Discover Nikkei

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/1569/

Move to Los Angeles

Well, it was one of the requirement that we have a job, at the – someplace – minimum three months, and so we worked – no, parents worked at the Ishibashi strawberry farm for three months, and to pick the strawberries, and then the season was over at the same time that our agreement was also – ended, so we were free to leave. And they moved to Los Angeles, Boyle Heights.

So, after that, father wanted to learn how to become a gardener, because there were advices that you don’t have to know English, so he wanted to learn, and he lived in a boarding house, and then while she was – I mean, while he was in the boarding house learning how the – the trade of gardening, mother was doing seamstress and cleaning the house, she learned to do those.

And then I moved in with the American family as the schoolgirl or mother’s helper, to earn my allowance, as well as living expense, and then also to learn – I was told that then it’s the fastest way to learn English. So it was important for me to learn English as well as finish my high school.


Boyle Heights California immigration Los Angeles United States

Date: July 12, 2017

Location: California, US

Interviewer: Mitsue Watanabe, Yoko Nishimura, Leighton Okada

Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum

Interviewee Bio

Sawako Ashizawa Uchimura was born in Davao, Mindanao, Philippines on March 25, 1938 as the first daughter of Katsujiro and Ura “Mie” Ashizawa. She was 7 years old in 1945 when her family had to leave the Philippines after Japan’s defeat in World War II. Her family lived in Shizuoka for the next 10 years. ​Later the family received r​​esidency status in the United States ​and arrived in Los Angeles ​in March 1956. Sawako went to Alhambra High School and later studied at Pasadena City College. She eventually found a generous mentor who helped support her through her education at San Jose State University and became a​​n occupational therapist. Currently she is volunteering at the Sakura Garden (Formerly Keiro Retirement Home). (March 2018)

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