Kimiko

In the fifties, with the occupation of Japan

The Korean war - this is the place to be. Two shipmates and I rented an old house up in the hills, overlooking the bay of Tokyo. After two weeks or so, the three of us are going to see Japan. We got on the bus to go downtown. It stops at every street, so we knew it would reach downtown.

We are then back at the house, and our cook asked if we need someone who can speak english. The cook went to the neighbors and brought back a young lady. The woman was around twenty years old. Her hair was in a ponytail, and she was wearing a white cotton blouse and a pair of blue jeans. She said "hello, my name is Kimiko."

She could speak english quite well, like an English lady and not like an American. I did not quite know what to think about that. She said "the old cook said you need a translator and you would like to go to Yokohama is that correct?" and I said correct. Kimiko offered to be our translator and guide.

However in Japan, unmarried women need an escort before they are permitted to accompany an unmarried man. And that’s how the book came to be.