T​​​: Tōru’s family—along with another family—lived across the street about five houses down from my sister’s house. They had moved to their friend’s house in our neighborhood after losing their own home to war damage. The area beyond their friend’s house had burned down… In those days you were lucky if you had a place to live. Many people were burned out of their homes, and ended up with nowhere to stay. Some lived in dugout shelters with roofs made from iron sheeting. During the air raids, many incendiary bombs were dropped on that area.​

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O: It is hard to imagine today…

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T: There was a house with a very nice black fence near where I grew up. The poet Sakutarō Hagiwara  lived there, as I think his own house had burnt down too. Tōru’s family was burned out twice before they moved to the house in my area, so they have no photos of that time. Until then, Tōru lived with his aunt and not so much with his own family. But finally, at the house in Setagaya-Daita, he was reunited with his mother and younger sisters.

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O: So, was that how he became friends with your younger brother?

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T: Yes. They were about the same age, so they got to know each other and started to play together. Tōru also came over to our house to play...