Chapter 3

A quick stop in Tokyo at the Embassy, and we were official. I had heard very few kind words during this trial by fire. This happened in November 1962, and not much changed until our son was born, in February 1963. The two sisters were there with bells on, as they had been in the past. (There were 3 brothers, then 3 sisters with Gus, like me, being the baby). One day the Sister-in-Law that was nice to me, Moto, showed up on our doorstep.

She asked permission for her and the middle brother, Bunji, to visit with our son. Understand, he was the first male of his generation, and by pre-WWII laws, he would be the inheritor of all the family owned. He would have to assume the Family name, rather than Mine, but he was the king honcho.

I don't think I have ever met a kinder, sweeter, person than Moto, unless it was Kyoko, the middle sister. She was several years older than Bunji, and they could not have children. Moto became my friend for life, and Bunji grudgingly came around to the Gaijin (foreigner) defiler of his favorite baby sister. Our son was the catalyst in Japan, as he was in Georgia. My sweet Mother-in-Law visited with us, and we became very close. Before we left Japan, a year had passed since my Father-in-Law's death. This is a really big occasion, as this is when the spirit finally goes to rest. It is a time of feasts, and jubilation. I took two weeks leave, and we visited at the home farm the whole time. Kikuo, the oldest brother, and keeper of the Mother, and I became fast friends. The farm, about 5 acres, was much bigger than most. Evidently, before WWII, the Family was pretty influential. MacArthur's tax reforms changed all this.