Home

Takano Okajima

Reference URL

To link to this object, paste this link in email, IM or document
To embed this object, paste this HTML in website

Takano Okajima

View Description

Page Flip View

View PDF & Text

PDF
Text

search this item

Text Search...

TAKANO OKAJIMA
MRS. HASEGAWA: Today is September 7, 1980. I, Yoshino Hasegawa, am privileged to be in the home of Mrs. Takano Okajima at 1710 South Indianola Avenue, Sanger, California, 93657.
Before we get into the interview proper, I would like to have you give us your full name, place and date of birth, and your place of longest residence.
MRS. OKAJIMA: My name is Takano Okajima, and I was born on June 3, 1904 in Okayama-ken, Kibigun, Mabicho, Shimonima, 1412-2. This is the present address. It was originally known as Okayama-ken, Kibigun, Nimason Shimonina. After the war, Nimason was changed to Mabicho.
MRS. HASEGAWA: What are your recollections of your childhood?
MRS. OKAJIMA: My mother died when I was 8 years old, and my father passed away when I was 12 years old. So, as an orphan, all my memories are sad. My older brother brought me up. Those of us who are born unfortunate are unfortunate all our lives.
MRS. HASEGAWA: How much older was your brother than you?
MRS.OKAJIMA: He must have been 10 years older.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Did you have other siblings?
MRS. OKAJIMA: Yes. An older sister and a younger brother, who was 6 years old at the time. He is the heir and lives on the home place in Japan.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Was your home on a farm?
MRS. OKAJIMA: Yes. It was then, but now my brother has a fish market and also a catering service. He also farms.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Why did you come to America?
MRS. OKAJIMA: I came because I really wanted to. As I said before, my childhood was lonely and sad. When my parents died, our relatives wanted to distribute the children in our family amongst themselves. But my brother, who was ready to go to Shihan Gakko (normal school), decided to quit school and keep the family together by working on the farm. With our relatives' help, he was able to do so.
When I was 16 years and 5 months old, I was asked to come as a bride to America. If I had been blessed with parents, I would have been able to attend school and postpone marriage, but since I was not, I accepted.
MRS. HASEGAWA: How long did you go to school?
MRS. OKAJIMA: Until I was married. After that, before I came to America, I took sewing and koto lessons.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Was yours a picture bride wedding?
MRS. OKAJIMA: No, this was after picture bride weddings were outlawed. I came at the end of 1920. My husband came back to Japan for me. He was up for the Japanese military draft and had to leave Japan within a month after he landed in Yokohama or be drafted into the Japanese Army. So we hurriedly left from Kobe and sailed to Seattle by the northern route. We came on the Suwa Maru.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Had your husband been here in Sanger before coming for you?
MRS. OKAJIMA: Yes. His father had acquired this land earlier. My husband was a yobiyose and came with his mother when he was about 18 years old, just out of high school in Japan. I came five or six years later. So this property has been in the family for three generations now. My grandchildren will be the fourth generation.
MRS. HASEGAWA: What year did Mr. Okajima come here?
MRS. OKAJIMA: I came in 1920, so he must have come in 1915, five years earlier.
MRS. HASEGAWA: When did your father-in-law come?
MRS. OKAJIMA: It was before I was born. I understand this farm was planted in vines in 1904. It must have been about 1902 or 1903. He came here after spending about a year or so in Spokane working on the railroad. My husband was born in 1899. Mr. Migaki is his cousin, and Mr. Migaki was here first and so my father-in-law bought this farm from him.
MRS. HASEGAWA: What was your husband's name?
MRS. OKAJIMA: Masuo Okajima. His father was Sukejiro Okajima. His mother's first name was Kin.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Were your in-laws here when you arrived?
MRS. OKAJIMA: Oh, yes. We lived together until three of my children were born. There are very few people my age who had to live with in-laws.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Did they live in this house?
MRS. OKAJIMA: No, in the old house, which was sold, and moved to Kingsburg some time ago. I lived with my in-laws for about five years. I came at the end of 1920, and they left in 1925 to go back to Japan. They didn't want to stay until I gave birth to my third child for fear of becoming too attached to the baby.
MRS. HASEGAWA: What did they do in Japan?
MRS. OKAJIMA: Their daughter lived in Japan, so they built a new house and lived there until they passed away. If they lived today, they would be over 100 years old.
MRS. HASEGAWA: You had a rough time! It is not easy to live in the same house with in-laws!
MRS. OKAJIMA: Yes, we had others living in the other buildings on the farm. We had workers living there, so at least I did not have to labor in the fields. Those were horse and buggy days, and the folks used to go to Fresno by horse and buggy. The ladies wore long dresses in those days. When I came, we no longer traveled by buggy, but the farm work was still done with horse power. We had four horses. By the time the folks left, we started to use the tractor. We still used horses, but it became more mechanized.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Did you learn how to cook in Japan?
MRS. OKAJIMA: No, I did not know how to cook, since I had not cooked at all in Japan. So, when I prepared the rice, it was sometimes half cooked, and the okazu was either too much or not enough. When I first began cooking, I could not gauge the amount to cook, since cabbages and other greens would wilt in the cooking, so I would add too much and have enough to feed a horse! It was terrible!
MRS. HASEGAWA: Did you work in the field later on?
MRS. OKAJIMA: A little. I never wore pants, it was unheard of! I wore a dress and sometimes tied vines and picked grapes. At any rate, I had a hard time. It couldn't be otherwise, living with in-laws under the same roof! Thinking back now, I remember my in-laws "quotes" and how upset I used to be. Now, I am grateful for the sayings. It sometimes fits. "Oya no yu-koto to nasubino hanawa sen ni hitotsu no ada ga nai." It means, that the eggplant blossoms will all take and become fruit. For example, if there were five blossoms on the plant, you can expect five eggplants to mature. Therefore, what a parent says, like the eggplant, is always right! I was told how I should use my chopsticks or how I should eat. It used to upset me, but I feel I learned because of their criticisms!
MRS. HASEGAWA: Do you really think so!
MRS. OKAJIMA: Well –
MRS. HASEGAWA: I'm sure you felt badly about the criticisms, since you were orphaned when you were so young!
MRS. OKAJIMA: They used to say that an orphan didn't know any better! But I feel it was karma.
MRS. HASEGAWA: That was said. But I'm sure mothers-in-law are known to be the same in any nationality!
MRS. OKAJIMA: It's the other way around now, isn't it?
MRS. HASEGAWA: Perhaps so!
MRS. OKAJIMA: I'm sure every case is not the same! I did not go out to work while the children were young since they were very close in age. But after the children grew older, I went out from time to time to tie vines and do other work on the farm.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Were the workers that lived in your tank house, and the other house, migrant workers?
