My childhood was spent in a timeless, cosmic playground on the outskirts of Tokyo after World War II. After the war, my parents were so busy trying to find food for us that we children were left alone. We did not have toys to play with, but we created a lot of games. Girls picked clover flowers and made garlands. We flew our kites, made little bamboo boats to float down the river, and made snow bunnies in the winter. Although it was a difficult time, it was still a time of innocence and I was quite happy. Only later when I was living in the United States as a person from a foreign culture, did I appreciate these special moments and how I had fun as a child in 1950s Japan.
