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Nakai, Mitsuyo (audio interview #2 of 5)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - This second interview with Mitsuyo Nakai was recorded in Lake Elsinore and covers her marriage, the birth of her children, and life in Manzanar.
- Date
- 2020-03-25
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- *** File: timnakai3.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:00-3:00)... Nakai continued to relate the story of the about the broth made in Japan and the dinner she prepared for her family. Her extended family called her "America-san". Her uncle was so surprised that she was able to make such a tasty broth out of chicken bones. (3:00-5:00)... Her husband's father knew her father when they worked together in a saw mill. She met her future husband in a Japanese store on Terminal Island. They became friends, but her parents did not allow her to have a boyfriend. She knew him for about seven years before they married. All the boys in Terminal Island knew she and her husband were essentially a couple. (5:00-6:40)... She tells a story about how she and her friends would try to avoid a certain Japanese gentleman who was in charge of the center for the elderly. (6:40-8:37)... She was married in 1936 after a short engagement. Mr. Toma was a go-between for her and her husband. She was engaged in April and married in May. She didn't think much about the preparations or life after marriage. She lived with her parents-in-law because of the Depression. (8:37-11:04)... When she was in Washington her uncle asked about what kind of man she wanted to marry. She replied that she didn't want a husband who drank or would hit her. They didn't have a car when they were married, so they took a Greyhound bus to visit her uncle. Her uncle asked again what kind of man she did marry. (11:04-13:07)... Description of her wedding. They had 350 guests. Her husband was the only son, and so the wedding was in a traditional Japanese style. (13:07-14:24)... She continued to work after she was married, until she was ready to have her first child, a daughter. She returned to work soon after giving birth until her second daughter was born. She would leave the baby with a baby-sitter. (14:24-16:59)... She learned about sex after her first menstrual period when her mother told her not to hang out with the boys. Nakai delivered her babies in the hospital. She gave birth with difficulty. Her third and fourth children were both boys. Her first child was not planned. Her husband lived about 4 hours away to work, so they did not spend much time together. (16:59-20:04)... She recalls not wanting to use a female contraceptive after what she had seen working in the doctor's office. The doctor just told her to plan carefully, watching her menstrual cycle and practicing abstinence at the appropriate times. Other women were using a brass-type of contraceptive that caused many infections. (20:04-22:26)... When she was interned during the war, a young woman in camp asked if they could perform an abortion. The doctor said that they didn't have the facility to carry out the procedure. The young woman used chopsticks and aborted the child herself. (22:26-24:35)... Her husband was a bookkeeper in a hardware store when they married. He had taken home (correspondence) courses in economics. He was born in Japan and came in 1921 when he was about ten years old. He finished grammar and high school in Terminal Island. (24:35-28:39)... She and her husband lived with her in-laws, and she did all the cooking for the family. She recalls that it was difficult living with them. They moved back to Japan after her father-in-law retired. Her mother-in-law passed away in 1939, and Nakai flew to Japan with her two daughters to build a home for her father-in-law. The war was escalating, and her husband wired her to return to the States. Her father-in-law was very upset, but he knew that she had to return. (28:39-30:06)... She had a house built in Japan before her in-laws moved back there. She also purchased a house on Terminal Island, using her saved life insurance money as a down payment. (30:06-33:11)... She purchased a house from a Swedish woman, using her saved life insurance money as a down payment. The decision to buy the house was influenced first by her father. (33:11-34:56)... Talking about church, she notes that she first went when she lived near her uncle; then, when she moved to California she went to a Baptist church, but she gradually drifted away. She made her children go to church, but being the only Japanese family, it difficult. Her eldest daughter eventually became a Lutheran, another married a Catholic. She believes that the most important values/goals were to take care of the family, be a good citizen, and to be sincere. (34:56-36:44)... Her parents were Buddhist. Although she never really inquired, she thinks most of her siblings were Christians. She was married in a Christian church, and her husband eventually joined her in attending