MRS. OKAJIMA: No, they were people from the same ken who were friends of the family who helped us by working on the farm. This was during the time when grapes were bringing in good prices, but later when the depression set in, and we could not afford to keep them, they moved out and we hired Mexican labor as we needed them.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Did you cook for those people?
MRS. OKAJIMA: No, they were set up to cook for themselves. As they had children, our children played together and sometimes had disagreements, too! We had all kinds of experiences.
MRS. HASEGAWA: By the time you arrived, your home was established and your living pattern more or less set?
MRS. OKAJIMA: Yes, in that way I was blessed. I did not have to live in a barn or makeshift buildings, as many of the pioneer Issei did. There was a home here.
MRS. HASEGAWA: To what port did you say you arrived, when you came to America?
MRS. OKAJIMA: I arrived in Seattle.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Did Mr. Okajima come to meet you, and did you have to go through inspection as those that landed in San Francisco?
MRS. OKAJIMA: Yes, there was an immigration office in Seattle, and we had to go through inspection. I was able to come ashore immediately; but my friend Mrs. Yamada had tapeworms, so she could not come ashore. There were two other couples besides us who toured Seattle with us for two days. Then we rented a sleeping compartment in the train and took two nights and three days to come to Fresno.
MRS. HASEGAWA: That must have been enjoyable.
MRS. OKAJIMA: Yes, it was.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Were your husband's family here to meet you at the station when you arrived in Fresno?
MRS. OKAJIMA: No, we had planned to stay overnight at the hotel in Fresno and have dinner together with the two couples with whom we had traveled. We had planned to have souvenir pictures taken the following morning, since we thought we may never meet again. But we met Mr. Omori, a friend of my husband's family, and he insisted that we take his car and go home since he knew the folks were anxious about us. I think that was about 12:00 p.m., and our friends tried to coax to stay, but my husband insisted on going home. It was so late and the road from Fresno to Sanger was so long, that I wondered where he was taking me! When we got home, my mother and father-in-law came out in their nightclothes! That was my introduction to them!
MRS. HASEGAWA: Were you able to see those friends again?
MRS. OKAJIMA: Yes, we met with one couple; but meeting them again was very difficult once we were separated.
MRS. HASEGAWA: What was your mother-in-law like?
MRS. OKAJIMA: Oh, she was a good person. MRS. HASEGAWA: Was she strict?
MRS. OKAJIMA: Yes. My husband's brother-in-law in Japan sympathized with me years later. He found that they were not easy to live with; the in-laws lived close to them after they went back to Japan. So, I guess, she really was a difficult person.
MRS. HASEGAWA: What was your father-in-law like?
MRS. OKAJIMA: Whenever my mother-in-law criticized me, she put the blame on her husband. I had a difficult time.
MRS. HASEGAWA: When your children were born, did you go to the hospital for their delivery?
MRS. OKAJIMA: I went to the Eda Maternity Home in Fresno the first time. The second time I was too late to go in, so our neighbor Mr. Ogawa came to help me. But because of complications, Dr. Fleming came from Sanger in the morning to care for me. When the third child was ready to be born Mrs. Eda, the midwife, came to help out.
MRS. OKAJIMA: Mr. Ogawa used to tease Sumiye, my second child, about her big baby since Sumiye was such a small baby when he delivered her.
MRS. OKAJIMA: Sumiye was married to F. Kataoka in Kingsburg, but her husband passed away, so she remarried and now lives in Seattle.
I had two girls and two boys; Hiroshi died.
MRS. HASEGAWA: How old was Hiroshi, and how did he die?
MRS. OKAJIMA: He was 20 years old when he became sick and died. Many traumatic things happened to me during my lifetime.
MRS. HASEGAWA: How did you do your laundry in those days?
MRS. OKAJIMA: There was no washing machine when my children were little, no place was set aside in the home for laundry. There was a living room, dining room, bedrooms, kitchen, and a porch. The Japanese bath was outside, so I used the bath water to wash sheets and spreads in the washtub, which was set up under the shade of a tree. I used a scrub board and washed everything by hand. Sometimes during the winter, when we didn't see the face of the sun for weeks at a time, because of the fog, I had a terrible time trying to get the diapers dry. Nowadays, I see my grandchildren's diapers being thrown away; Pampers, the disposable kind. They are lucky.
MRS. HASEGAWA: How did you dry the diapers?
MRS. OKAJIMA: We used to string them up by the wood-burning stove, and we had to be very careful about starting a fire. Today, even people on welfare use the throw-away diapers! Times have changed!
MRS. HASEGAWA: Where did your children go to school?
MRS. OKAJIMA: They went to Granville School then to Sanger High. My grandchildren went there, too, until Granville School was unified with the Sanger schools.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Were there many Japanese in this area when you arrived?
MRS. OKAJIMA: People who were established with homes were the Hasegawas, the Kanagawas, the Domotos, the Yoshikis, the Ogawas, and the Moris (the Nishiokis came later). Before the Japanese Sanger Hall was bought, the Doshikai met at the Ogawa's home on Bethel. The Sanger Hall was originally a small private home which the Doshikai purchased. The building was enlarged or remodeled as time went on. When the Sanger Hall was purchased, my husband's parents were still here. During those days, it was called Seinenkai and not Doshikai. After some years, as the members became older, they changed the name of the club. My father-in-law was a member, but went back to Japan when he was 50 years old.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Then he was one of the few who acquired a fortune and went back to Japan a successful man!
MRS. OKAJIMA: Well, I don't know about that. In those days the objective was to send money and children to Japan, and when they accomplished their goals, to retire to their native land. After the war, most Japanese-Americans decided to remain here. Many people bought land after the war, but the original settlers are few.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Did you plan to return to Japan?
MRS. OKAJIMA: No, I never had any desire to go back. I always thought this land was better. It may not be loyal to the in-laws, but I had no wish to go back. Those that sent money back with the idea of returning to Japan were the ones who were out of luck when the war began.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Were you involved with the PTA when your children attended school?
MRS. OKAJIMA: No, I was not. My husband did not understand English, so he did not go to their meeting either. When our second daughter was in school, her teacher Miss Rose wanted us to come for a conference since our daughter excelled in her class, and the teacher wanted to skip her to a higher grade. But Papa would not go, saying the teacher could do as she thought best. Miss Rose insisted that we come, but we didn't go!
MRS. HASEGAWA: Do you belong to any organizations?
