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Takeshita, Aiko (audio interview #1 of 1)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - This single, long interview was conducted with Aiko Takeshita in her home. After the first hour, a break was taken to have tea and snacks, after which the narrator and interviewer both felt more comfortable. This interview is especially valuable for providing insight into the life of girls and women on Terminal Island. The interview was conducted as a special project by the student who had worked on processing the earlier Terminal Island interviews for the VOAHA. 11/26/2001
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- 2020-03-24
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- *** File: tiatakeshita1.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:00-3:27)... Introduction. Takeshita's father was born in Wakayama Prefecture, her mother in Hiroshima. Her father came to America when he was about 19 years old and soon brought over his wife. They settled in Los Angeles, where they managed a boarding house. Aiko (1924) and her older brother were born at this time. Her father had been a fisherman in Wakayama and soon relocated to Terminal Island to continue the trade. The family lived in a cannery owned house. Takeshita's other siblings were born on the island. All of inhabitants there were Japanese, except for a few, who lived in an area called Terminal. She recalls one Russian family living close to her home. Generally, the mothers worked in the canneries and the fathers fished. (3:27-4:57)... Her father owned a boat with two other men. They had a crew of 12-13. Sometimes they would leave in the middle of the night and normally they would be gone three to four days and would not return until they had a catch. If they were fishing in Mexican waters they would be gone for several weeks at a time. When they had a catch they would short-wave somebody on shore and the canneries would me notified. Then big horns blew, informing the women that they should get ready to go to the canneries. The fish had to be processed while they were fresh. (4:57-6:30)... Her mother worked in the canneries once the children were a little older. When the fathers were away the mothers were in charge of the household. Takeshita mainly spoke Japanese as a child. This caused problems when she later entered public school because she and her friends were more comfortable speaking Japanese then English. It was natural for them to speak Japanese because that is all they really heard on the island. Her parents did not speak English, though they did understand some of it. (6:30-7:47)... She went to East San Pedro Grammar School, which was right on the island. The teachers were mostly "Caucasians" from the mainland. All of the students in the school were Japanese except for the children of the Russian family. The Russian children grew up with them, played with them, and even spoke Japanese. (7:47-8:53)... Takeshita recalls going to the schoolyard to play. None of the children really had toys at the time so they would play on the swings and the bars, and play tag or throw beanbags at one another. She would always have to take her younger siblings, which she hated. She recalls that when she was young boys and girls played together. As they grew older they became more conscious of the opposite sex and the girls didn't have too much to do with the boys. (8:53-12:21)... She remembers her sister often sweeping the porch. Their meals were Japanese and always consisted of rice and a lot of fish. She had to help clean the rice, which was cooked on the stove. Their home was a cannery-owned barrack. These wood frame barracks were lined up all over the island. The living quarters were small, only two bedrooms for her family of 8, but comfortable. The houses had very small yards, surrounded by wooden fences. They shared their bathroom with a neighbor. Inside there was a small toilet and a Japanese style bath. They washed outside the tub then would soak and rinse inside the tub after. The bath, which the women tended, was heated with wood. (12:21-14:31)... The Japanese Language School was right on the island. Takeshita went four times a week, for about one hour, after her regular school. She was forced to go and didn't like it. They were taught to read and write Japanese and were taught about Japanese culture as well. She recalls that the Emperor's birthday was celebrated. All of the students would meet in the auditorium, where the Emperor was honored with special readings. She thought the whole ceremony was a joke. (14:31-17:57)... New Years was celebrated for three days on the island. The mothers would cook for several days and the food would be placed in iceboxes, this way the women did not have to cook during the actual celebration. On Girl's Day, March 3, all of the girls would dress up in kimonos. Her family had some of the traditional dolls, though nothing fancy. Her mother sent to Japan for their kimonos. On Boy's Day, the families with sons would display decorative koi on tall poles in front of the houses. The number of koi corresponded to how many boys were in the