Read Online Alien Rice; A Novel. by Ichiro Kawasaki - Free Book Online
Authors: Ichiro Kawasaki
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quite naturally.
"Good afternoon. Are you a newcomer?" the woman inquired.
"Yes. I arrived in Japan only two months ago," Alice replied.
"I've been here nearly twenty years. I am married to a Japanese but I originally come from London."
Alice was pleasantly surprised.
"Oh, I'm married to a Japanese, too. I am Alice Burns. My husband works for the Tozai Trading Company. We used to live in London but now my husband works in their Head Office."
"Well, what a coincidence! I am Lilian Hailey. I, too, was married in London to Hideo Saito, employee of a Japanese shipping company. My husband works in the Yokohama office. We've had only one foreign assignment since London, that was in San Francisco soon after the war. The rest of the time in Japan. I'm longing to go abroad again."
Alice was overjoyed to meet this woman, who must be in similar circumstances and who shared the same problems as herself.
"How are you getting along in Japan? Life does not seem to be very easy for us here," Alice asked.
"Well, when I arrived in Japan I was so shocked that I almost wanted to go back to England the same day. Then the war came but still I stayed on because of my children. I'm stuck here." Lilian Saito said sadly.
"Are there many foreign wives like us?" Alice asked.
"Oh, heaps! There is even an organization in Tokyo called the Society of Foreign Wives. But not many of us seem to be happy. We never can integrate into Japanese society, because the Japanese world is meant for men. Once in a while there are some enterprising foreign women who make a lot of money by taking advantage of Japanese. But I am not that sort. Besides, the climate here is enervating and the food poor and insipid. Many Europeans, when they arrive here, have healthy reddish complections, but in time they invariably lose their color. The Japanese are proud of their fat, juicy pears and strawberries, but their fruits and vegetables are all watery and tasteless. There must be a certain organic element lacking in the soil."
"Are your children doing well?" Alice inquired.
"Not really. It's a big problem. There is absolutely no place for the children of mixed blood here and no future for them. Fortunately my children both happen to be girls. I send them to St. Mary's College in the hope that they will one day marry Westerners and live abroad.
"We must see each other often from now on. We have so many things in common and have to commiserate."
Alice's heart sank as Mrs. Lilian Saito finished her grumbling.
A few months after Saburo's return to Japan, the director of his department was going to London on a business trip. Alice had met this director casually in the London office a year before.
"Our director, Sasaki, is going to London and New York next week," Saburo casually mentioned to Alice. Saburo seldom talked about company affairs with Alice at home, especially since his wife no longer worked at Tozai. But one evening, quite accidentally, he spoke about Sasaki's trip to Alice, since Alice was no stranger to Sasaki.
"Is that the same director who came to London about a year ago?" Alice asked.
"Yes, the director visits Europe and America at least twice a year as a rule, but when there is urgent business he goes oftener, sometimes three or four times a year," Saburo explained.
"How long does each of his trips last, as a rule?" Alice asked.
"It depends, but his travel schedule usually is very tight. For example, on the coming trip the director is to stay two days in London, a day in Hamburg, and on his way back he will stop at New York for two days and San Francisco for one day."
"Does the director travel first class?"
"Yes, he is entitled to go first class. The air fare for his coming trip is 2,500 dollars and his per diem is 30 dollars."
"Does he really have to make such an expensive trip?" Alice asked.
"Well, it is for the purpose of consultation with branch office people." Saburo did not elaborate.
What Alice could not comprehend was that the company
"Good afternoon. Are you a newcomer?" the woman inquired.
"Yes. I arrived in Japan only two months ago," Alice replied.
"I've been here nearly twenty years. I am married to a Japanese but I originally come from London."
Alice was pleasantly surprised.
"Oh, I'm married to a Japanese, too. I am Alice Burns. My husband works for the Tozai Trading Company. We used to live in London but now my husband works in their Head Office."
"Well, what a coincidence! I am Lilian Hailey. I, too, was married in London to Hideo Saito, employee of a Japanese shipping company. My husband works in the Yokohama office. We've had only one foreign assignment since London, that was in San Francisco soon after the war. The rest of the time in Japan. I'm longing to go abroad again."
Alice was overjoyed to meet this woman, who must be in similar circumstances and who shared the same problems as herself.
"How are you getting along in Japan? Life does not seem to be very easy for us here," Alice asked.
"Well, when I arrived in Japan I was so shocked that I almost wanted to go back to England the same day. Then the war came but still I stayed on because of my children. I'm stuck here." Lilian Saito said sadly.
"Are there many foreign wives like us?" Alice asked.
"Oh, heaps! There is even an organization in Tokyo called the Society of Foreign Wives. But not many of us seem to be happy. We never can integrate into Japanese society, because the Japanese world is meant for men. Once in a while there are some enterprising foreign women who make a lot of money by taking advantage of Japanese. But I am not that sort. Besides, the climate here is enervating and the food poor and insipid. Many Europeans, when they arrive here, have healthy reddish complections, but in time they invariably lose their color. The Japanese are proud of their fat, juicy pears and strawberries, but their fruits and vegetables are all watery and tasteless. There must be a certain organic element lacking in the soil."
"Are your children doing well?" Alice inquired.
"Not really. It's a big problem. There is absolutely no place for the children of mixed blood here and no future for them. Fortunately my children both happen to be girls. I send them to St. Mary's College in the hope that they will one day marry Westerners and live abroad.
"We must see each other often from now on. We have so many things in common and have to commiserate."
Alice's heart sank as Mrs. Lilian Saito finished her grumbling.
A few months after Saburo's return to Japan, the director of his department was going to London on a business trip. Alice had met this director casually in the London office a year before.
"Our director, Sasaki, is going to London and New York next week," Saburo casually mentioned to Alice. Saburo seldom talked about company affairs with Alice at home, especially since his wife no longer worked at Tozai. But one evening, quite accidentally, he spoke about Sasaki's trip to Alice, since Alice was no stranger to Sasaki.
"Is that the same director who came to London about a year ago?" Alice asked.
"Yes, the director visits Europe and America at least twice a year as a rule, but when there is urgent business he goes oftener, sometimes three or four times a year," Saburo explained.
"How long does each of his trips last, as a rule?" Alice asked.
"It depends, but his travel schedule usually is very tight. For example, on the coming trip the director is to stay two days in London, a day in Hamburg, and on his way back he will stop at New York for two days and San Francisco for one day."
"Does the director travel first class?"
"Yes, he is entitled to go first class. The air fare for his coming trip is 2,500 dollars and his per diem is 30 dollars."
"Does he really have to make such an expensive trip?" Alice asked.
"Well, it is for the purpose of consultation with branch office people." Saburo did not elaborate.
What Alice could not comprehend was that the company
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