Densho Digital Repository - Lucas Rotman Interview

Densho Digital Repository
JACL Philadelphia Oral History Collection
Title: Lucas Rotman Interview
Narrator: Lucas Rotman
Interviewer: Rob Buscher
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Date: May 15, 2023
Densho ID: ddr-phljacl-1-22-5

<Begin Segment 5>

RB: And one of the things that you were mentioning before about the community events that took place there at Shofuso, particularly Obon and the summer festival, can you share any other specific details? What kinds of entertainment was done and who from the community came out?

LR: I remember the dances. I remember that was really a highlight for me. They would do the summer dances with the fans, and I sort of remember somebody grabbing me out to try to teach me how to do the dance, and going back and forth, going back. And I just thought that was really so cool, like all the people who were actually working there, they all kind of grabbed us and had us join in so that we would learn how to do the dancing, and that was really a whole lot of fun. I also remember just the food itself was just incredible, it was just so good. I think that was one of the things I really looked forward to, just sort of with the food. Oh, I also remember it was the first time I saw taiko drumming. I'd never seen that before, I don't know which group it was, but I was just mesmerized by the taiko drumming. I had never seen anything quite like that before. And I was just sort of like, "What is that?" And I just thought it was so cool.

RB: Do you know, was the food cooked on site for those festivals?

LR: No, definitely was not. It was brought in. It was just like my grandmother and I think everybody did it. I think everybody just prepared things in advance and I brought them in. I don't remember much food prep going on.

RB: Did they sell, like, bento boxes?

LR: Yeah, that was my favorite, it was the bento boxes. And I'm trying to remember, did they have... no, they didn't. At one point I thought I remembered somebody actually making sushi there, but I don't know actually know, that's from someplace else. But things were pretty much set up. I remember them selling objects, too, sort of like small trinkety sorts of little small Japanese trinket kind of things that they would sell. People would... Grandma would donate things all the time that they would sell to raise money. Yeah, the music really stuck with me. Music and food really stuck with me. And just the vibe, there was just a generally very happy, welcoming vibe to it that I really enjoyed.