MRS. OKAJIMA: Before the war I belonged to a Japanese community women's organization, but it folded up after the war.
MRS. HASEGAWA: What kind of activities did you have?
MRS. OKAJIMA: Nothing special, once in a while we had to chaperone the youth groups when they had parties and dances.
MRS. HASEGAWA: What were the attitudes of the Issei about dances for young people?
MRS. OKAJIMA: If it had been our generation in Japan, boys and girls could not even be in the same room. That was the way we were brought up, so we did not favor dancing. MRS. HASEGAWA: I understand the Issei in Sanger were much more understanding and progressive than those of other communities.
MRS. OKAJIMA: I remember going as chaperone to a dance when Yoshi and Shigeru Domoto were still single. We took dancing as being an American custom, so accepted it.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Did your daughters go to dances?
MRS. OKAJIMA: I think they must have.
MRS. HASEGAWA: How did you hear about the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941?
MRS. OKAJIMA: I heard it over the radio. I was not too shocked. Reverend Hashimoto of the Congregational Church came and asked me what my reaction was, and I replied that although it was a terrible thing to happen, I am not the only one, that there were many thousands of Japanese-Americans in the same boat, so I didn't feel the need to panic. Reverend Hashimoto was surprised at my attitude. I replied that there was no use in my becoming so distraught when I couldn't do anything about it.
MRS. HASEGAWA: What did you do with your farm and property during the war?
MRS. OKAJIMA: George Domoto worked for the United Packinghouse, so we decided to ask the United Packing Company to take care of our farm.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Did anyone live in your home while you were gone?
MRS. OKAJIMA: United Packing Company put their workers here.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Did they take good care of your property?
MRS. OKAJIMA: They tried to do their best.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Did they vacate your home when you returned from relocation center?
MRS. OKAJIMA: Not right away.
MRS. HASEGAWA: What did you think about camp life?
MRS. OKAJIMA: I hated it. I've lived on this same place all my life since coming to America. I hated camp life, there was so much gossiping going on. There were many who went to work just so they could socialize, but I hated the gossipers.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Did you go to the same camp as those from this Sanger area?
MRS. OKAJIMA: Yes, we were in the same camp, but our blocks were separated far apart, so I did not see them.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Where did the people in your block come from?
MRS. OKAJIMA: They came from Concord.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Why didn't you go to the same block as those from Sanger?
MRS. OKAJIMA: We were sent on different days so that was the reason we were separated.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Was your husband with you?
MRS. OKAJIMA: No, he died in 1936.
MRS. HASEGAWA: That was five years before the war!
MRS. OKAJIMA: That's right.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Your son George was still very young then. Did you do the farm work after your husband died?
MRS. OKAJIMA: Yes. I hired help, but I had a very hard time. I had no experience irrigating or operating the equipment on the farm! My neighbor Mr. Masuda used to tell me to check the irrigation water for fear the ditches would break. He would come over to help me. The Masudas rented the adjoining farm, and so kept an eye out to help me. It makes me cry to think how grateful I was to them for their help. My children were very good about helping me, too.
MRS. HASEGAWA: That you were able to hold onto the property was no easy feat!
MRS. OKAJIMA: Once when I was out checking the water near the road, an Italian man stopped his car and came over to tell me that women should not be irrigating, that I should get married. Thereafter, any time I saw his car coming down the road, I'd hide under the vines so he would not bother me. I was afraid I might lose my land. I feel that my duty to my husband and his parents has been fulfilled, because I was able to hold onto the farm.
MRS. HASEGAWA: How many acres do you have here?
MRS. OKAJIMA: Forty acres. And now my son George farms it. Mr. Mori and Mr. Ogawa, my other neighbors, were also very helpful, since our lands adjoin. Originally, one man owned all these properties before he sold them by pieces.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Do you have other crops besides grapes?
MRS. OKAJIMA: We have about five acres of oranges, but because it is susceptible to frost and not too profitable, we pulled out all but five acres and replanted the land with grapes. There are 20 acres of Thompsons now. There were eight acres of figs that we pulled out, and we put in three acres of plums and five acres of Emperor grapes before we
left for relocation center. After we evacuated, the Emperors began to produce, and after we returned, we were able to harvest a full crop. Recently, we pulled out the Emperors, since their production time is very short. Our Thompsons have been here for 80 years and are still producing. They were planted about the time I was born.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Do they still produce a good crop?
MRS. OKAJIMA: Because we fertilize it, the crop is good. But I'm sure it isn't as productive as before, because the vines are so old.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Did you do any kind of work in camp?
MRS. OKAJIMA: Since I was the head of the family, I had to work to get some pay, so I worked in the mess hall for a time. But because I could not stand the gossip, I took the job of cleaning the latrines, since I didn't need to have too much contact with people.
There were bad-mannered children without parental guidance who couldn't wait to get to the toilet and messed the area, but other than that, I didn't have too much trouble. Later I heard someone say that there was a rich widow who cleaned toilets in Block 21 (about me). I couldn't believe it!
When we were in camp, I was still young, so people thought my daughters and I were sisters.
MRS. HASEGAWA: There must have been people who wanted to marry you!
MRS. OKAJIMA: It was a nuisance. They pestered us.
MRS. HASEGAWA: When you returned to your home, and it was occupied, did you rent a home in Sanger?
MRS. OKAJIMA: No, there was a small house on the Preuss' place where we stayed.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Was your son with you and the girls?
MRS. OKAJIMA: No, George was in the Army.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Where was he? In Japan?
MRS. OKAJIMA: No, he didn't go to Japan. He was gone about two years in the States.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Who helped you on the farm?
MRS. OKAJIMA: Kelly Matsumura lived in our house. We lived in the tank house. One of my daughters married in camp, and the second married soon after we returned, so I was alone. So that summer, because I didn't like to be idle, I went to pick pickling cucumbers on a farm which was located next to the fairgrounds in Fresno. I shared rides with a friend who worked there with me. It was hard work in the hot sun. I also worked at weeding. It was good medicine! I can sympathize with migrant laborers. When I think back on it, I shudder at the work I did.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Whose farm was it?