family. (17:57-22:27)... She would take the ferry across the bay to San Pedro, where she went to junior high school. Once they got off the ferry they would walk to school. Some students would ride the bus, but Aiko's family could not afford the fare. Going to the school was very intimidating. They had been so used to speaking Japanese and were suddenly forced to speak English in the classroom. She does not recall any prejudice. The school was ethnically diverse, with many children from other immigrant families. The other students knew Aiko was from Terminal Island but they didn't really discuss it. School subjects such as chemistry, algebra and english were difficult for her. Getting up in front of the class was also hard because she was shy. (22:27-25:31)... Takeshita was not involved in any extracurricular activities at school. There was no time to get involved because she had to walk to and catch the ferry after school. She was also expected to go home and help her parents and watch her four younger siblings. Her mother insisted that they study at least one hour a day. She and her siblings would hide comic books under their textbooks when they were supposed to be studying. She was not an excellent student but was able to get by because her mother made sure she studied. Her mother was the disciplinarian because her father was gone so often. When the fishing was not good, he would be home for longer periods of time. (25:31-30:44)... Takeshita's parents sent her and her siblings to the Baptist Church on the island. Her parents were Buddhist but there was no temple on the island at the time. Her father felt that any church would be good for the children to attend. As she got older, she joined the girl's group at church; the boys had a group as well. The group leader would teach them to bake or crochet and knit after meetings sometimes. They also went on outings occasionally. They visited a garden in Los Angeles and went on a snow hike to Mount Baldy. She recalls taking the Red Car out of San Pedro into Long Beach, where they did some shopping once in a while and she remembers thinking that Sears was a huge store. Long Beach was very large and an exciting city to be in. They did most of their shopping in San Pedro, where they would walk some distance to an area where there were small businesses. end of tape *** File: tiatakeshita2.mp3 (0:00-3:25)... Takeshita went to San Pedro High School; there were quite a few Japanese students there, both from Terminal Island and from farming families based in Palos Verdes. She became acquainted with some of the mainland Japanese students but was not close to them. There was no perceived difference between the Japanese from the island and those from the mainland. She wanted to go to college but her education was interrupted by the war. Her brother was going to Woodbury College in Los Angeles at the time the war started. He "commuted" from the island, taking the ferry and the Red Car into Los Angeles. (3:25-5:20)... Takeshita did not date during high school. In general, the youth of Terminal Island didn't date because there were no secrets in the community and gossip spread fast. They wouldn't do anything that would cause others to "talk". She wanted to college and "become something" and thought of pursuing nursing or becoming a missionary. Once the war broke out she didn't think much of college. (5:20-7:34)... When Pearl Harbor was bombed, she could not believe the Japanese would do such a thing. She felt it was humiliating and shameful to be Japanese at the time. The FBI came to the island immediately with a list of all the men involved with fishing and took them away. They believed the fishermen were short waving messages to Japan from their boats. People were under suspicion for having things like samurai swords. They were not allowed to have cameras, so many buried them in their backyards. She remembers her mother burning all correspondence from Japan. Everything was used against them. Her father, who was a meek man and was raising his kids in America, was taken away. (7:34-10:00)... They were told to leave Terminal Island within 48 hours. Because no one on the island had cars, it was frightening to think how they would be able to manage. Takeshita's family went to a Buddhist temple in Los Angeles that allowed several families to stay in the second floor of the building. The temple provided them with cots and gave them access to the kitchen for about 3-5 months. She enrolled at Belmont High School, in Los Angeles, during this time. There were a few Japanese students at the school, which made it a lot easier. In fact a Japanese boy was the student body president. (10:00-12:38)... From the temple the family went to the Santa Anita Race Track, where they stayed until the camps were ready. This was such a terrible experience that Takeshita had erased it from memory for a long time. They lived in a horse stable, where they had cots with hay for their mattresses. They ate their meals in the grandstands and were fed whatever the government gave them. She recalls many of the older people working everyday on weaving camouflage nets, helping with the war effort. They were