Memories of railroad workers who stayed at family's prewar hotel in Spokane, Washington
And quite often, the workers would come in, and my mother was the one that was working in the hotel, and my dad was working at Great Northern, so he wasn't home during this period, time element. And the WPA CCC people would come in and give my mother, they used to call her “Mama,” you know, like I used to call my mother. And would give her a big steelhead trout that they somehow captured in the streams that they were working in, in the mountains. And I remember several instances where the steelhead were, it seems to me they were in the eight, ten, twelve pound range. Large trout. And naturally we ate it. They were good enough to remember my mother and I guess we just all got along real well.
Date: March 15 & 16, 2006
Location: Washington, US
Interviewer: Megan Asaka
Contributed by: Denshō: The Japanese American Legacy Project.
Explore More Videos
Food growing up
(b.1948) Nikkei from Southern California living in Japan.
Relationship with my father
(b. 1920) Incarcerated during World War II. Active member of the Japanese Canadian community
Arranged marriage
(b.1912) Japanese Canadian Issei. Immigrated with husband to Canada in 1931
Marrying Bob against family’s wishes
(b.1920) Japanese Canadian Nisei. Established the Ikenobo Ikebana Society of Toronto
Growing up in a Japanese American family
(b. 1967) Hawai`i-born professional fighter in Japan
Death of sister in October 1942
(1915 - 2011) Nisei florist who resettled in New York City after WW II. Active in Japanese American civil rights movement
Learning Japanese at school and at home with family
(b.1951) Co-founder and managing director of San Jose Taiko.
Being accepted as biracial family
(b.1944) Founder of Kobayashi Group, LLC
Growing up with Japanese language and values
(1925 - 2018) Nisei educator from Hawai‘i
I’m a Japanese, Peruvian… who am I? (Spanish)
(b. 1962) Peruvian Poet, Okinawan descendant
Fitting back into American life
(1928 - 2008) Drafted into both the Japanese Imperial Army and the U.S. Army.