.

MK: From Seattle.

RM: Yes.

MK: By train?

RM: By train. My husband was in Seattle to pick me up and bought me some western style clothes. We came back to our house in Portland after that.

MK: Was it the first time that you had ever put on western style clothes?

RM: Yes, yes. That was my first time, first time. I didn't even know what they were called, like those underwear items. They told me, but I didn't understand English at all. I learned a bit of English before I came over, but I had no idea.

MK: Were you wearing kimono on the ship?

RM: Yes, yes. We were all wearing kimono.

MK: At Seattle.

RM: Yes. At a Japanese dress maker's there. We bought a dress, underwear, shoes and all.

MK: Were you wearing geta clogs on the ship?

RM: Yes. We were wearing geta clogs or zori slippers.

MK: Was your dress long?

RM: Yes. People were still wearing long dresses then. Shoes were not like modern simple ones either.

MK: Laced up.

RM: They were sort of tall boots.

MK: Were you excited when you put on western style clothes for the first time?

RM: Yes. I was told they were taking pictures of us. [Laughs] We had some pictures taken.

MK: Did you get a hat?

RM: Yes, I got a hat too. The Japanese dress maker had a store full of customers like me.

<End Segment 11> - Copyright © 2003 Oregon Nikkei Endowment and Densho. All Rights Reserved.