The first house in Tokyo

My sister has sent me a postcard with a photo on one side, which shows our old house in Tokyo. It was the very first house for us when our family moved there from this place. Literally a hand made house. The wall and roof was made of single wooden plates. It has only one room for 5 of us. The life standard was generally low everywhere in our country those days. However, this was one of the poorest houses, I believe. It was 63 or 62 years ago. The house is on the right upper in the photo. It was in a colony for those recovered from tuberculosis managed by a doctor standing on the left. Without his help, our family could not come to Tokyo.

The generation of our parents have worked so hard from '50s through '80s. It has resulted in the miraculously improved living standard in our country, that is, most of the people could believe they had belonged to the middle class. Macroscopically, it was the days of economically high growth period. People have been paid much more and the social security has been more successful than ever. We should be grateful to those people of my parents' generation, who made it possible with their grinding away for better life.

On the other hand, there is another thing we should never forget. Our country has not experienced any military conflicts or war after WWII. There has been the Korean war in the Korean peninsula during that period, which has brought the economic high growth to our country. While we have enjoyed it, the people in the peninsula have gone through the hard time of war. Even if we are not directly involved in or responsible for the war, we shoule never forget we owe our peaceful and wealthy life to them. Without their hardships, it could not occur.

Our prime minister or the minister of foreign affairs repeatedly states they should pressure on North Korea. It is evidently meaning military pressure. It could give rise to military conflict in the peninsula whether accidentally or intentionally. It would cause millions of victims in the peninsula and in Japan as well. Postwar mess must be hard for the international community to handle with. The president of South Korea is keenly trying to avoid such a disaster by any means. We owe much to them for our present wealth and peace. Despite of that fact, the heads of our administration don't seem to consider of those possible victims and damages due to the conflict. Looking back the modern history in this area, we could never insist to conduct military action against North Korea at present.

In the bed of death, as my sister told me, our father has grasped this photo as well as another of me at the time of entrance to the elementary school. My heart was trembling to hear that. This place of the old house and the family at that time must be things unforgettable for him.