Interviewee:DanielH.Watanabe
Interviewers:ChristopherChan,AnthonyRogers
Date/TimeofInterview:
Transcribedby:ChristopherChan
AudioTrackTime:1:25:06
Background:
DanielH.WatanabewasborninLosAngelesin1929.Atage6,hisfamily
broughthimbacktoJapanwherehewasbroughtup,inthesuburbsofTokyo,
duringtheSecondWorldWar.WiththeAmericanoccupation,Watanabejoinedthe
U.S.militaryandworkedasabilingualspecialistwithAmericanintelligence,
throughouttheKoreanWar.Afterthewar,hereturnedtotheStatestofinishhis
educationandPhDinmicrobiology.HelatermovedwithhislabtoHouston’sBaylor
CollegeofMedicineandhasstayedeversince.Today,hecontinuestoteachasa
professorattheHoustonCommunityCollege.
Setting:
TheinterviewfocusesonDr.Watanabe’spersonalexperiencesbetweenhis
childhoodinwar‐timeJapanandpost‐graduateacademiaintheUnitedStates.The
interviewwasconductedintheFondrenLibraryatRiceUniversity.Dr.Watanabe
broughtalongwithhim,copiesofhiscreation,thelocalJapanesenewspaperaswell
asalargecopyofhistoricalJapaneseTexangenealogies.
InterviewTranscript:
Key:
DanielWatanabe(DW)
ChristopherChan(CC)
AnthonyRogers(AR)
AR:ThisisAnthonyRogers
CC:AndChrisChan
AR:Andwe’refromRiceUniversitywiththeHoustonAsianAmericanArchive
Project,andwe’reheretodaywithDr.DanielWatanabe.Socouldyoustartoff
tellinguswhereyouwereborn?
DW:IwasborninLosAngeles,andI’llgiveyouthedateofbirthwas1929,sothat
makesme81yearsold.IlivedinLosAngelesuntilIwassixyearsold.Iwentto
Japanwithmyparents,becausemyfatherhadwantedtostartabusiness—my
fatherwasaJapanesenational.MymotherwasasecondgenerationJapanese
American.Andthiswas,youknow,beforethedaysbeforetherewereanywar
cloudsimpending,butuponarrivinginJapan,andwithinamatterofafewyears,the
warstarts,soweweresortofthereduringthewarperiod.Iwasjustakidsomy
experiencewasverybrief,butafterthat,afterthewarended,Ifinishedhighschool,
andimmediately,sinceIwasgoingtoreturntotheUS,however,Iwould’vebeen
draftedsinceIwasthatage,soIoptedtoenlistintheUScivilianarmy,andservedin
theUSoccupationtroopsforthreeandahalfyears,duringwhichIdidalotof
intelligenceworkforgeneralheadquarters—that’swhattheycalledMacArthur’s
headquarters,asaninterpreterandbilingualspecialist.WhentheKoreanWar
started,wewerealsodispatchedtoKoreatointerrogateKoreansprisonersofwar,
becausetheyspokeJapanese.SoI’dspentayearinthewarzone.Then,Icameback
totheUSandsincethen,Iwenttocollege,etc.SoIcamebackin51or52—
somewhereinthattime.Then,I’vebeenhereeversince,goingtoschool,graduate
school,andallthat.
WhatbroughtmetoTexas,isthatIwasafacultyatthemedicalcollegeinNewYork
City,andourprincipal,aninvestigatoratthemedicalcollege,transferredhisgrant
andresearchteamtoBaylorCollegeofMedicineinHouston,andallthestaff
researcherscamewithhim,andIwasoneofthem.That’sthereasonwhyIcameto
Houston,andI’vebeenhereeversince.
AR:CouldyouexplainwhatitwaslikemovingfromtheUnitedStatestoJapanwhen
youwereyounger?
DW:Well,sinceIwasquiteyoung,Idon’tknow,myimpressionwas,Isuppose,kind
ofnew…Oh,whenIwenttoJapan,Ididn’tspeakawordofJapanese.
AR:Oh…
DW:SoIhadtotakesomethingorIcouldn’tgotoschool,soIhadtotakeayearoff
tolearnthelanguage,butIhadno,Idon’trememberhavinganydifficulty.Uh,there
wasalittleprejudice,becauseI’maJapanese‐faceguyfromAmerica,soI’m
practicallysomekindofforeigner,andanotherthingtoo,wedidn’thavecrew‐
cuts—weallhadlonghairlikeyoudotoday,andJapanese,allhadcrew‐cuts.SoI
stoodout,andbecauseofthatIwasuh,youknow,harassed,Iwasbullied,Iguess.I
wasalittlebitdifferent.Butsoon,Igotmyselfacrew‐cut,soIlookedjustlike
everybodyelseso…then,formeatthatage,Ididn’treallythinktoomuchabout
anything—itendedwhenthewarstartedandallthat.OtherthanthenotionthatI
comefromadifferentplace,IthinkIwasasmuchofaJapaneseastheothers—it
couldn’thavebeensonoticeablesotospeak…So,wesaweverything,wesawthe
bombingofTokyoandthewareffort,foodrationing,andthewaythingswererunat
thattime—airraidsonadailybasisandallthatkindofstuff.Untilthesurrender,
thenthingsreallychangedwiththeoccupation,Americanlanding.Itchangedthe
entiremood,sotospeak.Again,sincemyfamilyallspokeEnglish,sowesortoffit
inthatquitewell.Onlythen,evenmyfather,whowasaJapanesenational,was
startingtobeingrecognized,andhewasaverygoodbridgetobridgethegap
betweentheoccupationtroopsandtheJapanesenatives,sotospeak.
AR:Whatdidyourfatherdo?
DW:Myfatherwasanaeronauticalengineer,andhewasaverygoodmechanical
andallthat.He,bytheageof21,inLosAngeles,heactuallydesignedandassembled
aflyingaircraft—fiveofthose,inhisgarage.He’sarealpioneerinthatsense.This
wasthedayswhentheLindberghhadnotflowntheAtlantic.Therewasabigprize
foranyonewhocircumnavigatedtheglobeonasoleflight.Therewasabigprizefor
thatfromanEnglishpublisher,somyfatherwassayingthathewasgoingtobuild
thatplanetodoit,andhehadbuiltone.Hehadapilot—seehewasn’tapilot
himself,andaimedatthat,sohehadsomeverybigdreams.Unfortunatelythelast
airplanethathebuilt,duringthetestflight,itranintotheRockyMountains,and
crashedandkilledthepilot,thenhegaveuptheidea.Heblameditontheplane,but
itwassimplyanaturaldisaster,notamechanicalfailureoranything.
CC:WasyourfatherinL.A.?
DW:Yeah,uh‐huh.
CC:WhendidhemovetotheUnitedStates?
DW:Idon’tknowtheexactyear,buthecametotheU.S.whenhewassixteenyears
oldtostudy.
AR:WheredidyouliveinJapan?
DW:MostlyintheTokyoarea.
CC:SohowdidyourparentsfeelaboutmovingtoJapan?
DW:Well,let’ssee,Ididn’tknow—hadnonotionwhatitis.Myfatherwanted—Oh,
I’lltellyouoneofthereasonshehadtogoback,hewasdoingverywellinLos
Angeles,butasaJap,hecouldn’tgetajobasanaeronauticalengineer.Theywon’t
hireaJapanese.SotherewasaJapjobdiscriminationforhistalent,so,besideshe
hadafewpatents,sohewantedtogostartabusinessinJapan.Hehadcapital,
patents,andhewantedtogobacktoJapantostarthisownbusiness.Everything
wasallsetup.Exceptthatthewarstarted.Sothat’sthe…otherwisehewould’ve
beenquitesuccessful.HepersonallyknewtheengineerwhobuilttheSpiritofSt.
