An Open Window

Elke arrives in America; she confronts her mother about the missing parcels and receives evasive replies. We learn of the hardships Elke's mother endured in America. After her mother remarries a military man, the family is transferred to Miho, Japan. Elke embraces life in the orient and gives us a breathtaking account of what everyday life in Japan was like, over fifty years ago. Another transfer took the family to Itazuke Air Force Base in Japan. Elke describes the seasons for us in such detail that it is as close as being there. We read about the cherry blossoms in the springtime, to the blustery snowy days of winter, "When the smoke belching kerosene heaters were drug out again, and the quilted winter kimonos were worn with the hands tucked into the long sleeves for warmth." Life in exotic Japan was a mystical adventure for the family, as we learn from this detailed account. So come, enter the orient, but don't forget your passport.