MRS. OKAJIMA: I cannot remember, except that the Caucasian foreman would take out his watch near the end of the day and watch the workers to see we put in our full time. We were just like cattle! By working for others I realized how fortunate I had been to own property and to be free to work, as I did, on my own time. MRS. HASEGAWA: When did you begin going to church?
MRS. OKAJIMA: Mr. and Mrs. Domoto were instrumental in our joining the Fresno Japanese Methodist Church. I was baptized in 1937. It is now called the Christ Methodist Church. I support the church with my pledge, but rarely attend services. I go to church at Christmas, Easter, and on special occasions. My children tease me by saying that I only attend when there are refreshments! Fumiko gets Wednesdays and Thursdays off and works on Sundays, so I have no transportation. I don't like to bother my friends for rides, and I feel that I can worship at home as well as in church. There are numerous religious services held in Japanese on the air, so I take comfort in that. Tenrykyo, Seichonoie, Buddhist, Konkyo, Christianity all have their services. Some people may say this is not right or proper, but I cannot ask others to go out of their way for me. When I feel that I need to go to church, I go with some of my acquaintances.
George came back from the service, but Kelly Matsumura stayed on for two years, then George took over. Those were good crop years, so Kelly did well.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Did George marry after he came back?
MRS. OKAJIMA: Yes. He was married in 1950.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Did you live together?
MRS. OKAJIMA: Yes. After my daughter Fumiko's husband passed away in Sacramento, we pulled out some vines here and built our new home. It has now been 24 years. Fumiko's children Walter and Gary were eight and nine, respectively, but now grown and gone.
MRS. HASEGAWA: You were the mother-in-law when you lived with George and his wife, how was it then?
MRS. OKAJIMA: I didn't say much, because I knew what it was like. I never once had an argument with my daughter-in-law. She is a good person. After my daughter's husband died, she ran their furniture business in Sacramento, but the location, which was formerly a Japanese town, turned into a colored neighborhood, so I worried about her. Her husband's father wanted her to continue the business, but because of the location and her children's education, she decided to come to live with me. And since her husband was not the oldest son, she felt free to return to Sanger to raise her children and to make her home with me. I took care of her children while she went to work. I don't know if it was the best thing to do, but I hope so.
MRS. HASEGAWA: I'm sure it was for the best!
Do you have other social occasions when you meet with people?
MRS. OKAJIMA: Yes. Quite often my friends get together, and we enjoy playing cards. I also enjoy recording Japanese songs and singing.
MRS. HASEGAWA: You are active in the Shigin group, are you not?
MRS. OKAJIMA: Yes. A long time ago I learned Shigin and participated in the Shigin organization, but I am no longer active.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Is needlecraft one of your hobbies?
MRS. OKAJIMA: No. Because I have trouble with aches in my shoulder and hands, I do not knit or crochet. I understand handicraft lessons are held at the Nikkei Center in Fresno, but I don't go. Kelly Matsumura is in charge of the Issei here in the Sanger area and invites me to go to the Fresno Nikkei Center, but I do not participate. I am afraid I would become nervous if I could not learn how to work with my hands. I have enough to do at home with gardening and cooking meals for my daughter. I appreciate being able to
keep busy for my health and mental well-being. If I lived alone, I probably would not prepare balanced meals.
MRS. HASEGAWA: What kind of meals do you prepare for Fumiko?
MRS. OKAJIMA: It is not like cooking for a Sansei. It is easy to cook for Fumiko since she is a Nisei.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Your home is immaculate. Do you do the housework?
MRS. OKAJIMA: No. I have arthritic problems, so Fumiko does all the housework on her days off. I am like a baby, I don't even do the laundry. I only cook and do a little gardening. They say a lifetime is 80 years now. I have a few more years to go, but one never knows.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Have you experienced discrimination during your lifetime?
MRS. OKAJIMA: I don't think so. I cannot converse in English, so I have not had contact with people of other ethnic backgrounds, so I cannot recall incidents like that. However, one time when we were going to Sacramento to our daughter's place, we stopped at a fruit stand to buy cherries. I remember that we stood there for a long time, but no one waited on us. This was after the war; perhaps the fruit stand owner had someone killed or injured in the war with Japan. Anyway, that was one occasion when we were discriminated against because of our race. Then there was another time when a group of us went to Los Angeles with Mr. Araki on tour and was given very poor service at a restaurant because of our race. These cases can be attributed to the war with Japan, since the incidents both occurred after the war.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Were there any discriminations aimed at your children that you recall?
MRS. OKAJIMA: I don't recall anything like that. Recently there are many international marriages, but in those days our youth did not mingle with Caucasians. The times have changed.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Did you obtain your US citizenship?
MRS. OKAJIMA: No. At my age in life I don't feel that I want to be pressured into taking an examination.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Have you ever returned to Japan?
MRS. OKAJIMA: Yes. I returned twice in 1962 and 1977. My sister-in-law has taken over the Okajima homeplace and lives there now.
MRS. HASEGAWA: How was it there after all these years?
MRS. OKAJIMA: It was nice, but it has changed drastically.
MRS. HASEGAWA: What economic and social changes in the lives of the Japanese-Americans have you seen over the years?
MRS. OKAJIMA: In comparison to the early years, the Japanese-Americans live a very good life. As I recounted earlier, we had to wash outdoors in the cold under the trees with rough reddened hands. We could not turn on the water; we had to use a handle pump to obtain water to wash with. Even the food we eat has changed for the better.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Do you observe any traditional Japanese customs in your daily life?
MRS. OKAJIMA: Nothing special. I worship and pray to God every day in my home. Every morning I do calisthenics, and I recite the Kiyoiku Chokugo.
MRS. HASEGAWA: What is the Kiyoiku Chokugo?
MRS. OKAJIMA: It was Emperor Meiji's imperial rescript which was delivered on Meiji 23 (1890) October 30th. I feel that this recitation and my daily prayers keeps my mind alert and gives me a feeling of peace and purpose in life.
MRS. HASEGAWA: What is the content of the Chokugo?
MRS. OKAJIMA: It's all good advice.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Is there anything else that you care to add to this interview?
MRS. OKAJIMA: I hope that future Japanese-Americans will preserve the good qualities of Japanese tradition.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Thank you, Mrs. Okajima.