LouisforLindbergh.HeknewalmostalltheheadsoftheAmericanaircraft
companies—itwaslikeacircleofpeopleinthattime.We’retalkingaboutBoeing,
Curtis,uh,allthoseAmericanaircraftcompanies,whichwerejuststartingto
becomegiantsintheirindustry.Soafterthewarended,hehadthechancetoget
invitedandwentbacktoseeallofthemtoo.Sohadhelived—hediedwhenhewas
57,ofstomachcancer—hewasjustaboutbeenabletogetintothat.AsIsaid,he
knewallthesebignames,personally.So,that’skindofunfortunate.Andalsoitwas
justuntilnow,hewasareturneefromtheUS;theJapanesethoughthemight
possiblybeaspyfromthere,thattypeofthing,sotherewasaprejudiceonhim,I’m
sure.IknowI’veheardthatthesecretpolicewereshadowinghimduringthewar
years.
AR:So,whydidyourparentsmovebacktotheUnitedStatesin1951?
DW:WhydidI?
AR:Oh,justyou?Yourparentsdidn’tmovewithyou?
DW:No,myparentsstayedtherebecausehewasjuststarting,hewasingoodshape,
andallthatkindofthing,andmybrotherstayedtheretogotouniversitythere.I
camebacktotheU.S.becauseIwantedtogotocollegethere.Yeah.
CC:DidyourfamilyconsideredthemselvesAmericaninJapan?
DW:Mymotherdid,certainly,becauseshewasAmerican‐born,she’sasecond
generation.Andmyfather,wellhe’sjustasfluentandusedtoAmericanways,sohe
could’vecomebacktotheU.S.,whereverhecouldfindagoodjobandallthat.AsI
said,hejustneverhadthatchance.Itwaskindofunfortunate.
AR:DidyouhaveajobatallwhenyoumovedtoJapan?
DW:No,Iwasstilla[kid]—barelyfinishedhighschool.Sono,no.
CC:DidyouattendpublichighschoolinJapan?
DW:Yeah,sure,ofcourse.Fromgradeschooluptohighschool.That’sthereasonI
couldspeakthelanguage.Therewereseveralpeopleofthattype,inwhichthey
wereeithersentasabilingualspecialistfromtheStatesduringtheoccupationto
joinJapan,orsomeofthemwererecruitedjustlikeme—wewerealltrapped—we
couldn’tgobackduringthewartime.Andtheywerebadlyinneedofbilingual
specialists,andweweredoingsomeveryimportantintelligencework.Thatwas
kindofaninterestingexperience.
AR:Whydidyoudecidetostudybacteriologyasanundergrad?
DW:Ilikedscience,chemistry,physics,butIwantedtohandlesomethingliving,
andinsteadofplainzoology,studyinggermsandthingslikethatmightbe
interesting.That’swhyIwentintothat.Iusedtodabbleinnuclearphysics,anda
lotofotherareas,butbacteriologyandmicrobiologyappealedtomemost.Officially,
IendedupwithmyPhDinvirology,studyofviruses.
AR:Sowheredidyoustudyasanundergrad?
DW:IwenttoPennStateforbachelorsinbacteriology.ThenIwenttothe
UniversityofCaliforniaatBerkeleytogetmyMastersinmicrobiologynow.ThenI
gotmarriedandhadajobbrieflyandwenttoNewYorkonmyfirstjobtoworkwith
adrugcompany,butwithaMastersdegree,Iwasn’tgettinganywhere,soIwent
backtograduateschool.BythenIhadtwokids,butIcontinuedbyPhDworkandI
wenttothemedicalschoolwiththeStateUniversityofNewYork,andgotmyPhD
there.
AR:Sohowdidyoumeetyourwife?
DW:IwenttoJapan,itwassomethinglikeatraditionalarrangedmarriagekindof
thing.AlthoughIdidmeetseveralcandidates,itendedupwiththetraditionalway,
thatsomebodyinthefamilygoesinasin‐between,asamatchmaker,todothat,so
that’stheway.MywifewasplanningtostudyintheU.S.,soshewasstudying
English,preparingtogototheStates,anywaysso.
AR:Whatyearwereyoumarried?
DW:Gee,whenwasit,Ihaveitdownsomewhere.1964.
AR:WereyoumarriedinJapan?
DW:No,weweremarriedinBerkeley,California.
AR:Andwhenwereyourchildrenborn?
DW:TheywereborninAlbany,NewYork,aroundtheyears64,mysonwasborn64
andmydaughter,67.
AR:Wheredidtheyattendschool?
DW:Whereverwewent.Fromtherewewent:Albany,toSyracuse,NewYork,
whereIdidmygraduatestudies—that’swherethemedicalcenterwas,myPhD,we
weretherebriefly.MyfirstjobaftergettingaPhD,IwenttoDesMoines,Iowato
teachatamedicalschool,andwewerethereonlytwoshortyeas,thenwecame
backtoNewYork,stayedinthesuburbs,Hartsdale,whichisasuburbinNewYork,
andIwasaFacultyattheNewYorkMedicalCollege.
AR:AndyousaidyourwifewantedtocometotheStatestostudyalso?
DW:Atthattime,shewaspreparedsooneofthereasonswasthatIthoughtit
wouldbekindofharshtotakeaJapanesewoman,justbecauseyoumarried,totake
herawayfromherfamilywhereshelivedandbroughtup,toaforeigncountryand
allthat,soitwould’vebeensortofcruel,soIthoughtmaybesomebodywhowas
alreadypreparedtogoabroad,hadanadvantage.
CC:Wheredidshestudy?
DW:Oh,shewentto…oneofthefewCatholicUniversitiesintheTokyoarea.The
namejustskipsmymindrightnow.ThiswaswhysheacquiredtheEnglish
background.
CC:SodidsheendupstudyingabroadintheU.S.?
DW:No,sheneverwentbacktoschool.
CC:IssheinitiallyfromTokyo?
DW:Yes,Tokyosuburbs,actually,theChibaarea,rightnextdoor.Welloneofthe
thingsaboutherfamilyisthatshecomesfrom…herfatherwasamiddleschool
principal,andmymother’ssideisaBuddhistpriestwhowasdispatchedbythe
JapanesegovernmenttogotoHawaiitoadministerthenecessaryritualsforthe
BuddhistswhoimmigratedtotheU.S.,becausetherewasathing,youdoneeda
priestmarriedtohaveaburialservice,funeral,thattypeofthing.Sohewasoneof
them,andquiteahighrankingBuddhistministertoo.
CC:SohewasaBuddhistminister…
DW:That’sright,
CC:Andso,hecouldbemarried?
DW:Yes.HewenttoHawaiifirst,thenhewenttoSanFrancisco,hewastherefor
theSanFranciscoearthquake,sohemovedtoLosAngeles,andIthinkthat’swhere
mymotherwasalsoborn,andafterthatwewereborn.
CC:DidyouspeakJapaneseathome?
DW:OfcoursewhileinJapan…no,thisissomethinginteresting,whileinJapan,even
duringthewartime,myfathersaid,“You’renotgoingtoforgetEnglish,sowe’re
goingtouseEnglish.”Butyou’dhavetobecareful.Andsothat’stheonlyreasonI
retainedmyEnglish.OtherwiseIwould’vehadnobodytospeakto,sothatreally
helpedquitealot.ButlikeIsaid,whenIwenttoJapan,Ididn’tknowawordof
Japanese,eventhoughIwassixyearsold,onlyknewEnglish.So,butitalsohelped
havingEnglishatschool,itwasaneasytask.
