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RB: Great. Actually, since we're talking about Reiko and the work that she did here, I'm going to jump around a little bit. So you mentioned that she was very committed to this organization. When did you first hear about Shofuso?

MN: It must have been in the '80s. I couldn't tell you precisely, but because she was engaged in it, and then later on my niece, Reiko's daughter Ilona, and my daughter Michiko worked here, I mean, they were sort of, like, well, whatever it is young people do here. I think they were guides and just general helpers in the house. So they probably could tell you quite a bit about this place, too, actually. And so it was, in that sense, though, I wasn't fully engaged in any kind of real sense, my sister was and my daughter was conscripted, so to speak to work here.

RB: So what exactly was Reiko's involvement here? Do you know what she did here at the house?

MN: I'm not sure altogether, I think she was involved in its governance. And I'm sure there were arguments in that quarter, I wasn't involved in those, for obvious reasons. And I suspect fundraising was an element here, too. And just raising awareness of this place, and it's a little bit of its history and its significance. And it was, you know, I think for many people, and not just people of Japanese descent, I think it was a place of solitude and refuge. You know, lots of people like to watch koi swim around here, and it's a little place out of, a little peaceful place, I think, in an urban scene.

RB: Did Reiko ever talk about why she wanted to get involved in this space, or what she was hoping to accomplish here?

MN: No, she never did. What I'm saying about it is, on her behalf, is mostly what was implicit. Her enthusiasm, I think, indicated a lot, and that included, you know, the sense of its importance, this place's importance. It was also a bridge between, you know, both Japanese national community and Japanese American community, and, of course, then beyond that, to the broader non-Japanese community. I mean, it was a place for celebration, there was an Obon here. There was food cooked here, and those were all very pleasant memories. I always like to stroll around here also.

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