?Quite extraordinary?, he said, eventually, ?what your friend was saying.?
?Oh? What was that?? Jim did not look up from his
newspaper.
?About him and his wife voting for different parties. A few years ago that would have been unthinkable.?
?No doubt.?
?Quite extraordinary the things that happen now. But that?s what?s meant by deogacy, I suppose.? Ogata-San gave a sigh. ?These things we?ve learnt so eagerly from the
Ame1icans,y aren?t always to the good.? ?No, indeed they?re not.
?Look what happens. Husband and wife voting for different parties. It?s a sad state of affairs when a wife can?t be relied on in such matters any more.?
Jiro continued to mad his newspaper. ?Yes, it?s regrettable,? he said.
?A wife these days feels no sense of loyalty towards the household. She just does what she pleases, votes for a different party if the whim takes her. That?s so typical of the way things have gone in Japan. All in the name of democracy people abandon obligations.?
Jiro looked up at his father for a brief moment, then turned his eyes back to his paper. ?No doubt you?re very right,? he said. ?But surely the Americans didn?t bring all bad.?
?The Americans, they never understood the way things were in Japan. Not for one moment have they understood. Their ways may be fine for Americans, but in Japan things are different, very different.? Ogata-San sighed again. ?Discipline, loyalty, such things held Japan together once. That may sound fanciful, but it?s true. People were bound by a sense of duly. Towards one?s family, towards superiors, towards the country. But now instead there?s all this talk of democracy. You hear it whenever people want to
be selfish, whenever they want to forget obligations.?
?Yes, no doubt you?re right.? Jiro yawned and scratched the side of his face.
?Take what happened in my profession, for instance. - Here was a system we?d nurtured and cherished for years.
The Americans came and stripped it, tore it down without a thought. They decided our schools would be like American schools, the children should learn what American children learn. And the Japanese welcomed it all. Welcomed it with a lot of talk about democracy? ? he shook his head ? ?Many fine things were destroyed in our schools.?
Yes, I?m sure that?s very true.? Jiro glanced up once more. ?But surely there were some faults in the old system, in schools as much as anywhere.?
?Jim, what is this? Something you read somewhere??
?It?s just my opinion.?
?Did you read that in your newspaper? I devoted my life to the teaching gi the young. And then I watched the Americans tear it all down. Quite extraordinary what goes on in schools now, the way children are taught to behave. Extraordinary. And so much just isn?t taught any more. Do you know, children leave school today knowing nothing about the history of their own country??
?That may be a pity, admittedly. But then I remember some odd things from my schooldays. I remember being taught all about how Japan was created by the gods, for instance. How we as a nation were divine and supreme. We had to memorize the text book word for word. Some things aren?t such a loss, perhaps.?
?But Jim, things aren?t as simple as that. You clearly don?t understand how such things worked. Things aren?t nearly as simple as you presume. We devoted ourselves to ensuring that proper qualities were handed down, that children grew up with the correct attitude to their country, to their fellows. There was a spirit in Japan once, it bound us all together. Just imagine what it must be like being a young boy today. He?s taught no values at school ? except perhaps that he should selfishly demand whatever he wants out of life. He goes home and finds his parents fighting because his mother refuses to vote for his father?s party. What a state of affairs.?
?Yes, I see your point. Now, Father, I?m sorry, I must go to bed.?
?We did our best, men like Endo and I, we did our best to nurture what was good in the country. A lot of good has been destroyed.
?It?s most regrettable.? My husband got to his feet. ?Excuse me, Father, but I must sleep. I have another busy day tomorrow.?
Ogata-San looked up at his son, a somewhat surprised expression on his face. ?Why, of course. How inconsiderate of me to have kept you so late.? He gave a small bow.
?Not at all. I?m sorry we can?t talk longer, but I really ought to get some sleep now.?
?Why, of course.?
Jim wished his father a good night?s sleep and left the room. For a few seconds, Ogata-San gazed at the door through which Jiro had disappeared as if he expected his son to return at any moment. Then he turned to me with a troubled look.
?I didn?t realize how late it was,? he said. ?I didn?t mean to keep Jim up.?
Chapter Five
?Gone? And had he left you no message at his hotel??
Sachiko laughed. ?You look so astonished, Etsuko,? she said. ?No, he?d left nothing. He?d gone yesterday morning, that?s all they knew. To tell you the truth, I half expected this.?
I realized I was still holding the fray. I laid it down carefully then seated myself on a cushion opposite Sachiko. There was a pleasant breeze blowing through the apartment that morning.
?But how terrible for you,? I said. ?And you were waiting with everything packed and ready.?