AR:Canyoutalkalittlebitmoreabouthowitwaslikebeingabilingualspecialist?
(00:20:03)
DW:Uh,Yes.Ithinkthiswaskindofinteresting.Duringtheoccupationofforces,
thereareseveraltasksthattheUSAlliedForceshadtodo—setupmilitary
government,tohaveliasonwiththeJapanesegovernment,policeforcesand
everything.Tomakesurethattheoccupationwentsmoothly.AlsotheFarEastern
Tribunal—theWarCriminalcourtswasinsession.Theyneededinterpretersthere.
Theyneededpostalinspectorsandotherpeopletoinvestigatecrimesoranytypeof
legalmatter.Inordertorewritesomeofthelaws,theyneededalotofbilingual
specialists.IwasattachedtowhatwecalledtheAlliedTranslatorandInterpreter
Service,wecallitATIS,anditwasdirectlywiththeG2sector,G2isthemilitary
intelligence.Andwewereunderthat.Ithinkinourgroupwehadaboutatleast
200maybeeven300JapaneseAmericansthere,anditwasquitebusy.Nowwhat
weweredoing,andIcansaythistoday,theRussianscapturedalltheJapanese
soldiersinManchuriaandChinaattheendofthewar,andcontrarytotheGeneva
Convention,theytookthemalltoSiberiaandusedthemforforcedlabor.Andonly
laterdidtheyreleasethemtoallowthemtocomebacktoJapan,andsomeofthem
nevercamebacktoJapan.Oncetheystartedtoreleasethem,afterthree,four,five
years,comingbacktoJapan,thisiswhatwewantedtodo:weinterrogatedthese
repatriots,wecallthem,Japaneseprisonersofwar,andgatherintelligencefrom
them.Sosoldierscamebackonthereturningship,theywereinterrogatedbysome
ofustofindoutifanyoftheseareworthinterviewing.Andwiththattheywent
home,andwereallowedtobecalledbackatgovernmentexpensetocometoTokyo,
toourplace,office,tobeinterrogated.Thisisstrictlyvoluntary,too,buttheyget
paidandfedandallthatkindofstuff,includingthecigaretteration.Andthisiswhat
weweredoingsecretly—thiswasofcourseallconfidential.Inthosedays,theUS
hadverylittlemilitaryintelligenceaboutSiberiaofwhattheRussiansweredoing.
AndtheJapanesewere100%cooperative,becausetheydidn'tliketheideaofbeing
keptasprisonersofwarwiththosenumberofyears—freelaborandwhat,that's
contrarytotheGenevaConvention—you’renotsupposedtodothat.So,theywere
reallysayingalltheinformationtheyknew.TheinterestingthingisthattheSoviet
forces,theeducationallevel,atleastontheSiberiansidewasverylow.Theirskills
andeverythingissuchthattheycan’tdrivethevehicles,theycanfixtheircar,can’t
fixtheirweapons,allthat,well,theyhadtheJapanesePOWsdoitforthem,theyhad
theJapanesePOWdrivingthecompanycommanderaroundonacar,becausethe
Russiansdidn'thaveadriverthatwoulddothat.SotheJapaneseservedinan
extremelyimportantaspectofthat,sotheysawplaces,sawthelevelofintelligence.
Someofthemwereactuallyhiredtodosometechnicalwork,whichwefoundout
quiteafewthingsthroughthisinformation.Itwasveryinteresting.This,Iforgot
theexactdateofwhenitwas,butthroughtheirtestimony,wefoundoutthe
Russianshadanatomicbomb.It’snotthroughthesourcesfromthetestedfromthe
Earthsomewhere.WegotthatinformationthroughourinterrogationofJapanese
prisonersofwar.Welearnedabouttheirsecrethigh‐speedtelecommunication
servicesandtheircodethattheyusedbetweenSiberiaandMoscow.Sothoseare
someoftheveryinterestingtopicsthatwelearnedabout.Soitwasveryvaluable
information.
NowinKorea,that’sadifferentthing.WhentheKoreanWarstarted,thiswaswhat
wecalled,strategicinformation—weactuallyneededinformationonthefront,and
weneededtoknowdirectly.Wepersonallydidnotgointothecombatground,but
wejustinterrogatedPOW’swecaptured.NowtheKoreansspokeJapaneseif
they’reolderthan15Iwouldsay,theyallspokefluentJapanesebecausetheywere
underJapaneseoccupationallthoseyears.Now,eventhoughtheseNorthKoreans,
weresomewhatopposedtotheUSpolicyandallthat,somehoworanother,wewere
abletointerrogateorfindoutandgetspecificinformationofhowmanypeople
werethere,whatkindofkindoflevelofdiscipline,whatkindofweaponsthey
carried,andallthatkindofstuff.Soitwasvery,day‐to‐dayinformationofwhat’s
goingoninthewarfront.UntiltheChinesetookuptheirside,andjoined,and
startedpushingdownthere.Thenthepopulationchanged.NowwegotChinese
prisonersofwar,whichwedidn’thaveanyChineseAmericanswhocandothe
interrogation.Sountilwegotsome,afewmonthslater,areallyfunnything
happened.Weusedthetrustedpeople,theSouthKoreanPOWs,youknowwehad
trusteesatthattime,thatcanspeakChinese,soweusedthemasourinterpreter,so
theywillaskthequestioninChinese,hewilltalktomeinJapanese,andIwillwrite
thereportinEnglish.Anditworkedout.Themajorattitudedifference—because
theNorthKoreanswereverystubborn.TheChinesesoldiers,eventhoughtheyare
supposedtobevolunteers,wasatotallydifferent–it'sadifferencebetweenacrude
bumpkinandacitygentlemen.Itsthatdifferentintermsofqualityandtrainingor
whatever.AndtheChinesePOWswereextremelycooperative,theydidnotobject
tosaying—ofcoursetheyprobablydidn'tsayeverythingthatwastrue,butwehad
nofuss.TheNorthKoreanswantedtoindoctrinateus,whowereaskingthe
questions.TheChinesePOWsdidnoneofthat.Theywerejustspecialforcesthat
werehelpingthewareffort—theyjusthappenedtobeoppositefromus.So,wehad
averygoodrelationship—itwaskindoffun.Sothat’stheexperience.
AR:Canyoutellus,justsowecanrightitdowninthearchive,whatyeardidyoudo
allthis?
DW:Thiswasfrom1951,52,53,thenweweredishedout,IcamebacktotheStates.
ThiswaswhentheKoreanWarstarted,in1951Ibelieve,duringthesummer
monthsorsomething.Byfall,wewereaskedtospendtemporarydutyinKoreato
interrogatethePOWs.Itwasanurgentthing.
AR:UponyourreturntotheUnitedStates,didyoufaceanysortofdiscrimination
forbeingJapanese?
DW:No,no.
AR:Noneatall?