Description

Local ID	FCPL Okajima, Takano
Project ID	csufr_stp_0057
Title	Takano Okajima
Creator	Okajima, Takano: interviewee
Date Created	1980-07-09
Location	Sanger, California
Subjects	Reflections on the past, Immigration and citizenship, Identity and values--Family, Immigration and citizenship--Picture brides, Industry and employment--Agriculture, Identity and values--Issei, Arts and literature--Performing arts--Dance, World War II--Pearl Harbor and aftermath--Personal Recollections, World War II--Incarceration camps, World War II--Incarceration camps--Work & Jobs, Religion and churches, Identity and values--Japanese American identity
Type	Text
Genre	Oral histories
Language	eng
Source Description	15 pages, 21.5 cm x 28 cm
Collection	Success Through Perseverance
Collection Description	A Japanese American oral history project undertaken in 1979-1980, funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and archived at the Fresno County Public Library
Project Name	California State University Japanese American Digitization Project
Rights	Copyright has not been transferred to California State University, Fresno.
Transcript	TAKANO OKAJIMA MRS. HASEGAWA: Today is September 7, 1980. I, Yoshino Hasegawa, am privileged to be in the home of Mrs. Takano Okajima at 1710 South Indianola Avenue, Sanger, California, 93657. Before we get into the interview proper, I would like to have you give us your full name, place and date of birth, and your place of longest residence. MRS. OKAJIMA: My name is Takano Okajima, and I was born on June 3, 1904 in Okayama-ken, Kibigun, Mabicho, Shimonima, 1412-2. This is the present address. It was originally known as Okayama-ken, Kibigun, Nimason Shimonina. After the war, Nimason was changed to Mabicho. MRS. HASEGAWA: What are your recollections of your childhood? MRS. OKAJIMA: My mother died when I was 8 years old, and my father passed away when I was 12 years old. So, as an orphan, all my memories are sad. My older brother brought me up. Those of us who are born unfortunate are unfortunate all our lives. MRS. HASEGAWA: How much older was your brother than you? MRS.OKAJIMA: He must have been 10 years older. MRS. HASEGAWA: Did you have other siblings? MRS. OKAJIMA: Yes. An older sister and a younger brother, who was 6 years old at the time. He is the heir and lives on the home place in Japan. MRS. HASEGAWA: Was your home on a farm? MRS. OKAJIMA: Yes. It was then, but now my brother has a fish market and also a catering service. He also farms. MRS. HASEGAWA: Why did you come to America? MRS. OKAJIMA: I came because I really wanted to. As I said before, my childhood was lonely and sad. When my parents died, our relatives wanted to distribute the children in our family amongst themselves. But my brother, who was ready to go to Shihan Gakko (normal school), decided to quit school and keep the family together by working on the farm. With our relatives' help, he was able to do so. When I was 16 years and 5 months old, I was asked to come as a bride to America. If I had been blessed with parents, I would have been able to attend school and postpone marriage, but since I was not, I accepted. MRS. HASEGAWA: How long did you go to school? MRS. OKAJIMA: Until I was married. After that, before I came to America, I took sewing and koto lessons. MRS. HASEGAWA: Was yours a picture bride wedding? MRS. OKAJIMA: No, this was after picture bride weddings were outlawed. I came at the end of 1920. My husband came back to Japan for me. He was up for the Japanese military draft and had to leave Japan within a month after he landed in Yokohama or be drafted into the Japanese Army. So we hurriedly left from Kobe and sailed to Seattle by the northern route. We came on the Suwa Maru. MRS. HASEGAWA: Had your husband been here in Sanger before coming for you? MRS. OKAJIMA: Yes. His father had acquired this land earlier. My husband was a yobiyose and came with his mother when he was about 18 years old, just out of high school in Japan. I came five or six years later. So this property has been in the family for three generations now. My grandchildren will be the fourth generation. MRS. HASEGAWA: What year did Mr. Okajima come here? MRS. OKAJIMA: I came in 1920, so he must have come in 1915, five years earlier. MRS. HASEGAWA: When did your father-in-law come? MRS. OKAJIMA: It was before I was born. I understand this farm was planted in vines in 1904. It must have been about 1902 or 1903. He came here after spending about a year or so in Spokane working on the railroad. My husband was born in 1899. Mr. Migaki is his cousin, and Mr. Migaki was here first and so my father-in-law bought this farm from him. MRS. HASEGAWA: What was your husband's name? MRS. OKAJIMA: Masuo Okajima. His father was Sukejiro Okajima. His mother's first name was Kin. MRS. HASEGAWA: Were your in-laws here when you arrived? MRS. OKAJIMA: Oh, yes. We lived together until three of my children were born. There are very few people my age who had to live with in-laws. MRS. HASEGAWA: Did they live in this house? MRS. OKAJIMA: No, in the old house, which was sold, and moved to Kingsburg some time ago. I lived with my in-laws for about five years. I came at the end of 1920, and they left in 1925 to go back to Japan. They didn't want to stay until I gave birth to my third child for fear of becoming too attached to the baby. MRS. HASEGAWA: What did they do in Japan? MRS. OKAJIMA: Their daughter lived in Japan, so they built a new house and lived there until they passed away. If they lived today, they would be over 100 years old. MRS. HASEGAWA: You had a rough time! It is not easy to live in the same house with in-laws! MRS. OKAJIMA: Yes, we had others living in the other buildings on the farm. We had workers living there, so at least I did not have to labor in the fields. Those were horse and buggy days, and the folks used to go to Fresno by horse and buggy. The ladies wore long dresses in those days. When I came, we no longer traveled by buggy, but the farm work was still done with horse power. We had four horses. By the time the folks left, we started to use the tractor. We still used horses, but it became more mechanized. MRS. HASEGAWA: Did you learn how to cook in Japan? MRS. OKAJIMA: No, I did not know how to cook, since I had not cooked at all in Japan. So, when I prepared the rice, it was sometimes half cooked, and the okazu was either too much or not enough. When I first began cooking, I could not gauge the amount to cook, since cabbages and other greens would wilt in the cooking, so I would add too much and have enough to feed a horse! It was terrible! MRS. HASEGAWA: Did you work in the field later on? MRS. OKAJIMA: A little. I never wore pants, it was unheard of! I wore a dress and sometimes tied vines and picked grapes. At any rate, I had a hard time. It couldn't be otherwise, living with in-laws under the same roof! Thinking back now, I remember my in-laws "quotes" and how upset I used to be. Now, I am grateful for the sayings. It sometimes fits. "Oya no yu-koto to nasubino hanawa sen ni hitotsu no ada ga nai." It means, that the eggplant blossoms will all take and become fruit. For example, if there were five blossoms on the plant, you can expect five eggplants to mature. Therefore, what a parent says, like the eggplant, is always right! I was told how I should use my chopsticks or how I should eat. It used to upset me, but I feel I learned because