not allowed to leave the facility, and because no schools were set up, she did not attend school at this time. (12:38-15:18)... Her father was moved from New Mexico to North Dakota. They found out where he was from letters that he sent occasionally. The letters had portions cut out of them; whatever the government did not want them to know had been censored. She was at the race track with her mother and her five siblings. She knew that they were at war and that they were considered the enemy. She did not feel she should have been viewed this way because she was born in the US and was an American citizen. Although people questioned why they were being treated that way, in those days people did not stand up for their rights. It was wartime and people were generally scared. (15:18-17:04)... When the government opened the camps they found out that Terminal Islanders were allowed to go to Manzanar, which is where most of them ended up. They were told that if they had relatives in a different camp they could request to go there instead. Takeshita's family had relatives in Poston, Arizona, and her mother decided that they should go there. There were three camps in Poston, but the camp where their relatives were was already full; her family ended up in one of the other two camps, where they stayed for 3 years. (17:04-21:12)... A school was built in one of the barracks, and Takeshita went for about six months and finished up her senior year. After she graduated, she worked for the Poston Chronicle newspaper as a typist. Her mother worked in the kitchen and her bother taught a business course at the school. People with college degrees helped teach at the school. There were different jobs available, such as working in the kitchen or cleaning the latrines. She was paid $16 a month. The pay scale had 3 categories, with professionals making about $19 a month. People spent much of their wages ordering things through catalogues. The Sears catalogue was very popular in the camps and often there would be many women wearing the same dress in one block. The catalogue was a highlight of their daily existence and they would flip through it often. (21:12-25:00)... Christian and Buddhist churches were set up in the camp. She walked to the next block over to go to church. Her block consisted mostly of people from San Diego. Her family was called "volunteers" because they requested to go to that camp in order to be closer to relatives. They lived in barracks made of wood and tarpaper. The knots in the wood were empty and the wind and dust blew into the houses. There were 6 units to each barrack. Her family made their own table and hung sheets to separate the males and females. They used a community bathroom. Her father was still gone and one of her brothers had enlisted. (25:00-27:16)... People from churches outside the camp, many from Quakers churches, sent things into the camps during the holidays; the children were given candy and small gifts. There were a few other Terminal Islanders in one of the other Poston camps. Her family had to start from scratch, making new friends. The camps have reunions now and then. She recently went to one in San Diego, which is where most of the people in her camp were from. (27:16-30:34)... Leaving the camp was difficult because they were forced to leave the "comfort" of the camp where they were with other Japanese and go back into the world again. Because her three brothers had been in the army, the family was able to come back to Long Beach and get housing in the Cabrillo Housing Project. There were three of these projects on Pacific Coast Highway. They rented a small house, which was one of many units in a building. Once the family returned to California, her father, who had joined them in Poston a while before they left the camp, went back into fishing. Their community on Terminal Island had been torn down by the Navy, which built a base in the area. She has not visited Terminal Island since the time they left. end of tape *** File: tiatakeshita3.mp3 (0:00-2:42)... Takeshita's father started fishing again because his old partners wanted to get back in the business after the war and they purchased a new boat. Her father was later involved in a boating accident, at the age of 55. While they were fishing his hand was caught in one of the winches. A helicopter was flown out to transport him to a hospital on shore. He spent some time in a Maritime hospital and was later sent to Seaside Hospital in Long Beach. His injuries were severe and he lost use of his arm. This really damaged his spirit and he died from a heart attack a year later. Takeshita was married and had her first child at this time. (2:42-6:14)... Takeshita was 21 when she got out of camp. She worked as a maid in a home for a little while, helping with cooking and odd jobs and was later hired as an interpreter at a welfare office in the county of Los Angeles. Many of the Japanese in the community were living in trailer parks and temporary housing. This led into a full time job for her, which she quit once she was married and pregnant with her first child. She was married in 1952, at the age of 26. Years later, after her