DW:No.Idon’trecallany…atthattime,eventhoughIheardfromallthepeople
whowerehere,youknow,abouttheconcentrationcamps.Iheardfrommyrelative
thattheyallwenttocamp.Well,Idon’thavethatexperience,Idon’tknow.Butthe
thingis,theydidn’twanttotalkaboutit.Ithinkitwasembarrassingorwhat—they
justwantedtoforgetit.So,Ilearnedverylittlefrommyrelatives,theyjustdidn't
tellme.Andontheotherhand—Isuspectedthatwemightfindsome…butno,
surprisingly,no.Atleastthatwasanearningexperience.Sothatwasakindof
surprise,Ithoughttheymight…Ithinkit’sonlyalocalthing.Thediscrimination
threatandsoforthofJapaneseorJapaneseAmericanstoconcentrationcamps,is
becauseofshearnumber—that'swhatcausedthescare.Theydiditinthewest
coast—youknowtheydidn'tsendanyoneinHawaii,youknowthatdon’tyou.Too
many—they’dallbegone!Imean,theeconomywillstop.So,isn’tthatfunny,and
that'sclosertoJapan!Andtheydidn'tdoanythingwiththepeoplethere.Canada
theydidalittlebit.ButinCanadatheydidn'tsendthemtocamp,theyjustsortof
restrictedtheirmovementintheirtown.AndevenTexas,onlytheheadof
householdweresenttocamp.Thefamiliesknow.Itsquiteadifferentintermsof
treatment.Texashadaboutfourtofivecamps.Oneortwo,Iguess.Theyalso
includeGermans,Italians,whichyouwouldexpect,youprobablywouldhaveenemy
aliens.ButtheJapaneseareveryfew,andeventhen,mostofthemarereleased
beforetheendofthewar.
CC:WhataboutinTokyo,didyoueverfacediscriminationduringthewarbecause
youcamefromtheUS?
DW:Yes,wedid.Yes,they,Ithinkourneighborswere…notthatfreelyopen‐
minded.Ithinkifanything,ourparents,musthavefeltthat.I’msuremyfatherwas
probablywatchedverycloselybecausehistimespendingintheUSandallthat.For
uskids,no,notreally.Surprisingly,aslongasIdidn'tuseEnglish,youcouldn'ttell.
No,fortunately,andafterthewarofcourse,thingschangedaround—now,wehada
sortofadvantage,so.Itwaskindoffunnytimeperiodtogothroughthat.
CC:Wastherealotofanti‐Americanpropagandaatthattime?
DW:Ohyea,youbet.Youknow,the“Whitedevils”,anythingyoucanthinkof.The
thingistheydidthat,andeverycountryprobablydidthat,andwhenyoureallysee
it,wecanseethepeople,it’stotallydifferent.TheRussianstoldtheJapanesePOWs
thattheAmericansandEnglisharebarbaric.They’rerapingyourwives,your
mothers,andyourdaughters.They’rerobbingthings,andgettingdrunk.Sotellthat
itsnotworthgoingbacktoJapan.Andit'sabunchofliesallalong.Now,whenthey
camebacktoJapan,itwastotallytheotherwayaround.Everythingispeaceful,
orderly,there’slawsobeyed.Well,thereweresomeAmericansthatmighthave
gonewild,butyouknow,theyweren’trapingwomenoranykindofstuff.Sothey
didalotofpropagandainthatway.It’saveryinterestingthingtoobserveinJapan:
withinayear,theUSarmedforceshadsetupcampsinthecountrytostationits
troops.Normallyineachcampyouhaveyourownguards—youhaveyourown
soldiertodoit.WewerehiringJapanesepolicetodoit.Imean,hewasyourenemy
justyesterday,he’snowguardingyourgate!Andit'samazing.Andtherewasnota
singledisruption,demonstration—anything.Wejustwentsosmoothly,thatitwas
unbelievable.Thesestoriesarenotthatwellknown,butthesearejustamazing.
AR:WastherereactionatalltothebombingsinNagasakiandHiroshima?
DW:That,see,notasyouthinkitwasatthattime,becausetheydidn'tknowwhatit
was.Itsonlyafewyearslaterthattheysawtheextentofhowhorribleitwas.When
theydroppedthatbomb,theyjustsaid,anewtypeofbomb,wasbombed,andcause
severedamage.That'sit.Nototals,nonothing.Ofcourseyoudon'tgiveawaythat
sortofdamagelikethat.ButIwasalreadyveryinterestedinscience,Iknew.I
alreadyknewthatthereissuchthingasapossibleatomicbomb,andIsurprise
myselftoo,thinking,“Geethatmustbetheatomicbombthattheyused.Ifitwas,it’s
reallyserious.”So,butpeopledidn'trealizeituntillater,andthestories,
documentation,movies,abouthowmanydied,andsavedtime,andthesubsequent
causeofcanceranddiseasesasaresult,lateron.Sothattookseveralyears.
CC:WastherefearduringthewarofAmericanbombingsallthetime?
DW:Yeah,sure.Itwasasaturatedbombing.Although,dependingonwhereyou
were…certainplaceswerefairlyexcluded.Like,there’sasection,partoftheTokyo
downtownarea,thatlateronitwasafirstclassofficecomplexarea,neartheTokyo
centralrailroadstation,rightinfrontoftheimperialpalace.Thosewerepurposely
notevenscratched.Itwasthattypeofprecisionbombing.
(00:39:46)
Becausetheyhadtheideathatifwe’regoingtooccupythat,we’regoingtousethose
buildings.Thiswasallplanned.Itswhathappened,andyea,theydidthat.Ilivedin
thesuburbsofTachigawa,andtheTachigawaareaisequaltofromheretomaybe
Galveston—prettyclose.Andthere’sanarmyairfield—thatwasbombed.Butthe
housesarounditwasn'ttouched.AndeventhoughTokyoburned,theTachigawa
cityareawashardlytouched,andhospitalswerenottouched.No,itwaspretty
accuratetargetdestruction.Otherwise,itwaskindofdifficult,certainareasdid
burndown.Thehousesbeingmadeofpaperwood,wouldsimplyburnsoquick,you
couldn'tstopitbytheblockoranything.Itwouldjustkeeponburning.Soalotof
neighborhoodsjustflattenedout.
AR:Thisisabitofatransition,butwhatwasHoustonlikewhenyoumovedhere?
DW:Youknow,IthoughtIlikeditbecause,afterlivingintheNewYorkarea,which
isverymetropolitan,oneofthethingsIlikedisthatitwasveryinternational.The
sceneryhere,thevariationofthenationalities,availabletypeofculture,stores,and
ofcoursethedistancefromtheseashoreandallthat.TheonlythingthatIdidn't
expectwastheheat.I’veneverlivedwithsuchhotheat.DesMoines,Iowawas
prettyhotinthesummer,butatapointitwasdeadlycoldoutthere.Syracusewas
deadlycold.Otherthanthat,no,Ireallylikethecity.Also,onethingIgotoknow
was,amongallthemajorcitiesI’velived,IfoundHoustontobemoreaccessibleto
peoplewhoyoucan,ifyoureallywant,ifyoumakeaneffort…Ilivedinmanyplaces,
andbecauseofwhatIdid,maybe,orIwasinvolvedintheleadershipintheAsian
community,Igottoknoweverysinglemayorsince1981—everyone.Igettomeet
allthechancellorsandpresidentsofalltheuniversities.Let’ssee,Ialwaysknew
severalcitycouncilmen,andalsogettoknowsomeoftheleadershipintheAsian
community.AndbeforethatIdidn'tknowotherethnicgroups.Butyouknow
Chinese,whetheritsMainlandorTaiwan,theFilipinos,SoutheastAsian,Vietnamese
andallthat,I’veneverhadthatmuchaccesstopeoplelikethat.So,Houstonhasa
sizeableJapanesetrademissionhere,businesscorporations,Isortofgettoknowall
ofthosepeople.Ireallyenjoythatprivilege,itsveryunique.Andoverall,youcan
golfyear‐round,andshoppingisverygood.Livingexpensesisalotlessthanmost
majorcitiesofthissize.
