Oral history interview with Kaku Makino and Masako "Julie" Ishitsuka conducted by Kristel Peralta, Vanessa Concepcion, Ayrton Yamaguchi, and Stefani Evans on March 22, 2021 for the Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Makino discusses his early life in Tokyo, Japan and becoming a chef. He recalls arriving to the United States in 1989, establishing the Todai (now Makino Sushi & Seafood Buffet) restaurant chain, and opening nineteen locations in California, Florida, and in Hawaii. Kano talks about her upbringing in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, Japan and describes Japan during the Meiji era. She remembers arriving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2000 and the cultural change she experienced. Lastly, Makino and Kano discuss the restaurant industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The collection contains material collected by Barbara Tabach to document the final days of the New Frontier Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada (2007). Included are brief oral history audio recordings and transcripts for approximately 50 individuals wo worked at or were customers of the New Frontier, as well as over 650 digital photographs of the people and the building. Also included is a digital video of the November 2007 implosion and a Las Vegas Sun newspaper clipping from September 1961 on the New Frontier.