March 1,1970

I have precious memories especially of March. On January 11 in 1970, we left Niigata and came to Tokyo. My husband, brain doctor, was to work in an emergency hospital there. Brain surgery was a new medical field in those days, though it is now familiar to everybody. Brain doctors were demanded in a lot of emergency hospitals.

We had a very heavy snow in Niigata in the year 1970. To my surprise there was no snow in Tokyo. I knew about it but it was my first experience to visit Tokyo in winter. But on March 1 in 1970, it did snow all day in Tokyo--the first snowfall we had in Tokyo! The Tomei Expressway was not blocked though, probably because there were not so many cars as today then. But few cars were running in the Expressway, as most cars were not prepared for snow. There were no 'all-weather tires' yet.

We were ready for snowy road, of course and we were driving so smoothly in the Tomei Expressway. We were going sightseeing in Hakone---my husband, my two-year-old daughter and I. It was one of the most precious memories I have. We had been married for four years. I was innocently happy. Where has he gone? He left me alone with my little daughter. I feel still sad to say that he died four years later--from leukemia, blood cancer.