church. She believes the importance of religion in keeping her family together. (36:44-38:07)... Her son was naughty and she did most of the disciplining. Her parents also helped in raising the children. The two girls were once disciplined by their father with a paddle. Her third child (son) was slightly malnourished because of the experience in the camp during the war. She too, was undernourished. She became pregnant again in the camp with her fourth child, but she received permission to move to Oregon. Because she worked in a hospital, she was allowed to leave the camp. She returned home a month or two before she gave birth. She was able to get formula for her third son. He could not walk at age 2, and he was difficult to toilet train. (38:07-43:32)... Asked about raising her children, she remembers her third child (son) was slightly malnourished because of the camp. She too, was undernourished. He had a difficult time adjusting to solid food, so she slowly fed him and trained him. (43:32-44:50)... She attended a physical therapy school after high school, right after she was married. She graduated from the school in 1939. After her first child was born, she worked only part time. end of tape *** File: timnakai4.mp3 (0:00-3:55)... Her husband took correspondence courses and studied physical therapy. They both combined American therapy with Japanese Shiatsu and other eastern types of physical therapy. She emphasized the importance of nutrition to her patients, which was something not taught in the therapy schools. Her youngest son David went to UCLA to study dentistry, but because of a knee injury he studied physical therapy at Loma Linda. In her time, there was no state recognized license for therapy. Her son basically learned from the first graduates of the physical therapy program. (3:55-5:05)... When the war broke out, her husband was living on Terminal Island while she lived in Elsinore. Her husband worked at a hardware store, and the owner was interned and had 24 hours to move. Her husband had prepared to leave as well, as others around him were being arrested. (5:05-6:46)... Her brother was in the army, stationed in Utah, but was sent home and interned. The 442nd from Hawaii demonstrated their loyalty, and so her brother was taken back into the army. However, he had a leg injury in high school that kept him bedridden for nine months. The leg injury hindered him from serving in the army, and he was sent home. (6:46-9:22)... On her property, she had six cottages on one side, and so she brought six families to live there. When they were taken to Manzanar, she took them all. She had received a call one night telling her that her parents had been interned. The next day, she withdrew all of her money and purchased a car. The government confiscated the car. When they were interned, she saw her car sitting in front of the camp. (9:22-11:36)... When she was interned, she left her practice in the hands of a German doctor who was working for her. When the doctor died, his nephew padlocked up the building(s) and shut the practice. Later, someone had broken in and stole quite a few things. The space was being rented by the bank , but she did not receive any money. Her house was also broken into and was being used by strangers. (11:36-14:28)... She remembers a story about a gentleman who would help her at her practice. He was poor and had nothing to eat so she would help him. His name was George and he used to help in various ways. The elderly doctor was there, but he wasn't able to do much. One day, George asked her for her keys. She thought he was some sort of psychic. He told her that she was going to return within 7.5 years of being interned and that she would have two boys. He also told her she would come across money. (14:28-15:42)... While interned she worked in the camp hospital as a nurse. When her son sold his home, they were helping him move and found a number of old newspapers. Her husband found an award that she had received for her hard work during internment. (15:42-17:27)... Her whole family was interned. One sister married a Harvard law student from Hawaii. When he was called to Fort Banning, her sister moved to Chicago and worked in a sewing factory. Her other sister was married with no children and stayed in the camp. Her mother and father were also there. They lived close to one another, in a block of about 360 people; they had a common mess hall. (17:27-21:13)... The barracks were typical army barracks, and the floors had knotholes. There were terrible dust storms that blew through the camp. Some of the children would be very scared, so she would stay with them. One of the children she was caring for had a terrible ear infection, and she recalls spending a whole night with her in a barrack. The baby was in a coma. She went to the latrine and cleaned a can. The baby had a heavy stomach, and so she used an enema tube to ease the pressure. The baby eventually recovered and went home. They had about 80 babies for whom they were