Saitama

Michiko was frustrated. Having returned to Japan with only what could be packed in two suitcases, she had long ago exhausted her meager wardrobe. The rest of her clothes were in a container on a boat which she hoped was by now somewhere in the Pacific, but still days from Yokohama. Add to that unloading the boat, clearing customs and delivering the shipment and Michiko knew she would be lucky if she saw her stuff before October. She also knew that, at this moment, she would cheerfully give her favorite Calvin Klein jeans to charity, she was so tired of wearing them.

Michiko pushed aside the small pile of pants and tops and flopped down on the bed in her room at the Itohs'. She remembered the clothes she had left in Tokyo the previous December. They were neatly folded in drawers or hanging in closets in plastic bags, old friends patiently awaiting her return.