of their criticisms! MRS. HASEGAWA: Do you really think so! MRS. OKAJIMA: Well – MRS. HASEGAWA: I'm sure you felt badly about the criticisms, since you were orphaned when you were so young! MRS. OKAJIMA: They used to say that an orphan didn't know any better! But I feel it was karma. MRS. HASEGAWA: That was said. But I'm sure mothers-in-law are known to be the same in any nationality! MRS. OKAJIMA: It's the other way around now, isn't it? MRS. HASEGAWA: Perhaps so! MRS. OKAJIMA: I'm sure every case is not the same! I did not go out to work while the children were young since they were very close in age. But after the children grew older, I went out from time to time to tie vines and do other work on the farm. MRS. HASEGAWA: Were the workers that lived in your tank house, and the other house, migrant workers? MRS. OKAJIMA: No, they were people from the same ken who were friends of the family who helped us by working on the farm. This was during the time when grapes were bringing in good prices, but later when the depression set in, and we could not afford to keep them, they moved out and we hired Mexican labor as we needed them. MRS. HASEGAWA: Did you cook for those people? MRS. OKAJIMA: No, they were set up to cook for themselves. As they had children, our children played together and sometimes had disagreements, too! We had all kinds of experiences. MRS. HASEGAWA: By the time you arrived, your home was established and your living pattern more or less set? MRS. OKAJIMA: Yes, in that way I was blessed. I did not have to live in a barn or makeshift buildings, as many of the pioneer Issei did. There was a home here. MRS. HASEGAWA: To what port did you say you arrived, when you came to America? MRS. OKAJIMA: I arrived in Seattle. MRS. HASEGAWA: Did Mr. Okajima come to meet you, and did you have to go through inspection as those that landed in San Francisco? MRS. OKAJIMA: Yes, there was an immigration office in Seattle, and we had to go through inspection. I was able to come ashore immediately; but my friend Mrs. Yamada had tapeworms, so she could not come ashore. There were two other couples besides us who toured Seattle with us for two days. Then we rented a sleeping compartment in the train and took two nights and three days to come to Fresno. MRS. HASEGAWA: That must have been enjoyable. MRS. OKAJIMA: Yes, it was. MRS. HASEGAWA: Were your husband's family here to meet you at the station when you arrived in Fresno? MRS. OKAJIMA: No, we had planned to stay overnight at the hotel in Fresno and have dinner together with the two couples with whom we had traveled. We had planned to have souvenir pictures taken the following morning, since we thought we may never meet again. But we met Mr. Omori, a friend of my husband's family, and he insisted that we take his car and go home since he knew the folks were anxious about us. I think that was about 12:00 p.m., and our friends tried to coax to stay, but my husband insisted on going home. It was so late and the road from Fresno to Sanger was so long, that I wondered where he was taking me! When we got home, my mother and father-in-law came out in their nightclothes! That was my introduction to them! MRS. HASEGAWA: Were you able to see those friends again? MRS. OKAJIMA: Yes, we met with one couple; but meeting them again was very difficult once we were separated. MRS. HASEGAWA: What was your mother-in-law like? MRS. OKAJIMA: Oh, she was a good person. MRS. HASEGAWA: Was she strict? MRS. OKAJIMA: Yes. My husband's brother-in-law in Japan sympathized with me years later. He found that they were not easy to live with; the in-laws lived close to them after they went back to Japan. So, I guess, she really was a difficult person. MRS. HASEGAWA: What was your father-in-law like? MRS. OKAJIMA: Whenever my mother-in-law criticized me, she put the blame on her husband. I had a difficult time. MRS. HASEGAWA: When your children were born, did you go to the hospital for their delivery? MRS. OKAJIMA: I went to the Eda Maternity Home in Fresno the first time. The second time I was too late to go in, so our neighbor Mr. Ogawa came to help me. But because of complications, Dr. Fleming came from Sanger in the morning to care for me. When the third child was ready to be born Mrs. Eda, the midwife, came to help out. MRS. OKAJIMA: Mr. Ogawa used to tease Sumiye, my second child, about her big baby since Sumiye was such a small baby when he delivered her. MRS. OKAJIMA: Sumiye was married to F. Kataoka in Kingsburg, but her husband passed away, so she remarried and now lives in Seattle. I had two girls and two boys; Hiroshi died. MRS. HASEGAWA: How old was Hiroshi, and how did he die? MRS. OKAJIMA: He was 20 years old when he became sick and died. Many traumatic things happened to me during my lifetime. MRS. HASEGAWA: How did you do your laundry in those days? MRS. OKAJIMA: There was no washing machine when my children were little, no place was set aside in the home for laundry. There was a living room, dining room, bedrooms, kitchen, and a porch. The Japanese bath was outside, so I used the bath water to wash sheets and spreads in the washtub, which was set up under the shade of a tree. I used a scrub board and washed everything by hand. Sometimes during the winter, when we didn't see the face of the sun for weeks at a time, because of the fog, I had a terrible time trying to get the diapers dry. Nowadays, I see my grandchildren's diapers being thrown away; Pampers, the disposable kind. They are lucky. MRS. HASEGAWA: How did you dry the diapers? MRS. OKAJIMA: We used to string them up by the wood-burning stove, and we had to be very careful about starting a fire. Today, even people on welfare use the throw-away diapers! Times have changed! MRS. HASEGAWA: Where did your children go to school? MRS. OKAJIMA: They went to Granville School then to Sanger High. My grandchildren went there, too, until Granville School was unified with the Sanger schools. MRS. HASEGAWA: Were there many Japanese in this area when you arrived? MRS. OKAJIMA: People who were established with homes were the Hasegawas, the Kanagawas, the Domotos, the Yoshikis, the Ogawas, and the Moris (the Nishiokis came later). Before the Japanese Sanger Hall was bought, the Doshikai met at the Ogawa's home on Bethel. The Sanger Hall was originally a small private home which the Doshikai purchased. The building was enlarged or remodeled as time went on. When the Sanger Hall was purchased, my husband's parents were still here. During those days, it was called Seinenkai and not Doshikai. After some years, as the members became older, they changed the name of the club. My father-in-law was a member, but went back to Japan when he was 50 years old. MRS. HASEGAWA: Then he was one of the few who acquired a fortune and went back to Japan a successful man! MRS. OKAJIMA: Well, I don't know about that. In those days the objective was to send money and children to Japan, and when they accomplished their goals, to retire to their native land. After the war, most Japanese-Americans decided to remain here. Many people bought land after the war, but the original settlers are few. MRS. HASEGAWA: Did you plan to return to Japan? MRS. OKAJIMA: No, I never had any desire to go back. I always thought this land was better. It may not be loyal to the in-laws, but I had no wish to go back. Those that sent money back with the idea of returning to Japan were the