Marrying Bob against family’s wishes

Strict school policy of separating boys and girls in Japan Marrying Bob against family’s wishes Social activities in Tashme Choice to move east or go to Japan Universal appeal of ikebana

Transcripts available in the following languages:

My brother, my, not only the brother, sister, everybody was against marry to Bob, because Bob had four sister, and I'm not the strongest. Always I get sick. How could you look after going to the Kadoguchi family? How could you look after those girls? They're so young still, and the mother's not there. Mother was passed away long time ago, I think. So no, my brother said, No, he's going against. So the story was that end there.

But my brother have to move to camp, and my sister and we would have to move to Greenwood. So he, they want to take me Greenwood, so I talked to Bob. [Laughs] I have to go to Greenwood. Okay, then, Bob said, let my brother, send the brother first and see, and still he was going, you know, my brother said, You're not gonna marry to Bob. You'll, you're gonna die, you're gonna kill yourself. This is what my brother said. [Laughs]

So anyway, Greenwood, my sister, sister-in-law and the sisters going to Greenwood. I said, I'm not going, so my sister said, Why? Because I'm gonna marry to Bob. Well, they can't say anything afterwards. Okay, you stay back there. And afterwards, if a brother heard this, you gonna marry to Bob, he's gonna get mad. He's gonna disown you. [Laughs]

Well, and we had a special permit and sisters, they all went to... I don't know, maybe Hastings Park, they have to stay there, and went to Greenwood. I don't know exactly, but they went. So I by myself, and Bob had a special permit to go to Vancouver, and we married. And that day we walked to the City Hall, we heard on the radio Tokyo was bombed. It was April the 15th, I remember.

Date: February 14, 2005
Location: Toronto, Canada
Interviewer: Peter Wakayama
Contributed by: Sedai, the Japanese Canadian Legacy Project, Japanese Canadian Cultural Center

family marriage

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