Arriving in Japan 1927 (Scrapbook)

L-R Iku Morio, Riki Yoshitomi (grandma), Shoishi Morio (baby), Tsunetaka Morio, Misa Morio (grandma), Henry Morio, Michi Morio

This is a picture taken when my brother Henry and I arrived in Yokohama, Japan after spending 2 weeks on a rough sea on the ship.  We were both very sick and didn't enjoy it at all.

Our friends, Mrs. Nigorizawa and her grown son Toyojiro was going to Japan so they took us.  Our Uncle Kaoru Morio and his wife Iku and their small son Shoichi from Tokyo was there.

Our grandmother, Riki Yoshitomi was there from Fukushima.  This grandma was in Sesattle for a while and we knew her very well and we were happy to see her but in a few days we had to say "goodbye" to her because she lived in fukushima, she was the only one we knew so it was sad to see her go.

My Uncle Tsunetaka Morio and his mother Misa Morio came from Shizuoka to meet us and that is where we went and lived with them for 7 years.

As you can see, my hair was cut short and the girls in Japan wore their hair in braids, so it took me 1/2 year for my hair to grow and be one of them.  My brother Henry just had to shave his hair to be one of the Japanese boys.

I guess we never thought how it would be going to school in Japan but soon after we started to go to a Kibune gakko which was just a walking distant away.  I was 12 years old and Henry was 10 years old.  Henry was put in 1st grade and I was in 2nd grade and I was so much bigger than the rest and it was very embarrassing when we went out as a group.

As soon as we learned the language, they advanced us and I was able to finish elementary school in 3 years.  In Japan, when one is in the 6th grade and is planning on going to High School, we had to study hard for a year for entrance test.  The test was hard so I don't know show I passed but I did pass and was able to go to girls high school.

by the time I started high school, I was the same size as the others and I didn't show up too much and was one of them.

We had to walk about 25 minutes to go to school but I had a friend and we walked together for 4 years.  her name was Shiokawa-san.

When we have our entrance test and they tell us that at a certain date it would be posted so we go that date and our names who passed are posted and we are so happy when we see our name but when your name is not there, they start crying and it is very sad.