<Begin Segment 2>

MK: I would like to ask you about your childhood.

RM: Yes, yes.

MK: Do you remember any lullabies your mother used to sing for you?

RM: No, no. My grandmother was at home and took care of us. In the countryside back then, mothers were working and busy with household business. Grandmothers took care of kids.

MK: What kind of songs did your grandmother song?

RM: She was a very nice grandmother. She used to compose poems. Very nice grandmother. She used to talk about her childhood. Nice grandmother, yes.

MK: Did she sing this? [Singing a traditional lullaby]

RM: You are a good singer.

MK: Do you remember the song?

RM: Yes, yes.

MK: I heard it came from China.

RM: Oh, I didn't know.

MK: Any songs you remember?

RM: Well, a song about Momotaro, and also crows.

MK: [Singing] Crow, why are you crying?

RM: Yes. That was it. Way back then. Small children play with other children and learn from each other. Their brain works very well. [Laughs] They learn a lot of things very quickly, but that ability is long gone now.

MK: Nagano Prefecture is a beautiful area, isn't it?

RM: I don't know. I don't know about other areas in Nagano. Yes, I think so. [Laughs] It is probably beautiful.

MK: Flowers came out in the spring when you were there as a child.

RM: Yes.

MK: Did you have lot of cherry blossoms?

RM: Yes, yes. They were all over the place. Yes.

MK: Plum blossoms too?

RM: Yes, plum blossoms were everywhere too, and we had a lot of plums.

MK: Did you made pickled plums?

RM: Yes, yes. We did. We didn't buy any at a store. We bought salt and sugar but had plenty of seasonal fruit. We had apples too. Do you know about the sericulture industry? We all raised silkworms. All women and children needed to help during the busy season. We often bought some treat and gave it to the kids. They sometimes got a penny or two when they helped. Everyone worked very hard. Everyone had to work. I don't know about merchants, but we were farmers. Farmers in the countryside worked very hard.

<End Segment 2> - Copyright © 2003 Oregon Nikkei Endowment and Densho. All Rights Reserved.