<Begin Segment 18>

LG: So you mentioned you were able to go on a pilgrimage with your daughter.

AN: Uh-huh.

LG: How much have you shared with your children as they've grown up about your experiences and the experiences of your parents? How did you explain to them what had happened to you?

AN: I don't believe that I had a conversation focused that way. My daughter is an avid history buff, so she took notes and all that, but that's her. My son never raised interest or curiosity or anything so I've never discussed it with him. My granddaughters on my son's, my son has two daughters, they could care less. So on the other hand, my grandson, my daughter's son, has an interest in Nikkei history. So he's picked up on a number of things from his mother because of her direct experience. And over the, since he was a teenager, we used to have weekend phone calls, FaceTime, and a lot of times we would talk about various books I've read or he's read involving Nikkei history. So that has connected me to him over the years, and he has an ongoing interest in Japanese American history.

LG: So right now we are here at Shofuso, the Japanese House and Garden. I'm curious, living in Philadelphia over the decades, when did you first become aware of this site?

AN: I don't remember. I think I learned about it from people in JACL, and I frankly don't remember when I first came here.

LG: Were you ever involved in the group that operated the space? There was some overlap with the JACL and the Friends group here.

AN: I don't recall directly being involved. Because I'm not into gardening. My wife is, because she's into ikebana. But I don't think she has been physically involved here either. She's had some contact with Longwood Gardens, but not here.

<End Segment 18> - Copyright © 2023 JACL Philadelphia. All Rights Reserved.