AR:Wheredidyoufirstlive?
(00:44:35)
WatanabePart2
Transcribedby:KatarinaSlobodova
(00:44:35)
Note:Wordspreceding(?)maynotbeaccurateduetoissueswithaudibility.
AR:Wheredidyoufirstlive,whenyoumovedtoHouston?
DW:Well,whenIcamebacktotheU.S.IlivedinPhiladelphiawithmyunclebriefly
andthat’sabigcity.AndIlikedit.It’sold‐fashioned.ThenIlived–IwenttoPenn
Statesothat’snowhere.[laughter]Youknowit'swayoutthere,likeTexasA&M,it’s
reallyhiddenoutinthemiddleofnowhere.It’sacollegecampus–town,sothat’s
good.ThenIlived...let’ssee,cameback,ohfromthere,IwenttoBerkleytogettogo
tograduateschool.Okay.SanFranciscobayareaisgreat.Imean,youknow,just
livingthere,evenforagraduatestudentit’safabulousthing.AndIwastaking‐lived
overthere.Right.ThenIgotmarriedandthencamebackandthenmyfirstjobwas
inAlbany,NewYork,whereStuning(?)DrugCompanywasthere.AndIhadan
importantjobthere.ButeventhoughAlbanyisthecapitalofNewYorkstate,ithad
nothing.Reallynothing.ThenIdecidedtogobacktograduateschooltoSyracusefor
thegraduatework.Syracuseisasomewhatsmalltown.Didn’thavemuch.Soit–I
don’tthinktherewereevenahundredfamiliesthere.Therecertainlyisno–
SyracuseprobablyhadtwoChineserestaurants.Ithinkthat’sabouttheonlything
theyhad,inthosedays.ThenIgotmyfirstjobasa–didmyPhDatDesMoines,Iowa
atamedicalschoolthere.Well,Idon’tknowifyou’veeverbeentoDesMoines,Iowa.
Don’tknowifyou’veeverbeentoDesMoines,Iowa.It’speaceful,veryrichtownon
afarmbelt.AndeventhoughtheKorean–ImeanVietnamWarwasgoingon,
everywheretheyweredemonstratingandallthatkindofstuff.NothinginDes
Moines.Youknow,didn’tevenhearanydisturbance.Inthosedaysitswhereyou
can‐youdon’thavetolockyourdoorsanywhere.Youcanleavethingsinyourcar
andunlockedandnothingwillbestolen.Itisatotallydifferent,peacefulcommunity.
ThebiggestexcitementwastheCircuscameintotown.[laughter]Thisistrue.
Believeme.Iwasshocked.That’sthebiggestthingforthem.SoIgotoutinahurry,
[laughter]andtwoyearslaterIwentbacktothesuburbsofNewYorkCityandlived
inHartsdale,NewYork,whichthenwasnice.ImeanIlovedtheaccesstoNewYork
city,andallthat.ThenI–youknowIwasaprofessoratNewYorkMedicalCollege
there,doingfulltimeresearch.Until,asIsaid,mybossdecidedtomovehisresearch
granttoHouston,whichwashishometown.But,asIsaid,Houston–Iwaskindof
reluctantbecauseitisafterallasouthernstate,andit’sgonnabedifferent.I’ve
neverbeenintheSouth.Butsurprisinglyitworkedoutnicely.So…andIsaidthat
theinternationalpart,itwasreallygood.
CC:YousaidthatHoustonhadmoreinternationalscenerythanNewYork.Canyou
explainmoreofthat?Thepeopleor…?
DW:AhwellofcourseNewYorkhasit.[inaudiblecityname]hasit.LosAngeleshas
it.Iwouldsaythere–Ithoughitwasabitliaisonbetweenthem.They’renot
entirelyseparate.It’snotaghetto.Theenclavesarelikethat.Yousee.ImeanNew
YorkhasthisJewishenclave,Italian,Hispanic,PuertoRican…it’snotthatstrong.
Althoughrightnow,sincethen,isalittletendencyforthat,but…Ithinkbecauseof
thatit’sagoodthing.
AR:InwhatareaofHoustondidyouliveinfirst?
DW:IcameheretoinspecttheareaandondaythreeIputdownadownpaymentto
buyahouseonAleaf(?).
AR:Oh,okay.
DW:Yeah,andI’velivedthereeversince.
AR:Iwasactuallytheretheotherday.SocanyouexplainwhatyoudoatBaylor
CollegeofMedicinenow?
DW:Ahno.Ilivedthereaboutseven,eightyearsago.Welostourgrants,soImoved
toSpandon(?).ButIalwaystaughtatHoustonCommunityCollegesoI’vebeenpart‐
timeatHoustonCommunityCollegesince1981,andI’mstillteaching.
AR:Sowhatdoyouteachthere?
DW:Microbiology.SoI’moneofthelongestpart‐timersthere.YeahandIstillwill
continuetodoit,sinceIenjoydoingit.
AR:AndwhatdidyoudoatBaylorCollegeofMedicine?
DW:Ididcancerresearchusingvirusesasamodel.ThatwasmyPhDthesis.
AR:HaveyounoticedhowHoustonhaschangedsinceyoucameinthe80suntil
now?
DW:Let’ssee,inwhatwaycanIdescribethat?Um,otherthanit’sgettingalittlebit
morecrowded…Ithinkinthe80sitstillhadtheimageofacowtown.Imean,you
know,youreallyexpectcowboystobewalkingaroundthestreetsandallthatkind
ofstuff.Thatimagehascertainlychanged.Therearealotoftransplantscoming
fromtheWestCoastorNewYorkorsomeotherplacearecomingin.Evensomeof
theJapanese‐Americanswhooptedtocomeoverheretoworkwiththeoil
companies.Youknow,there’squiteafewnewbusinessescomingin,becausethe
payisgood.Ithinkthe–themake‐uphaschanged.Bytheway,theJapanese‐
Americanshereopenedup,asyouseeinthisbook–theywerefarmers,andstarting
ricefarmingandallthatkindofstuff.Wellthereareafewstilldoingthat,butthat’s
notwhattheydoanymore.They’repractically–manyofthemareprofessionals.
They’reinbusiness.Integratedquiteaways,bothmenandwomen.So,otherthan
whatchanges,Idon’tknow.Ithinkit’sgettingalittlebitmoresophisticated,soto
speak.Ithinkculture‐wise,educationlevel‐wise,it’scome–it’sadvancedquitealot.
Itdoesn’thavethatcowtownimage.It’s–thequietpartisnice,tohavethatasa
historyortradition.Butyoudon’tneedthat.Andofcourse–theinterestingthing
here,oneishavingNASAheretoattractthehighestdensityofcomputer,electrical,
spaceengineersthananyotherplaceintheU.S..That’sallthatwe’re–maybegonna
startmissingthat.Andthemedicalcenterisoneoftheworld’stopandthatattracts
alotofpeople,includingalotofbusiness,scientists,andpatients.Imean,Idoalot
ofinterpretiveworkfortheJapanesepatientswhocomeinhereandit’sindeeda
placetocometo.Andit’snottoomuchmentionanymorebut…withoutmuch
publicity,headsofstateormanyimportantpeoplefromSouthAmericaandother
placescomeheretogettreatmenthere:forsurgery,forcancertreatment,allthose
kindsofthings.Soyoucan’tbeatthat.Youjustcan’t.There’snootherplace.Even
thoughNewYorkhasit.SomecitieswillhaveaSloan‐KetteringInstitute.Other
typesofextensivecarebutwehavethetop,Ithink.Sothat’saverygoodone.I’m
gladIgotmytreatmentatoneofthem.YouknowIhadabypasssurgeryaboutten
yearsago,so…whatelsedoyouwannaask?
