(Japanese) There were a lot of elderly Nisei, many of whom were gardeners. I started working as a gardener too, or helping them at first and then set up for myself and I was like, maybe I can continue as a gardener and have a pretty good life here, making my American dream come true. So, I worked hard for a year and a half, nearly two years, but my legal status was not stable, as I had a tourist visa and I had to do something about it. Then I learned that a $10,000 investment would get me a visa. I found real estate worth $10,000, a small restaurant, and bought it with all equipment left inside and I was able to get a green card in about a year and a half. That led me to get my foot in the restaurant industry and for me, things worked out well.
Date: August 4, 2015
Location: California, US
Interviewer: Mitsue Watanabe
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum
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