ones who were out of luck when the war began. MRS. HASEGAWA: Were you involved with the PTA when your children attended school? MRS. OKAJIMA: No, I was not. My husband did not understand English, so he did not go to their meeting either. When our second daughter was in school, her teacher Miss Rose wanted us to come for a conference since our daughter excelled in her class, and the teacher wanted to skip her to a higher grade. But Papa would not go, saying the teacher could do as she thought best. Miss Rose insisted that we come, but we didn't go! MRS. HASEGAWA: Do you belong to any organizations? MRS. OKAJIMA: Before the war I belonged to a Japanese community women's organization, but it folded up after the war. MRS. HASEGAWA: What kind of activities did you have? MRS. OKAJIMA: Nothing special, once in a while we had to chaperone the youth groups when they had parties and dances. MRS. HASEGAWA: What were the attitudes of the Issei about dances for young people? MRS. OKAJIMA: If it had been our generation in Japan, boys and girls could not even be in the same room. That was the way we were brought up, so we did not favor dancing. MRS. HASEGAWA: I understand the Issei in Sanger were much more understanding and progressive than those of other communities. MRS. OKAJIMA: I remember going as chaperone to a dance when Yoshi and Shigeru Domoto were still single. We took dancing as being an American custom, so accepted it. MRS. HASEGAWA: Did your daughters go to dances? MRS. OKAJIMA: I think they must have. MRS. HASEGAWA: How did you hear about the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941? MRS. OKAJIMA: I heard it over the radio. I was not too shocked. Reverend Hashimoto of the Congregational Church came and asked me what my reaction was, and I replied that although it was a terrible thing to happen, I am not the only one, that there were many thousands of Japanese-Americans in the same boat, so I didn't feel the need to panic. Reverend Hashimoto was surprised at my attitude. I replied that there was no use in my becoming so distraught when I couldn't do anything about it. MRS. HASEGAWA: What did you do with your farm and property during the war? MRS. OKAJIMA: George Domoto worked for the United Packinghouse, so we decided to ask the United Packing Company to take care of our farm. MRS. HASEGAWA: Did anyone live in your home while you were gone? MRS. OKAJIMA: United Packing Company put their workers here. MRS. HASEGAWA: Did they take good care of your property? MRS. OKAJIMA: They tried to do their best. MRS. HASEGAWA: Did they vacate your home when you returned from relocation center? MRS. OKAJIMA: Not right away. MRS. HASEGAWA: What did you think about camp life? MRS. OKAJIMA: I hated it. I've lived on this same place all my life since coming to America. I hated camp life, there was so much gossiping going on. There were many who went to work just so they could socialize, but I hated the gossipers. MRS. HASEGAWA: Did you go to the same camp as those from this Sanger area? MRS. OKAJIMA: Yes, we were in the same camp, but our blocks were separated far apart, so I did not see them. MRS. HASEGAWA: Where did the people in your block come from? MRS. OKAJIMA: They came from Concord. MRS. HASEGAWA: Why didn't you go to the same block as those from Sanger? MRS. OKAJIMA: We were sent on different days so that was the reason we were separated. MRS. HASEGAWA: Was your husband with you? MRS. OKAJIMA: No, he died in 1936. MRS. HASEGAWA: That was five years before the war! MRS. OKAJIMA: That's right. MRS. HASEGAWA: Your son George was still very young then. Did you do the farm work after your husband died? MRS. OKAJIMA: Yes. I hired help, but I had a very hard time. I had no experience irrigating or operating the equipment on the farm! My neighbor Mr. Masuda used to tell me to check the irrigation water for fear the ditches would break. He would come over to help me. The Masudas rented the adjoining farm, and so kept an eye out to help me. It makes me cry to think how grateful I was to them for their help. My children were very good about helping me, too. MRS. HASEGAWA: That you were able to hold onto the property was no easy feat! MRS. OKAJIMA: Once when I was out checking the water near the road, an Italian man stopped his car and came over to tell me that women should not be irrigating, that I should get married. Thereafter, any time I saw his car coming down the road, I'd hide under the vines so he would not bother me. I was afraid I might lose my land. I feel that my duty to my husband and his parents has been fulfilled, because I was able to hold onto the farm. MRS. HASEGAWA: How many acres do you have here? MRS. OKAJIMA: Forty acres. And now my son George farms it. Mr. Mori and Mr. Ogawa, my other neighbors, were also very helpful, since our lands adjoin. Originally, one man owned all these properties before he sold them by pieces. MRS. HASEGAWA: Do you have other crops besides grapes? MRS. OKAJIMA: We have about five acres of oranges, but because it is susceptible to frost and not too profitable, we pulled out all but five acres and replanted the land with grapes. There are 20 acres of Thompsons now. There were eight acres of figs that we pulled out, and we put in three acres of plums and five acres of Emperor grapes before we left for relocation center. After we evacuated, the Emperors began to produce, and after we returned, we were able to harvest a full crop. Recently, we pulled out the Emperors, since their production time is very short. Our Thompsons have been here for 80 years and are still producing. They were planted about the time I was born. MRS. HASEGAWA: Do they still produce a good crop? MRS. OKAJIMA: Because we fertilize it, the crop is good. But I'm sure it isn't as productive as before, because the vines are so old. MRS. HASEGAWA: Did you do any kind of work in camp? MRS. OKAJIMA: Since I was the head of the family, I had to work to get some pay, so I worked in the mess hall for a time. But because I could not stand the gossip, I took the job of cleaning the latrines, since I didn't need to have too much contact with people. There were bad-mannered children without parental guidance who couldn't wait to get to the toilet and messed the area, but other than that, I didn't have too much trouble. Later I heard someone say that there was a rich widow who cleaned toilets in Block 21 (about me). I couldn't believe it! When we were in camp, I was still young, so people thought my daughters and I were sisters. MRS. HASEGAWA: There must have been people who wanted to marry you! MRS. OKAJIMA: It was a nuisance. They pestered us. MRS. HASEGAWA: When you returned to your home, and it was occupied, did you rent a home in Sanger? MRS. OKAJIMA: No, there was a small house on the Preuss' place where we stayed. MRS. HASEGAWA: Was your son with you and the girls? MRS. OKAJIMA: No, George was in the Army. MRS. HASEGAWA: Where was he? In Japan? MRS. OKAJIMA: No, he didn't go to Japan. He was gone about two years in the States. MRS. HASEGAWA: Who helped you on the farm? MRS. OKAJIMA: Kelly Matsumura lived in our house. We lived in the tank house. One of my daughters married in camp, and the second married soon after we returned, so I was alone. So that summer, because I didn't like to be idle, I went to pick pickling cucumbers on a farm which was located next to the fairgrounds in Fresno. I shared rides with a