Interviewee: John Kabashima

Relationship to Nikkei gardeners: His father owned Sunnyview Nursery in Crenshaw. John is now the horticulture advisor for the University of California.

Date: July 17, 2007

Location: Japanese American National Museum

Brief Description: John discusses the work ethic of the Japanese American gardener.

Transcription
What I always remember about the gardeners is they worked so hard. They would work; we would come and open up the store at 6:30 in the morning. They would be lined up, waiting, because they wanted to get to work. And we’d close at 6:30 at night, and they’d still be coming in. And some of them, the stories are that many of them worked by lantern at night sometimes, just to make enough money so they could take that money and provide for their children and give them things they didn’t have.

See part 1 and part 2 of this interview.

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This interview was conducted as part of the Opening Day activities for the exhibition Landscaping America: Beyond the Japanese Garden.