Dear People of the World (formerly Dear Americans)

I got acquinted with her on internet.

She was a Geisha in Kyoto before she moved to Tokyo to be a club hostess in Ginza (place like Fifth Ave. in New York).

 This is her blog site. She left comments on my post in my Japanese blog.  

Our interaction started when the movie "Memoirs of a Geisha" was released.

I read her posts every day. As you can see the photos in her blog, she is beautiful.

Geisha literally means "Artist." Yes, she is artist.

Since my other love affair is finished even before trying, I want to start new one with her.

A story of a B-29 bomber pilot who time-travels from the war-time Tokyo to present-time.

 

Please read Chapter 1, first.

 

Jim woke up and found himself lying on the bed. Jim soon found he was in a room wearing some kind of pajama. He saw sunlight coming from the window. It was in the morning.

“Good mornng, are you awake?”

He heard a woman’s voice. He looked at her. She was sitting beside the bed. She was a Japanese woman, whom he saw in the burning house. She looked fine. Strangely she spoke English.

“Where am I? What am I doing here?” said Jim.

“You are in the hospital. You saved my life and then fell down on the road. Then we are taken here.”

A woman said delightedly smiling. She was a young pretty woman with long hair wearing western style shirts and skirt.

“Who are you? Why are you here with me?” said Jim.

“My name is Sayuri. I lived in the apartment which was burnt down last night. Actually this morning. You must be an American guy who was supposed to be living next door. I heard from the landlord that an American man was moving in last night. I was sleeping last night. But woke up by the fire. You were there and rescued me. Too bad the apartment that you were going to live burned down on the day you came there. The fire came from neighborhood. You were so unlucky but I was lucky that I was saved by you.”

Her English was excellent though he could notice slight Japanese accent. Jim wondered what she was. Yes, he remembered she was in the burning house. Her story confused him. He could not understand what she was talking about.

“Why do you speak such good English?”

Jim asked her to know what she was. He just thought she was an investigator for the military.

“Oh, thank you for the compliments. I am an interpreter. I used to study in a college in the United States” she replied. Then she asked him back “By the way, what is your name? What do you do? Are you a student or worker? How old are you?”

Jim felt caution. She spoke cheerfully but such questions would be usually given to prisoner of war.

He said “My name is Jim…”

But he stopped talking as soon as he saw a man in uniform coming into the room. His uniform was dark blue and looked like a military or police personnel.

A man in uniform said something which Jim could not understand. Sayuri responded to the man.

 

 

Then she said to Jim “The policeman wants to ask you some questions regarding the situation of the fire.” Jim felt frightened. It was the time investigation starts, including torturing. Jim knew he should be ready to such condition any time since he became a military person. But he was very scared and started to look pale in his face.

“Jim, are you alright?” said Sayuri.

“Sorry, I don’t remember anything. I don’t even know who I am. I just remember my name is Jim. That is all.”

He thought that was the only way to avoid the investigation and torture. But he knew it wouldn’t work because barbaric Japanese military would torture him to get information from him. They wouldn’t show any mercy.

Sayuri talked with the policeman again. After 10 minutes of talking, the policeman smiled and bowed to both Sayuri and Jim. Then he got out of the room.

Sayuri spoke to Jim again.

“The policeman says you can leave here if you want to. It seemed you lost the memory by the fire. Why don’t we see a doctor? If we can, why don’t we go to my family’s place?”

Jim was surprised by her kindness.

 

Jim got out of the bed and stood up. Sayuri guided him to get out of the room. Jim looked around the corridor. The building seemed modern. He heard most Japanese buildings were built in wood. But the building looked concrete built and very clean.

 

He passed the room where several patients were gathered. He heard the radio sound and looked at the direction such sound is coming from. He was shocked to see what the patients were looking at. Some kind of box, with screen on one side that shows the moving pictures with radio sound. The box itself was releasing the image. No projector here. It was not the theatre. The image was in color. How could it possibly happen? Color film images he knew were “Gone with the wind” and “Wizard of Oz” which he saw before the war with Japan. But the films were shown in theatre, not a place like this. He could not believe that Japan already had such advanced technology.

“What is that thing?”

Jim asked Sayuri pointing his finger to the box.