friend who worked there with me. It was hard work in the hot sun. I also worked at weeding. It was good medicine! I can sympathize with migrant laborers. When I think back on it, I shudder at the work I did. MRS. HASEGAWA: Whose farm was it? MRS. OKAJIMA: I cannot remember, except that the Caucasian foreman would take out his watch near the end of the day and watch the workers to see we put in our full time. We were just like cattle! By working for others I realized how fortunate I had been to own property and to be free to work, as I did, on my own time. MRS. HASEGAWA: When did you begin going to church? MRS. OKAJIMA: Mr. and Mrs. Domoto were instrumental in our joining the Fresno Japanese Methodist Church. I was baptized in 1937. It is now called the Christ Methodist Church. I support the church with my pledge, but rarely attend services. I go to church at Christmas, Easter, and on special occasions. My children tease me by saying that I only attend when there are refreshments! Fumiko gets Wednesdays and Thursdays off and works on Sundays, so I have no transportation. I don't like to bother my friends for rides, and I feel that I can worship at home as well as in church. There are numerous religious services held in Japanese on the air, so I take comfort in that. Tenrykyo, Seichonoie, Buddhist, Konkyo, Christianity all have their services. Some people may say this is not right or proper, but I cannot ask others to go out of their way for me. When I feel that I need to go to church, I go with some of my acquaintances. George came back from the service, but Kelly Matsumura stayed on for two years, then George took over. Those were good crop years, so Kelly did well. MRS. HASEGAWA: Did George marry after he came back? MRS. OKAJIMA: Yes. He was married in 1950. MRS. HASEGAWA: Did you live together? MRS. OKAJIMA: Yes. After my daughter Fumiko's husband passed away in Sacramento, we pulled out some vines here and built our new home. It has now been 24 years. Fumiko's children Walter and Gary were eight and nine, respectively, but now grown and gone. MRS. HASEGAWA: You were the mother-in-law when you lived with George and his wife, how was it then? MRS. OKAJIMA: I didn't say much, because I knew what it was like. I never once had an argument with my daughter-in-law. She is a good person. After my daughter's husband died, she ran their furniture business in Sacramento, but the location, which was formerly a Japanese town, turned into a colored neighborhood, so I worried about her. Her husband's father wanted her to continue the business, but because of the location and her children's education, she decided to come to live with me. And since her husband was not the oldest son, she felt free to return to Sanger to raise her children and to make her home with me. I took care of her children while she went to work. I don't know if it was the best thing to do, but I hope so. MRS. HASEGAWA: I'm sure it was for the best! Do you have other social occasions when you meet with people? MRS. OKAJIMA: Yes. Quite often my friends get together, and we enjoy playing cards. I also enjoy recording Japanese songs and singing. MRS. HASEGAWA: You are active in the Shigin group, are you not? MRS. OKAJIMA: Yes. A long time ago I learned Shigin and participated in the Shigin organization, but I am no longer active. MRS. HASEGAWA: Is needlecraft one of your hobbies? MRS. OKAJIMA: No. Because I have trouble with aches in my shoulder and hands, I do not knit or crochet. I understand handicraft lessons are held at the Nikkei Center in Fresno, but I don't go. Kelly Matsumura is in charge of the Issei here in the Sanger area and invites me to go to the Fresno Nikkei Center, but I do not participate. I am afraid I would become nervous if I could not learn how to work with my hands. I have enough to do at home with gardening and cooking meals for my daughter. I appreciate being able to keep busy for my health and mental well-being. If I lived alone, I probably would not prepare balanced meals. MRS. HASEGAWA: What kind of meals do you prepare for Fumiko? MRS. OKAJIMA: It is not like cooking for a Sansei. It is easy to cook for Fumiko since she is a Nisei. MRS. HASEGAWA: Your home is immaculate. Do you do the housework? MRS. OKAJIMA: No. I have arthritic problems, so Fumiko does all the housework on her days off. I am like a baby, I don't even do the laundry. I only cook and do a little gardening. They say a lifetime is 80 years now. I have a few more years to go, but one never knows. MRS. HASEGAWA: Have you experienced discrimination during your lifetime? MRS. OKAJIMA: I don't think so. I cannot converse in English, so I have not had contact with people of other ethnic backgrounds, so I cannot recall incidents like that. However, one time when we were going to Sacramento to our daughter's place, we stopped at a fruit stand to buy cherries. I remember that we stood there for a long time, but no one waited on us. This was after the war; perhaps the fruit stand owner had someone killed or injured in the war with Japan. Anyway, that was one occasion when we were discriminated against because of our race. Then there was another time when a group of us went to Los Angeles with Mr. Araki on tour and was given very poor service at a restaurant because of our race. These cases can be attributed to the war with Japan, since the incidents both occurred after the war. MRS. HASEGAWA: Were there any discriminations aimed at your children that you recall? MRS. OKAJIMA: I don't recall anything like that. Recently there are many international marriages, but in those days our youth did not mingle with Caucasians. The times have changed. MRS. HASEGAWA: Did you obtain your US citizenship? MRS. OKAJIMA: No. At my age in life I don't feel that I want to be pressured into taking an examination. MRS. HASEGAWA: Have you ever returned to Japan? MRS. OKAJIMA: Yes. I returned twice in 1962 and 1977. My sister-in-law has taken over the Okajima homeplace and lives there now. MRS. HASEGAWA: How was it there after all these years? MRS. OKAJIMA: It was nice, but it has changed drastically. MRS. HASEGAWA: What economic and social changes in the lives of the Japanese-Americans have you seen over the years? MRS. OKAJIMA: In comparison to the early years, the Japanese-Americans live a very good life. As I recounted earlier, we had to wash outdoors in the cold under the trees with rough reddened hands. We could not turn on the water; we had to use a handle pump to obtain water to wash with. Even the food we eat has changed for the better. MRS. HASEGAWA: Do you observe any traditional Japanese customs in your daily life? MRS. OKAJIMA: Nothing special. I worship and pray to God every day in my home. Every morning I do calisthenics, and I recite the Kiyoiku Chokugo. MRS. HASEGAWA: What is the Kiyoiku Chokugo? MRS. OKAJIMA: It was Emperor Meiji's imperial rescript which was delivered on Meiji 23 (1890) October 30th. I feel that this recitation and my daily prayers keeps my mind alert and gives me a feeling of peace and purpose in life. MRS. HASEGAWA: What is the content of the Chokugo? MRS. OKAJIMA: It's all good advice. MRS. HASEGAWA: Is there anything else that you care to add to this interview? MRS. OKAJIMA: I hope that future Japanese-Americans will preserve the good qualities of Japanese tradition. MRS. HASEGAWA: Thank you, Mrs. Okajima.

you wish to report:

Your comment:

Your Name:

...