AR:SohowoftenwouldyougobackandforthtoJapan?
DW:I’llbeluckythatIcangobackeverythreeorfouryearsmaybe.BeforethatI
usedtogobackonceeveryoneortwoyears.Mywifegoesbackeveryyear.Andit’s‐
rightnowIhadalotofconflict,becauseIteachyear‘round,soIhaven’thada
chancetospend–ifIgothereIwanttospendtwo,threeweeks,maybemoreto
makeitworthwhile.Butyouknow,thatI’dliketodo.
AR:Wouldyoutakeyourchildrenback,whenyouusedtogo?
DW:Well,they’reallgrownyuprightnow.They’reallmarried,so…
AR:Butwhentheywerechildren…
DW:Yeah,butIwouldsuggest–theynever,wellwetookthemtherewhenthey
weresix,seven,eight,whentheywerequiteyoungstillinelementaryschool.But
sincethenthey’venevergonebackthere.ButIthinktheyoughttodoso.
AR:DidyouteachyourchildrenJapanese?
DW:I–wetriedbut–andweevenhadatutoratsometime,buttheydidn’tlikeit,so
westopped.[laughter]Theydidn’tdoit.Nowtheyaccuseusnotenforcingthat.
Theytellus“whydidn’tyouforceustodoit?”Youknow,becausebeingbilingual
reallyisanadvantage.Reallyis.Believeme.So…anyotherthingsabouttheTexans
oranything?
AR:Couldyouexplainyour–youwerepartofthe–youwerepresidentofthe
Japanese‐AmericanSocietyofHouston,right?
DW:Yeah,Iwasthepresidenttwice.Yeah.
AR:Couldyouexplainwhattheorganizationdoes?
DW:Itisaorganizationtopromotetheexchangeofideasandcultural–alearning,
businesscontactbetweenthetwocountries.Andit’sa–it’sworkedoutverywell.
ManyofthemareexpatriatesfromJapanwhohaveexperience,sotheywantto
remainwiththepeople‐keepintouchwiththeJapanese.Manyofthemwanttodo
businesswithJapan.OrtheywanttogotoJapaninthefuture.Thereforewe
promotealotofscholarshipsandexchangestudents,sowedothat.Ithinkthat’sthe
attraction.Sothat’swhattheydo.Economy‐wise,Japanusedtobeaveryimportant
one,althoughit’schangingtoChinanow.Atonetime,Houstonwasextremely
concernedaboutthedepressedstatusofthecity.Themayorspromotedthetrade
withJapan,soitwasagoodideatohaveanassociationwiththeJapan‐American
Societywithpromotesthis.Andit’sactuallyworkedquitewell.I’vegonethereafew
timesonbehalfofthecity.Youknow,Chibacityisasistercitytous,whichisright
nextdoortoTokyo,andI’vebeenthereseveraltimes.Oncewiththemayor:Mayor
Brownatthattime.Soit’sbeen–it’saverygoodinteractionthere.Nownotasmuch,
butthereisalotofthingstolearnortoexchange,actually.AndIthink–Idon’tknow
howstrongtheinterrelationshipisbetweenthecityofHoustonandanyoneofthe
sistercitiesinEuropeorotherplaces,butIthinkourswithChibaisaverystrong
one.Youknow,inthebeginningofthisyear,themayorofChibawashere,andthey
werepromotinganexchangeofbusinessesandinternationalconventionsandthat
typeofpromotions,theyweredoinghere.Iwasinterpreterforthemayorwhenhe
camehere,soIknowaboutthat.SoIthinkthat’sbeenaverygoodpractice.
[1:00:07]
CC:WhatabouttheJapanesecommunityinHouston?Havetheybeengrowing
recentlyorhowisthesituation?
DW:Ontheotherhand,IthinkthetotalnumberofJapanesecompanieshave
decreasedslightly.Eachcompanyhasalsodecreasedtheirstaffslightly.Sonotas
activeasbeforebutitisstillbeforeaveryimportantonebecauseitisprobablythe
strongestcityintheSouthwithacontingencyofJapanesecompanies.Also,Houston
isthesteppingstonetoSouthAmerica.Allthedispatches,technicalstaff,orpeople
onspecialmissionsgoingtoSouthAmericawillstopatHouston,notFlorida,but
Houston,togosouth.Sotheconsulategen‐hereisaveryimportantone.The
[inaudible1word]isalsoaveryimportantonetoplayasastoppingpointtocheck
withbeforedoingthat.Nowitmightnotbeasactive.I’mnotsosure.Butit’sstill
amongtheareaswithJapanesecorporations–Ithinkit’sstillgoingverystrong.If
anything,theytendtohiremaybemorenon‐Japanesefortheirstaff.It’skindof
interestingtobeassociatedwith,astowhatthey’redoing.Idon’tknowifthenow
theconsulatesareactinglike–I’veknowalltheconsulategenerals,everyoneof
them,forthepastthirtyyears,andit’snicetohaveassociatedwiththem,besides
beinginvitedtoverynicereceptions.Anythingelse?
CC:Whataresomeofyourhobbiesthatyoudoinyourfreetime?
DW:Ipersonally–mineiscommunityserviceIthink.Iliketodothat.Andthisis
whyIvolunteerforalotofthings,I’vevolunteeredwiththoseorganizations.I
volunteerwiththeAsianAmericanFestivalAssociation.Asamatteroffact,Iwasthe
firstpresidentofthat,whenitstartedtwentyyearsago.Ithinkit’sdyingoutright
now.GlendaJoisgraduallyrelinquishingthat.Idon’tknowwhyit’scomingapart.
APAHAisprobablydoingalittlebitmoreonthat,butIknowwhat’they'vebeen
doingso–otherthanthat,Iliketojustkeeptrackofwhat’sgoingoninthe
community.Ohbytheway,I’malsotheJapaneseeditorofthisnewspaper.[paper
rustling]It’samonthlynewspaper.Youcankeepthecopy.
CCandAR:Ohthankyou.
DW:SomeofitisinEnglishrightnowsoyoucanreadit.It’ssupposedtohavebeen
allinJapanese,butnowweusealotofEnglishinittoaccommodateJapanese‐
Americanswhocan’treadJapanese.
AR:Socouldyoutalkalittlebitmoreaboutthisnewspaper?
DW:It’sbeengoingonforabouttwentyyears,anditwasaJapanesecommunity
newspaper,thatonlyhadJapaneseinit,anditwastheonlynews‐sourceforpeople
whoweren’ttoogoodinEnglish.Sothat’sthewayitstarted.Now,theeditorpassed
awaysuddenlyaboutoneandahalfyearsago,andhiswifetookoverwho’s
American.Shedoesn’tknowanyJapanese,[laughter]soIvolunteeredtodothe
Japaneseeditingforher.Wehaveafewreporterstocoverthat.Basically,we’dlike
tohaveitbothinEnglishandJapanese,butthat’skindofdifficulttoaccommodate,
sosomearticlesarestrictly,onlyinEnglish,someofthemareonlyinJapanese.
CC:Areyouaregularwriter?
DW:Yes,yes.Iatleastwriteonearticleinthe–Idon’tknowifIcanshow
you…[paperrustling]Idon’tknowif–Imaynothavehadanythinginthisone.