“Oh, my god, you seem to suffer serious memory loss. Don’t you know this is television?”

“Tele-vision? Oh, I see.”

He seemed to get the point. Yes, he heard something about it. Nazi-Germany has already made it for Berlin Olympic in 1936. But that was black and white. Japan imported that thing and made it into color image? He still couldn’t understand what was going on.

“Here, let’s see a doctor” said Sayuri.

 

A doctor and nurse were in the room. The doctor spoke to him through Sayuri’s interpretation. It was 5 minutes conversation and the doctor put stethoscope on his chest. 

  

The doctor told Sayuri that Jim was fine and permitted to leave the hospital though his memory loss was worrisome but that happened by the shocking incident and he would be recovering soon. He was advised that he should come back to the hospital when his condition would change.

Jim and Sayuri went back to the room. Jim was given new clothes, shirts, jeans, underwears, sweater and jacket. “Don’t worry, they were all my brother’s used clothes. Underwears are new. I bought them at this hospital. I’ll get out of the room. Please change the clothes.” “Hey, where is what I was wearing?” “Oh they dumped them because they got too many grimes on it. Mine, too.” She got out of the room. As he was changing the clothes, he was feeling very awkward. This should be enemy line. But people he met seemed so friendly to him. How could they be?

He changed the clothes and got out of the room. Sayuri was standing and smiling. She had a newspaper in her hand.

“This is for you. It is English newspaper in Japan. I hope it would help you recover memories somehow.”

Jim took the newspaper and read it. It was all written English and the title of the newspaper was “The Japan Times.” He was surprised that there was an English newspaper being published in Japan. But there was more surprising thing he saw on the paper. He saw the date of the paper.

 

“March 10, 2005”

 

Go on to the Chapter 3.

The movie is making box-office record here in Japan.

 I went to see the movie. The story is about Japanese soldiers in historical battle place of WWII, Iwojima Island.

I was really impressed. I cannot believe the Hollywood provides almost all Japanese language movie to us.

Clint Eastwood was a director for the film. How come he did it, I wondered.

The movie taught us how life is precious and to live as long as you can is beautiful.

The movie clearly described dark history of Japan. How people are sacrificed in the name of patriotism. That kind of things is gradually reviving today's Japan. Like, not setting up a national flag at home means "non-Japanese."

 Because it was made by Americans, we could see our own history from objective perspective.

 

 

A story of a B-29 pilot who time-travels from the war-time Tokyo to present-time.

At midnight of March 10, 1945, James Austin was flying over the enemy's capital, Tokyo.

He was in US Air Force's bomber aircraft, B29. The mission was to bomb the city to give the enemy shock and owe. This is important mission to end the war.

Austin was 21 year old pilot, from Conneticut. Over there his parents, Tom, Jane and 10 year-old sister who had been suffering from asthma live. His parents told him his sister would die before he would come back home. That was what the docter told them. So he had to survive in the war. He would be the only child in his family.

Grisping control gear, he was thinkng of his sister, whom he called Katie. She had had problems with her health since she was born. He and his parents had known that she wouldn't live long.
He gave her a present before he joined the army. It was a doll. Very pretty doll like Katie. Katie named the doll "Clara."
He remembered Katie said "Jim, please come back alive. I will live too." Then he promised he would live and when he comes back he would give her another doll as the sisiter for Clara. Katie said she would be excited to meet Clara's sister. Katie told Jim Clara needs something common with her sister. That means Jim had to buy a doll that fits the condition for Clara's sister, which Katie requested. But there is no hope for Katie to meet Clara's sister.

No hope to live. The same words should be delivered to the people beneath him. He and his colleagues in the army called them "Japs." His plane was going to drop firebombs onto their residents. Wooden houses that are easily burned down. Women and children are part of the target. But for the army, they are enemy Japs who do not deserve their lives.
Jime never thought it was cruel thing to do. Jim read the newspaper articles which describes how brutaly Japanese army slaughtered Chinese civilians including women and children by bombing from the air and on the ground. Bombing of Chongqing, and Rape of Nanking. Japanese army have done such terrible things. Japan attacked Pearl Harbour. It was a sneak attack. They killed thousands of American soldiers. 

