Daddy

This is my father. This photo was taken about 9 years before he got married, and 10 years before I was born.

My father is the ninth of sixteen children.

Fred posing with lawnmower
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My Dad & Uncle Paul

My father never had his own gardening route until he took over my Uncle Paul’s route when he became unable to work any longer. He worked as a maintenance landscaper for the Metropolitan Water District for many years taking care of their planted areas around their buildings and off-site locations. …

My Dad & Uncle Paul
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me & Uncle Paul

This is my Uncle Paul and I when I was probably about 1 years old. I asked my parents whose house we’re in front of, but they don’t remember. All they know is that it’s likely somewhere in Southern California.

Uncle Paul was the second of the Murakami children. When …

Me and Uncle Paul
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Gardening truck

When my uncle died, he left everything to my father. My dad tried to retire entirely, but he still has one customer who begged him to remain their gardener. So, my dad works once a week. Every Friday, he works at one house. When he goes over, she invites him …

back of my Dad's gardening truck
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Backyard stone lantern

I took this photograph in my parents’ backyard. If you look carefully, you can see some potted plants on the side (aloe plant) and in the back.

The rest of the yard doesn’t actually look like this. Their yard has a bunch of different areas.

Backyard stone lantern
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Garden bottle markers

This is a photograph I took from my Dad’s vegetable garden. They’re glass bottles (I think they’re probably beer bottles) that are upside down in the dirt. My father uses them as markers to divide the sections of the garden.

The garden is a little overgrown right now. I think …

Garden bottle markers
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Garden bottle dividers close up

This reminds of one of the phrases I heard a LOT growing up…“Mottanai”. Finding ways to maximize the use of things. I love this very creative use of what most people would consider trash. It’s the very creative, outside-the-box thinking that I think characterizes a lot of JA gardeners and …

Garden bottle dividers close-up
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Gardening tools

This is a photograph I took of my parent’s backyard vegetable garden. This hoe looks like most of the tools that my parents use—rusted metal with wooden handles. They’re still all very functional though.

My dad’s garden is a little overrun now. You can see assorted plants growing in the …

hoe leaning against fence
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assorted tools in my parents' garage

Some of the gardening tools that my parents use to care for their yard. Included are various rakes, a pair of worn gloves, some clippers, a bulb chart taped with duct tape to the wall, hangers, and the top of a step ladder. There are assorted other things in there …

assorted tools in my parents' garage
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glass bottles of assorted screws & washers

My parents’ garage is carefully crammed full of LOTS of miscellaneous stuff. Most of it is very neatly organized into labeled boxes and containers.

Along the wall on one side is the tool area. There’s a lot of really old and rusty tools that I think may have belonged to …

glass bottles of assorted screws & washers
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Uncles Mike, Roy, and Harry

Three of the Murakami brothers. This photo was taken in front of the Wayside Nursery in Gardena, California, in 1955. Uncle Harry and Uncle Roy were gardeners with their own routes. 

Murakami Brothers
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JACCC Garden

When he was alive, my Uncle Harry helped the JACCC maintain their garden and with their annual plant sales.

James Irvine Garden
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Little Tokyo sakura tree

Uncle Harry also helped take care of the sakura trees on Central Ave. in Little Tokyo when the Southern California Gardeners Federation was responsible for establishing the trees when they were first planted.

Little Tokyo sakura tree
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Omoto brothers

There are gardeners on my mother’s side too. Her four brothers: Tak, Herb, Sam, and Mako Omoto are/were Kibei gardeners with their own routes. One uncle lives in Seattle. The other three had/have routes in the Los Angeles area.

My grandmother had eight children—four boys & four girls. Of the …

Omoto brothers
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