If you’ve read my previous post on Yasukuni August 15th then hopefully you’ll remember the wonderful old woman I mentioned meeting on the bridge overlooking the entrance to the shrine.

Well today I arrived home to find a letter from her.

A point I forget to mention before was that after she had stopped somebody and asked him to take our photo together she had asked me for my address so she could send me the photo.

I had written down my email address, only to have her tell me that she was sorry she didn’t use email (yeh, yeh come on stop messing around everyone uses email…no, what? , for real???) and could she have my postal address.

Now even after our wonderful conversation I must admit I thought twice about giving her my home address, a little bit of, what if she’s an undercover nazi or cop? (not that different in reality). Maybe tomorrow I’ll be woken up by the secret police and or the Uyoku Dantai kicking my door down for being a ‘lefty’.

Anyway, I’m glad I did because today’s post was a copy of the photo and a wonderful letter, which I hope she won’t mind me reproducing here:-

“Dear Mr. Adrian Storey

My name is Yuko Katsuta, who took a picture together with you on the bridge on August 15th. I enclose the photo in this mail.

I hope the peace of the world.Please enjoy your life in Japan. Good Luck!

Best wishes

Yuko Katsuta”

I’m more than a little moved.I’ll say it again……..

There is a faint flicker of hope.