children were older, she worked for the county welfare office once again, working a total of twenty-two years for the county. (6:14-7:52)... When they were forced to leave Terminal Island they were not able to take any of their furniture, only smaller personal belongings. There were people who came to the island to take advantage of them, for instance, offering $5.00 for a piano, or a dining room set . Her mother was able to take what precious things she had from Japan as well as her jewelry. (7:52-9:44)... Takeshita and her sister took piano lessons. Although they were poor, her mother was able to save and pay for the children's extracurricular activities; she paid the tuition for Japanese school, for one of her brothers to take Judo lessons, for them to take piano lessons, and to buy things like kimonos from Japan. The parents really sacrificed for their children. An old man traveled from house to house to give the piano lessons. Takeshita did not really enjoy it because she didn't excel. (9:44-12:13)... The Japanese school was right on the island. She thinks the church owned the building, which had several rooms. Most of the children on the island went to the school. Some of the teachers were from the island and others came from San Pedro. They were taught manners at the school; at the start of class they all lined up and bowed to the teacher. They also were taught to respect for elders. Children always accepted what their elders said and could never talk back to them. They were raised never to do anything that would bring shame to the family. (12:13-14:17)... Her home was a little ways from the canneries and the wharf where the boats were docked. Because they were used to not having cars, walking was not a big deal. Children were not allowed into the canneries but they would look through the doors and see the women working. The fishermen were superstitious and did not want women on the boats because it was bad luck. She recalls being on her dad's boat and getting sick. (14:17-15:47)... Takeshita and her siblings respected their father but were not close to him. When he was home he was usually sleeping and they did not get to talk to him. It was the mothers on the island that raised the children. The fathers were held in awe and seen as the financial providers. They always listened to their father. When she and her siblings would fight just one word from him would make them stop. (15:47-17:44)... Her mother was not involved in any organizations because she was busy with the six children. She did take an English class, possibly before the children were born, and understood the language more then she let on. Takeshita remembers finding textbooks from those classes when her mother passed away. (17:44-21:31)... There was a grocery store on the island that she would go to and buy penny candy. They did not have allowances but would be given a nickel once in a while. She remembers everything costing a penny or a nickel. They did not celebrate Christmas at home. They would celebrate it at the church, where they would get a box of candy, fruit or nuts as gifts. She never received gifts from her mother; her mother would purchase bottles of soda and sponge cake from the store for Takeshita's birthday. Takeshita would go to her neighbors and give these things to them for her birthday, never receiving anything. She thought this was a special thing for her to do. (21:31-25:26)... She recalls that they never visited doctors as children. The only time a person would go to a doctor was if there was an accident. There was one MD on the island, but no hospital. Takeshita recalls when she accidentally cut herself pretty severely, but she never got stitches. She remembers that shots were given at school. She had an appendectomy when she was about 14 years old at Seaside Hospital in Long Beach. She had severe stomach pains and when the doctor made a house call he told them to take her to the hospital. (25:26-28:13)... They would walk to the beach during the summer time. She never learned to swim but they did make a floatation device out of cork. She used to knit and she also learned to sew on her mother 's treadle machine. In junior high they took classes where they learned to sew and cook. There were no clothing stores on the island so they had to Long Beach or San Pedro for those things. Girls never went into the pool halls. She remembers passing by them and hearing the click of the balls. (28:13-30:44)... Takeshita was never aware of any prostitution on the island and feels that they were very naive about those things. Nobody talked about those subjects and there was no sex education end of tape *** File: tiatakeshita4.mp3 (0:00-1:34)... Takeshita and her friends never discussed sex; it was a taboo subject. She never thought about marriage growing up. Many of the marriages on the island were arranged. (1:34-3:45)... The island inhabitants were all Japanese; except for the Russian family. [Note: others report that there were two Russian families.] Takeshita remembers seeing the Russian man - he was scary looking, with a big beard and bushy eyebrows. He would always walk by but never spoke to them. He wore coveralls