<Begin Segment 6>

JK: How did your family keep you connected to Japanese culture?

MO: Well, we had to go to Japanese school, learn how to read and write Japanese.

JK: And I remember some pictures of you dancing.

MO: Oh, well, I took dancing lessons, too, Japanese dancing lessons.

JK: Was this something you wanted to do or your mom...

MO: No, my mom, I think my mom wanted to do that, and so she got me to do it.

JK: And did you come to enjoy dancing?

MO: Yes.

JK: And what would you do, besides learning dancing lessons, what did you do with the lessons that you learned?

MO: Well, they always had programs, so the ones that had been taking dancing lessons and music lessons, they always had the program for that once a year.

JK: Did your mom make you take other lessons, too, besides dancing?

MO: She didn't make me, but I wanted to take tap dancing. I took tap dancing.

JK: Did you, was this with Japanese or hakujin?

MO: No, hakujins.

JK: And so did you also do shows and things, recitals with that?

MO: Well, yeah, they had programs.

JK: Was there anything else you wanted to do? Did you do any sports besides playing softball?

MO: No, I did all that, tomboyish things.

JK: Any other special memories growing up?

MO: No, it was very pleasant. I enjoyed it.

JK: Let's talk a little bit about the hotel. How did you, did you have any chores to do in the family business? Did you have to help?

MO: Whatever my mom needed to help, we did. But there were just chores gathering the dirty towels from the rooms, the hotel rooms and things like that, little things that I could help her with. But there isn't.

JK: Okay, so everyone pitched in and helped at the hotel.

MO: Oh, yes.

JK: And did you do any other work yourself outside of the hotel to earn money when you were growing up?

MO: No, I was too young to go out to get a job.

JK: Okay, as you got older did you do anything to earn money?

MO: Yes. I worked at a sports store and gift store, places like that.

JK: And was this money that you got to keep?

MO: Yes. If I worked and earned it, I was able to keep it and got whatever I needed. Clothes, books, it was mine.

JK: Okay. So you didn't have to chip in to the pot for the family.

MO: No. There wasn't that much.

JK: Did you ever pick berries?

MO: Oh, yes. Berries and beans.

JK: Where did you pick berries and beans at?

MO: The farms, Gresham, got farms.

JK: How did you get out there?

MO: Oh, we took the bus. There were lots of city buses that would go to the countryside.

JK: So you would have to pay to get the bus to go out and work?

MO: Oh, yeah.

JK: Do you remember which farms you worked in?

MO: Fujimoto's the only one that I can think of now.

JK: Okay, and how about the beans?

MO: The beans were later on. I was too little for them. I had to carry those things and they were too heavy.

JK: Okay, but when you did go bean picking, do you remember whose farm?

MO: I think it... no, I don't, because I didn't really...

JK: Okay, well, that's interesting how you took the bus out there and paid.

MO: Oh yeah, that was the only way we could get there.

<End Segment 6> - Copyright © 2013 Oregon Nikkei Endowment and Densho. All Rights Reserved.