CC:Ithinkyouwrotethisoneontheback.
DW:Huh?
CC:Youwrotethisone.
DW:Doesitsayso?
CC:[laughter]Yes.
DW:Okay,yeah.OccasionallyIdowrite.SomeofitiswrittenbytheAmerican,the
lady,andNorma[inaudiblelastname]ishername.[paperrustling]Yeah,noneof
this–Iactuallycontributedoneortwoarticlesinit,butotherthanthat,Idothe
editing,toproof‐read,tomakesurethatitisarrangedproperly,andallthat.Ialso
helpoutsomeoftheadvertisements,toproof‐readallthat.Hereisthedeputy
consulategeneralrightnow,andlet’ssee…Anyway,it’svolunteerwork.Idon’tgeta
pennyoutofit.Butit’skindanice.AndtheJapan‐AmericanSocietyconductsvarious
programsorwhatever,anyorganizationthathasaprogram,wewillpublishittolet
peopleknow,becausealotofitisnotcoveredinthelocalnewspaperoranyother
means.
CC:Whereisthisnewspaperusuallydistributed?
DW:InallJapaneserestaurants,andseveralalongBellaireandChinatown.Actually
thereisalistofwheretheydistributeitinhere.Ithinkthatsomeof
them…[inaudible‐paperrustling].Thereareabouttwentyorso.Yeah.Hereissome
righthere,listed.Allofthose.It’susuallythere,andallofthese.Itcomesoutaround
themiddleofthemonth,soyoumightbeabletoseeitthere.Wealsohavea
homepagethatwecanputiton–onaday’snoticewecangetanewarticleinit.We
maychangetothatwithoutahardcopyform.
AR:Sohowisthisfundedsinceit’s–itisfree?
DW:Yeah,yeah.It’sfree.
CC:Byadvertisements.
AR:Ohbyadvertisements,isit?
DW:Idon’tknow–Ihavenoconnectionwiththefinancingortheadvertisingpartof
it.That’sNorma’s–thepublisher’sduty.Soit’salmostlikethat’sherincome,soto
speak.Idon’tknowifwecancontinuetopublishitornot.Sothat’sonethingthat
wedo.Nowothernewslettersthatdocomeouttotelleverybodywhat’sgoingonis
theJapaneseAssociationofGreaterHouston.ThisistheJapanese‐speaking
members.TheywanttomaintainaJapaneselanguageorganization,because,you
know,asEnglish,it’salittleburdenforthem,sothat’stheonlyreason.Thenthe
JapaneseBusinessAssociation,whichislikeaChamberofCommerceofallthe
businesses.ThereisalsoaJapaneseTeacher’sAssociation,becausethereareabout
fiftyorsoteachersdoingfull‐timeJapaneseteachinginTexas,andabouttwentyor
thirtyofthemareinHouston.Andlet’ssee…onemoreorganization.Oh!JCL.You
knowaboutJCL.Japanese‐AmericanCitizensLeague.That’sanationalcivilrights
group.AndtheHoustonchapter–Iwasthepresidentofthattwice‐thosearefor
Japanese‐Americans.NowasJapanese‐Americans,wehaveabouteightyfamilies,
members,butthereareaboutthreetimesthatnumberthatarepermanentresidents
ofthisarea.Theysay“WedonotjudgeJCL.”Andit’soneofthefew.Thecivilrights
issuehaslostsomeofitsattraction.AndIthinkmaybebecauseofthatitisnotas
attractivetojoin.Ithinkthat’soneofthereasons.Thelastprojectthatwehadistry
tochangethenameofastreetinBeaumontcalledJapLane.
AR:Oh,Iheardaboutthat.
DW:Yeah,andsothatwasourlastcivilrightsissue,sotheychangedthatafter–we
spenttenyearstryingtochangethat.AndonewasJapRoad,insteadofJapLane,and
therewasanotheronesomewhereinTexasthattheyalsocoincidentallychanged
becauseofthis,soIwasinvolvedinhelpingthecampaignonthat.Thenotherthan
that,wedon’thaveanyspecialissue.Thenation‐wideJCLrightnowisdoingtwo
things:tohonorthefourforty‐secondregimentalcombatthing,theoldJapanese‐
AmericansoldiersthatfoughtinEurope.Youknowabouttheirstory?
AR:No.
DW:It’safourhundredforty‐secondregimentalcombatteammadeupofalmostall
Japanese‐AmericansduringWorldWarII.They,intheItalianfront,whenthe
twenty‐fourthnational‐guarddivisionfromTexaswassurroundedbytheGermans,
theywentintorescuethem.Andthatmadethemallintoheroes,andit’sbeen
remembered.Sorightnowthey’retryingtohonorthosesoldierswhoarestill
surviving.Mostofthemareintheirninetiesrightnow.They’regettingold.Sothose
arethekindofthingsthattheydid.Otherthanthat–oh!In2003,wecommemorated
theone‐hundredthyearofJapaneseimmigrationintoTexas.Doyouknowthat?I
don’tknowifyouknowthat.Youcanfindsomeofitontheinternet.[papers
rustling]Idon’tknowifIbroughtthat.Here.Yeah,IthinkIdid.[diggingthrough
things]Yeah,2004.Thisisfromtheinternet.Andthere’saFairviewCemeteryin
Webster,andwherethepioneersettlersintheHoustonareaareburied,andforthe
firsttimeever,peopleinthosefamilieswerehonoredandIliketobragaboutthe
factthatIorganizedthat.Wehad–wellIdon’tknowifyou’veseenthefirstpicture
witheverybodyinthere?
CCandAR:Mhmm.
DW:That’sjustpartofthem.Imean,thatmanypeoplecamefromalloverTexas,
evenfromCaliforniatojointhatparticularone.That’sthefirsttimetheyeverdid
anything.Andit’sinhonoroftheSaibarafamily,whichisoneofthefamiliesthatis
listedthere.Theyallgettheirnameinthere.Youcankeepthatcopy.
CC:Thankyou.
DW:Andthe–alsothefamiliesthatmeteachother,theyreallylikedit.Anditshows,
well,youknow,therearealotofotherfamiliesthatcamehere,thathaveatradition,
anddescendentsarestilllivingheresuccessfully,inTexas.Soit’s–you’llhaveto
takealookatit.
CC:Hereyouare[handsphotostoAR]
[laughter]
DW:Yeah,IwasMCforthat,anditwasverysuccessful,I’mgladtosay.Thereare
someothertypesofthingsinhere[inaudible3words]andsomehighway.[paper
rustling]ThisisalsoabouttheFairviewCemeteryIwastalkingabout.It’sasmall
cemeterywithtombstones,aboutforty,fiftyJapanesethatareallpioneerfamilies,
andifyouhaveachancetotakealookatit–Idon’tknowifthere’ssomething
similartothat–theremustbesomethingsimilartothatintheChinesegroupsor
somewhere,right?Isn’tthere?
CC:Uh,maybe.Maybe.
DW:That’ssomethingtoo.Andoddlyenough,atonesmall[inaudible3or4words],
theveryfirstpersonwhoinvitedtheimmigrationintotheHoustonarea,Saibara
[paperrustling]–thisishispicture‐
CC:Oh,wow.
DW:Anduh,hewasamemberofthelowerhouse.Hewasthepresidentchancellor
ofaleadingChristianUniversity.HecametotheU.S.,wasintroducedtoHouston,to
Texas,tostartricegrowing.Heformedacolony.Andeventuallyseveralhundred
peoplecameinhere.ThatactuallybroughtintheJapanese.That’s–thedescendent
arerightthere.Andthisiswherericefarmingstarted,andsohestartedallofthis.
