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I was remembered by Mrs. Yae Wada as a little boy always wearing a hankie around his neck; I would regularly stop to see her and say hello enroute to school. In 2018, Mrs. Wada saw a blue & white kerchief at a Levi store in San Francisco; the kerchief reminded her of that little boy with a constantly runny nose and a droolly mouth. She bought the kerchief and gifted it to me.
I remember a moment on the train ride going home to Berkeley from Topaz. As I gazed out of the train window I saw a huge and beautiful pink mountain range. Upon arriving in Berkeley, our next-door neighbor, Mrs. Nivens, picked us up at the Berkeley train station at the foot of University Avenue and drove us to our home at 1618 Parker Street.
A baby girl was born in Topaz in 1942—her name, Judy Takeda. This girl would later become my wife.
About the contributor: Yoichi Furuichi was born in 1940 in San Francisco. In the first grade, he took the name “George.” He was incarcerated in Tanforan and Topaz along with his sister Mary Ann Sumiko, Issei father Sam Susumu, and Nisei mother Margaret Shizu. George attended public schools in Berkeley and has a B.A. from SF State University. He married Judy Takeda and they lived in Los Angeles, where he sold for an importing company. In 1969 he and business partners started the Eastland Co. in San Francisco, and he continue selling until retirement. He and Judy have a daughter, Kristin; son-in-law Patrick; and three grandchildren: Ryan, Cameron and Mia.
© 2026, George Furuichi. All rights reserved.