Now none of the people below him should be considered non-combat personels.

"Open the hatch. It is show-time." The captain said. The plane was in the formation of air-raid with hundreds of planes dropping the bombs. As co-pilot of the plane, Jim pulled the lever to open the hatch. But he found something is strange. The plane is not dropping the bombs.
The hatch is not open. He pushed back the lever and tried pulling it again. But it didn't work.
"What is wrong?" said the captain.
"The hatch is not open. It cannot work, sir." Jim replied.
"Ok. maybe we should lower the altitude, then that should work when the hatch is a little more strained."
"But sir, we shouldn't get away from the formation. And it is dangerous. It would be easier for the enemy to hit us by their ground fires." Jime felt fear.
"Are you saying we should go back home with heavy bombs loaded while others fly back with empty stomach?"
"But..."
"We are soldiers, we should accomplish this honorable mission. We cannot get away from it."
"All right, Captain." said Jim. He agreed with Captain's words. Totally. The whole crews should risk their lives for the cause. To end the war and bring the victory for the United States of America.  
The plane with 11 crews including co-pilot, Jim, Captain and other members lowered the altitude. Of course they turned off from the formation so that the plane wouldn't be hit by the bombs coming from the above.
They confirmed they were in the right position. What they saw above through the ceiling window was only dark sky. What they saw beneath through the floor window was burning city. A lot of houses and building seemed to be on fire. Jim wondered if they should drop any more bombs onto the ground when the city had got already enough damage.
Jim pulled the gear. He heard the big sound. The sound of hatch opening and bombs dropping.
The whole crew were relieved to hear the sound. They have accomplished the mission.
Then it was the time to go back to where they came from.
But suddenly they heard another big sound, Bang. Then they felt the plane was shaking and smelled the fire. Right after that, they felt the heat. They found their plane was burning.
Jim realized the sound was made by ground fire hit on the plane.
The plane lost the balance. Soon the fire surrounded Jim and Captain.
"Oh, my god." said the Captain. "We got hit."
Jim saw the captain burning beside himself. Then he realized fire was covering on him.
He pressed the bottom as he learned at Air Force Academy. It was what a pilot should do to evacuate the plane. Then he did.
He escaped from the plane. Soon he found himself floating in the air by the parachute.
He was going down slowly. He saw the plane that he was in falling down burning. Of course it was dropping very quickly because it had no parachute with it.
He had no idea of what to do next. Where he would land was the enemy line. The enemy's capitol. After he would land on the ground, he would be caught or shot by the enemy, Japs.

He saw what was beneath his feet. Fires. Very hot he felt. It was getting hotter and hotter.
He thought he would be dead before the enemy would find him.
The worse thing happened. The leashes of the parachute were suddenly cut off.
He fell down with no parachute. But strangely he did not fall not as quickly as the gravity pulls.
He felt something was trying to absorb him. He did not know what it was.
He felt he was going to land with no harm.
Then he landed. He was alive with no injuries. He bent his knees putting his hands on the ground, actually it was wooden floor. He found himself in a house. He then found himself surrounded by the fire. He felt very very hot.
"Oh, no, I am in the burning house. The house of Japs." He shouted in his mind.
He stood up and trying to find a way to get out of the house.
Fire and smoke were the only thngs he could see.
"Tasukete, tasukete." A voice of woman was heard to his ears. He couldn't understand what she was saying but he easily assumed it was a cry for help.
He looked around. He saw a woman lying just a few steps from him. Then he also saw the doorway to get out of the house. He wanted to run away as soon as possible. There is no time to take care of a woman, especially the enemy's woman.
But he realized he had to because he was a gentleman. He held up a woman with his arms. He then ran to the doorway.
He suddenly got out of the house and the fire. The outside was much cooler. He felt winter air.
He got on the road. He then found himself surrounded by the people looking at him very seriously.
"Oh my god, Japs are looking at me." He said to himself in his mind.

He thought that he was going to die. Then he fainted. A woman on his arms was dropped. Jim lied down beside her on the road.

To be continued to Chapter 2.

The story is updated monthly, basically. Sometimes delayed.

This novel is copyright of author of this blog, Masagata.