Disasters can make friends of enemies

In 1957 I arrived in Japan as a young bride. On the trip to the military base my husband tried to shield my eyes.

He didn't want me to have an image of the undeveloped country as my first impression. Roads were rudimentary and some people were dressed in rags. Stray dogs pulled at garbage. Sewage ran down both sides of roads in ditches, where people washed clothes and vegetables. A stench permeated the air. Traffic rules seemed nonexistent as everyone simply steered vehicles where they wanted to go with no regard for others. There were no barriers at railroad crossings and horrible accidents were numerous. Buses were made into "restroom" stops where the women relieved themselves at the back and the men in the front.

In the nearly four years I lived there, the changes were astounding. Roads were widened and paved, we all talked about the first service station that had a restroom with running water! Slums were torn down and shiny buildings in modern styles began to appear. In the countryside many more families had electricity and running water. Traffic laws began to be enforced and new hospitals and schools sprung up. Tokyo transformed itself from a firebombed ruin to a sleek new city with an amazing, new infrastructure of airports, highways and efficient trains and subways.