caring. (21:13-22:03)... The pediatrician at the hospital was a woman. The doctor's sister was a nurse and her brother was president of a Rotary Club and worked with a newspaper in Japan and San Francisco. (22:03-23:24)... She returned home in March, 1945. She had given birth in December but couldn't leave until March. She remained until her daughters had finished their education. The schools at Manzanar, included high school; all subjects were taught in English. (23:24-24:15)... Her daughter had a schoolmate who is a well known Japanese photographer in Los Angeles. (24:15-26:00)... After the war life was very lonely for her because her husband was working in Oregon. There was a lot of prejudice. Her daughter would shop for her. (26:00-27:43)... Her husband was working on her uncle's farm in Oregon. He returned and the government called him to clean the camp in Manzanar for about six months. [He takes a moment here to explain what work he did there.] (27:43-31:00)... Her children encountered much prejudice in school, but she tried not to let the children know how much the prejudice bothered her. Her second daughter was the valedictorian of her class, the first Japanese girl to be valedictorian in the town. She had a nosebleed because she was so nervous. She remembers overhearing a woman sitting in front of her making a remark about Japanese people. (31:00-32:05)... Her husband returned to Elsinore and began working with her - it was around the time that the Japanese living in America were able to get citizenship papers. (32:05-34:36)... She talks about how she raised her children. She taught them to try not to fight. She raised her daughters differently than her sons. The girls did not give her much trouble, but the boys were tough to raise. The boys, after they went to college, each needed a car, spending money, clothes. The girls, when they got married, made their own dresses and took care of most of the arrangements for the weddings. (34:36-38:50)... She told her children that she and her husband would readily help them if they needed it. She wanted all of her children to attend college because she knew the importance of having a dual income. Her eldest daughter was very artistic, but she eventually went into nursing. She attended junior college for a semester, then transferred to UCLA. Her other daughter attended UCLA on a scholarship, but left after a year and became a beautician. She married a Japanese man from Cypress and became a homemaker. At the age of 35, her daughter graduate from Long Beach State in anthropology. (38:50-40:10)... She didn't teach her daughters about menstruation, but they had learned about it in biology. All the girls had already talked about it and knew about menstruation. (40:10-41:47)... She didn't engage in much social activity, except for the PTA and the Brownies. She did not have any woman friends when she was growing up. The one she was closest to lived in Colorado. Through different clubs and organizations, she did find other women with who she could talk. (41:47-42:36)... After her children left, her life changed. Mentally she was always with them, but she put her thoughts more toward making her husband comfortable. (42:36-45:10)... In her physical therapy work, she works from 8-5 by appointment only. She helps people who are invalid, have arthritis, have orthopedic problems, or have had a stroke. She also assists her patients with nutrition and coping with daily living. Once the American Medical Association accepted physical therapists, her work changed greatly. Doctors would send patients to them and the public was becoming more aware of their importance. end of tape
- SUBJECT BIO - Mitsuyo Nakai was born in Washington state, in a lumber community, to parents who were both from Wakayama prefecture. When she was in high school, the family moved to California, and after staying with a relative on a farm in Venice, the family moved to Terminal Island, where both parents worked in the canneries. Along with the other Nisei children from Terminal Island, she attended San Pedro high school. In addition to taking care of the household tasks, she held several jobs after school and on weekends. After her marriage, she attended a school for physical therapists and started her own practice in Elsinore in 1939, while her husband continued to work on Terminal Island. The family was interned at Manzanar, and her two sons were born there. After the war, they returned to Elsinore, where she reestablished her practice, forming a partnership with her husband who also trained as a physical therapist. INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - This second interview with Mitsuyo Nakai was recorded in Lake Elsinore and covers her marriage, the birth of her children, and life in Manzanar. TOPICS - trip to Japan; marriage; children; WWII; buying land in Elsinore; family life;establishing physical therapy practice; loss of property during war; hospital work in Manzanar; child rearing;
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