<Begin Segment 2>

BH: So tell me about your house where you grew up.

HI: Well, it was an old farmhouse with a potbelly stove as heat, no hot water. But we had a bathhouse, so we had our bath built out there. And in order to get the water heated you had to build a fire underneath the tub. And it was either us or my dad or somebody started the fire before dinner to get the water hot enough. And my mother used that water for washing clothes. She had a washer, but no dryer (...).

BH: Let's talk about your childhood. Tell me the names of your brothers and sisters in order of their birth.

HI: Well, my oldest brother, his name was Fujio but they call him Fudge. And his birthday was April 10th, I can't remember what year, he's seven years older than I am. And my sister Miye, she was four years older. Then my youngest brother, Ko, he's seven years younger than I am, so I was kind of in the middle.

BH: Quite a span.

HI: Yes, it was.

BH: Did they also take American names later?

HI: No, well, except for my oldest brother, they called him Fudge. Miye was just Miye or... the Caucasians called her Maya, or May.

BH: So what did your parents grow on the farm?

HI: Well, they grew mainly raspberries and some strawberries, and then they had a truck farm of rhubarb and cabbage and cauliflower, that type of vegetables.

BH: And where did your dad sell his produce?

HI: He took it to early market on Belmont in the industrial area. They had an early market where he got up at three o'clock and had to take the produce down to sell it.

BH: Growing up, what were typical meals at your house? Did you have Japanese food or American food?

HI: (...) I think mainly Japanese food. And we had a mixture of both. But then holidays we'd have (turkey for Thanksgiving) and my aunt and uncle's family. We got together on the farm.

BH: Did your family celebrate Japanese holidays like New Year's?

HI: Oh, yes. We made mochi, too. We had a big garage-like (building), and even some of the (...) families in Montavilla area came because we had such a large space.

BH: In what ways was your family connected to the Japanese community? Were you involved with one of the local churches or temples?

HI: Well, they were working so hard, I don't think they had much time. But they would go to the Buddhist Church for movies or whatever, sometimes. Then later on in life, they joined the... Shinnoyen church, which was a type of Buddhist out in Milwaukie.

<End Segment 2> - Copyright © 2014 Oregon Nikkei Endowment and Densho. All Rights Reserved.