Interviews

1. His family's migration to Salinas, California

2. Father created a partnership to grow and ship vegetables

3. Father's business partner operated their farming business during WWII

4. Father was convinced the constitution would protect him

5. Japanese were not welcomed back to Salinas

6. Felt no hostility in Los Gatos, California after the war

7. Able to settle easily in Los Gatos with foresight and luck

8. Requested assignment in Europe to avoid combat in the Korean War

9. Taking over his father's business after father's accident

10. Mochitsuki tradition

11. Feelings about redress

12. Mr. Hirasaki brought World Fair Japanese pavilion to Gilroy

Tom Yuki

(b. 1935) Sansei businessman.

Felt no hostility in Los Gatos, California after the war

Los Gatos in San Jose was a lot friendlier to the Japanese so we didn’t feel any prejudice at all. We were there after camp in 1944. The war ended in 1945. When the atomic bomb was dropped in 1945, August of 1945, we still remember the fact that after all it was our relatives, my grandfather’s family who were in Hiroshima. And so we had great concern over what happened to them. Of course, here was no news from Japan at that time. We were very concerned about…my grandmother definitely was.

In 1945 when the war ended, my grandmother and I were in downtown San Jose shopping. When the war ended all the confetti dropped from the ceiling and I remember the day when the war was over. I didn’t know what was going on, my grandmother did, so immediately we came home not knowing what’s going to happen to us. So I do remember the day that the war ended. Our friends were very sympathetic, there was no hostility. The people of San Jose and Los Gatos were very kind to us, so we were very lucky.

atomic bomb California Hiroshima (city) Hiroshima Prefecture Japan Los Gatos postwar racism United States World War II

Date: March 22, 2018

Location: California, US

Interviewer: John Esaki

Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum

Interviewee Bio

Tom Yuki was born on June 29, 1935, in Salinas, California. His father belonged to a farming partnership before World War II and was able to continue the business while incarcerated at Poston, Arizona, with the help of his business partner via telephone and telegram. After returning from Poston, the family moved to Los Gatos, California, and continued with their business. Tom went to the University of Santa Clara and joined the military, assigned to France as a Quartermaster officer. He was working as a contract administrator in a corporation when his father died, leaving Tom to take over the business as managing partner of Yuki Farms. Tom has served as board member to many organizations including his current role for the Japanese American National Museum. (December 2018)

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Felt no hostility in Los Gatos, California after the war

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