all the time and his wife would wear a babushka. She recalls that they raised chickens and that the man owned a small boat. (3:45-6:24)... Visiting the Pike in Long Beach was a highlight. They would visit on special occasions, such as the New Year's festivities. She recalls little shops, restaurants, games and a machine making taffy in the window. She did not eat "American" food very often. They packed sandwiches for school lunch. On special occasions her family would go out for a "Chinese dinner", which was costly for a family of eight. (6:24-8:50)... Takeshita met her husband, Mas, at church while at Poston, though they did not marry until several years later at a church in Long Beach. He visited the church from a nearby camp to speak at a worship service. He was an optometrist at this time. (8:50-11:27)... Reverend Yamamoto and a missionary named Virginia Swanson ran the Baptist Mission on Terminal Island. She was sent by the Baptist Missionary Society and would plan their meetings and Sunday schools. Different speakers would visit and help out once in a while. A group from the Bible Institute of Los Angeles would come on Sundays and help with Sunday school. There was a reunion in Los Angeles where Virginia Swanson was honored. Miss Swanson did not marry in her younger years but later married Reverend Yamamoto. (11:27-13:29)... The Sunday school classes were divided according to grade. They were taught Bible stories and songs. A new Baptist church was later built away from the houses. Not many of the Issei were Christians, but they sent their children to Sunday school. (13:29-16:23)... Takeshita remembers listening to "Amos and Andy" and "The Lone Ranger" on the radio at home. They watched picture shows, like Shirley Temple movies, in San Pedro once or twice or year. It cost .10 cents to see a movie. They would cross the bay and go to the Globe Theater; sometimes it was just the children and other times her mother took them. She did not have much time to socialize' she was busy with school, studies and watching her siblings. (16:23-19:17)... When Takeshita was in high school, she worked at a grocery store on Saturdays for several years. She looked forward to working. She handled the merchandise because costumers were not allowed to touch the fruits and vegetables. She made $3.00 working 8:00am-8:00pm. and gave the money she earned to her mother. She kept a diary in which she recorded where she worked, how long, and how much money she made. Her father would meet her at the ferry when she returned to the island to walk her home because it was dark. (19:17-22:15)... Takeshita remembers her time on Terminal Island as being carefree; there was no violence or crime on the island and times were very different. They did not lock their doors and they left their windows open. She does not remember seeing police and although there was a fire station, there never any fires. She still sees many of her old friends today. (22:15-24:18)... After the war her mother worked in a cannery for a couple of years. Some people bought cars after the war and they would pick up the women and drive to the canneries. Takeshita thinks the memorial currently being built on Terminal Island is a wonderful idea and something to look forward to end of the tape
- SUBJECT BIO - Aiko Takeshita spent the first seventeen years of her life on Terminal Island, living in one of the cannery owned houses (barracks). Her father owned a boat with two other men, and her mother worked in the canneries when the children were older. Like many of the other Japanese children there, Takeshita attended the Baptist Church and went to Japanese classes there. She did not speak English when she first started school and initially had problems. She attended junior high school and high school in San Pedro. Before the outbreak of the war, she had aspirations to attend college and either to pursue a career in nursing or become a missionary. Although most Terminal Islanders were sent to Manzanar, Takeshita's mother requested that the family be sent to Poston, instead, where relatives were sent. INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - This single, long interview was conducted with Aiko Takeshita in her home. After the first hour, a break was taken to have tea and snacks, after which the narrator and interviewer both felt more comfortable. This interview is especially valuable for providing insight into the life of girls and women on Terminal Island. The interview was conducted as a special project by the student who had worked on processing the earlier Terminal Island interviews for the VOAHA. TOPICS - family background; schooling; housing; Japanese traditions and celebrations;high school; evacuation; internment at Santa Anita Race Track; internment at Poston (Arizona); housing and life in the camp; resettlement in Long Beach;childhood activities; family life; community; celebrations; internment; resttlement; father's resumption of fishing and death; employment;childhood activities; community composition and life; Baptist Mission; school; work; reflections on life on Terminal Island;
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