Sohe’squiteaninterestingstory.[movingbooks]Andactuallythisbookhasall
kindsofstoriesaboutthat,alotofdetail.Hewroteadiary,whichisJapanese,but
oneofyourgraduatestudentswroteathesis–translatedandwroteathesison–and
didastudy[inaudible1or2words]anditshouldbeinthefilesinthePhDrecords
hereatRice.IthinkDr.Bardamine(?)mayknowwhoitwas.Sothat’sstillonrecord.
Theremightbeothertypesofrecords,documentsthatareavailable,tellingthe
history.AlsothereisachurchinWebstercalledtheWebsterPresbyterianChurch–
iswhich,waspracticallyfoundedbyaJapanese‐American,whosupportedthe
churchsoitgotgoingandstillcontinuestoday.Theyhadalittlebitofanarchiveand
storiesaboutthat.IftheChaoCenterhastime,that’ssomethingtolookinto.They
alsohaveabook.I’mnotsosurewhathappenedtoit,butIstillhaveacopyofthat.
ItshowsanearlyhistoryoftheJapaneseChristiansthatarrivedhereintheWebster
area,sothat’ssomethingtolookinto.Sothere’sseveralthingsthattheChaoCenter
canreallydo,ifyoureallywannacollectthearchivesofthesetypesofthings.And
beforeIforget,thisisabookthatIborrowed.It’scalledtheJapanese‐American
Hundred‐YearHistoryintheUnitedStatesanditwaspublished–whatdidIsaya
whileago?‐19…
AR:sixties,right?
[paperrustling]
DW:Yeah.Nineteensomething.AnditgivesalltheJapanese–thefirstgeneration.
Theylistthefamiliesthereare.Andletmesee…[pageturning]thisiswhere
Kennedywasstillalive,so–Icanlookatthedateonthisagain.[paperrustling]
Anyway,there’sasectionforallthestatesinhere,includingonesectionforTexas.
I’msurethiseditionisoutofprint.Idon’tthink‐1961,itwaspublished.Sothisis
quiteanoldone.AndhereisasectionontheJapanese.Unfortunatelythisisallin
Japanese.ThisispublishedbyaJapanesenewspapercompanythathadanofficein
LosAngeles.Araiisawell‐knownname.[readingJapanesenames]–hereisTexas
here.Thisis[inaudible1word]historyso–itactuallytellsyouthehistoryinthe
nineteen‐hundredsofthewhoarrivedandwhattheydid,thenumber,the
population,eachfamilyhistory,aroundHouston,suburbs.It’squite–Iknowsomeof
thesenames.Iusedtoknowthisfamily:KatsuroKobayashi.Kobayashi’sfamilyis
stillhere.Kobayashiisstillhere.Iknowseveraldescendents.There’sanotherone,
anothernameinthe[inaudible1word]area.Saibara.Saibara–thisistheonethatI
talkedabout.That’sthesameSaibara–he’sthefirstperson,hisfamilyhere.Andit
goestil,well,quiteafew.So–althoughHawaiiorCaliforniahavealargersection,
stillit’s[inaudible1word].Ithinkthisisthefirsteverwrittendocumentationofthe
veryfirstfamilieswhocamehere.SoIdon’tthink–there’snootherdocumentation.
Soonething’sthatmaybesomebodyshouldtranslatethisandhaveanEnglish
version.
[1:20:32]
CC:Wheredidyoufindthisbook?
DW:Afriendofmine–oneofthedescendentsfamiliesloanedmethis.Asamatterof
factitwasownedbythisfamilycalledKawahada.Righthere.Here’sthenameofit,
oneofthegirlshere.AndIhappenedtoknowthem.Theycan’treadJapanese,soI
borrowedit.ButIfoundit–it’sreallyinterestingtohavearecordofallthesepeople.
Andeventhen,thesearealreadyoldpeople,andthat’s19...eighty‐something?
CC:Sixties.
DW:Sotwenty,thirtyyearsago.Sothesearesomethingthatareavailable.Idon’t
know.MaybeIcouldhavethem–eitherdonatethattoyourarchiveorsomething,
eventually.Imeanyououghttoknowthatsomethinglikethisdoesexistandreferto
itashistory.Now,thisguywhodiddothisresearchhereisbackinOklahoma.That’s
whereheoriginallycamefrom.TomWells.So,he’s–Idon’tthinkhe’sfollowingup
onanythingontheJapanesegroupanymoreunfortunately.It’dbekindofniceifhe
couldupdatethisbookbutit’sawell‐writtenbook.Now,who’sthisotherfellow
whowrotetheAsianTexans?I’mtryingtorememberhisname.Doyouknow…?
AR:No,Idon'tremember.
DW:HedidthesamethingforalltheotherAsiangroups,so–andpartofithasa
littlebitabouttheJapanesegroupstoo.I’lltrytofindthatbook.Andsothatshould
besomewhereinyourrecordssomewhere,ifyou’regoingtobuildanarchive.Let’s
see,otherthanthat…anotherbookrightnowis–asIsaid‐thatfourforty‐second
combatteam.They’remakingahistoryandhonoringthemrightnow.They’regonna
make–Ithinkthecountryisgoingtomake,somekindofgoldmedal,orsomething
tohonorthembeforetheypassaway,sometimethisyear.Andthey’regoingtohave
acelebrationinWashingtonD.C.aboutthat,soI’ll–ifsomethingcomesupI’llletyou
knowaboutthat.Uh…butwhatothertypesofthingsdoyouplantodo?
AR:Thisisactuallythelastcycleofinterviewswe’redoing.Thefirstcycle,theywere
Chinese‐Americans.SecondcyclewereIndianandPakistani‐Americans,andthird
cyclewereFilipino‐Americans,andJapanese‐Americansarethelastcycle.
DW:Okay.Alright.DidyoucatchanyKoreansor…?
AR:WehavenotdoneKoreansorVietnamese.
DW:Youhaven’t?
AR:M,mm.
CC:Butwe’llprobablybecontinuingthisprojectnextsummerandafterthat.
AR:Lastsummerwasthefirst.
DW:Okay,yeah.Oh,soit’sbeengoingonforafewyearsnow?
AR:Mm.
DW:Yeah,well,goodluck.And,Ithinkit’sworthwhiledoingthis.Somebodyought
todoit.
CCandAR:Mm.
DW:There’snoquestion.Andit’ssomethingthatyoucanhandle,youknowwhat
I’msaying?IfthisisCaliforniaorsomethinglikethat,it’soverprobably.
AR:Mm.
CC:Right.
DW:There’sjusttoomany.It’sjustovercrowded,buthereit’smanageable.And,
well,soIwishyouluckonthat.Also,areyoucollectingeitherphotos…
AR:Yeah,weare.
DW:orsometypeof…
CC:Weare.
DW:IfIcanfindit,thisone‐hundredyeareventwasfilmed.
CCandAR:Oh.
DW:AndtheJCLgroupcommissionedavideographertofilmit,soIjusthavetofind
thatandIthinkwecandonateacopy.
AR:That’dbeamazing.
CC:Ifyouhaveanypictures…
DW:Yeah,Imeansomethinglikethat’sjustworthhaving,becauseasIsaid,itisa
significanteventtocommemorateourhundredyearsofimmigration.
AR:Yeah,we’dliketothankyouagainfordoingthisinterviewtoday.
DW:Yeah,yeah,yeahsure.
CC:Thankyousomuch.
[1:25:06]