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is quite an experience.  People here do not feel the cold or the heat, ^[[checkmark]] nor do they eat, sleep, relax or build their homes with all the conveniences as we do.  After looking for days at cracker boxes that rented for $138 per month up in the city proper, we found a Western house with Eastern features in Seijo Machi.  The house--well, it was the best we could find--was acceptable.  The village was the prettiest area in Tokyo--the intellectuals, artist and movie stars have settled there.  The people of Seijo Machi welcomed us with open arms.  For that we shall always be grateful.  They were the ones who helped me get over my first disappointment.

Things were going along normally when on October 28th Ben was promoted to Brigadier General.  It is every officer's dream to become a General.  Away back in West Point days Ben had hitched his career to a star.  It took 18 long, hard, years but he made it.  So you know the joy and happiness that was ours on that day of days.

Since then we have moved into a wonderful apartment in Pershing Heights, the former Military Academy of Japan.  We have steam heat, air conditioning, huge rooms, [[circled]]wall to wall carpeting[[/circled]], and more than ample closet space.  It is a pleasure to be warm again.

We hope to get to see a great deal of Japan and other places in the Far East before our tour is over.  The little we have seen outside of Tokyo gives us a desire to see more.  Tokyo is not the place to see the real Japan.  Don't get me wrong.  It is a fascinating city with its unpainted houses, narrow streets, shops, millions of people, neon signs, crowded trolleys, tiny cars and taxis, bicycles, 3 wheelers, etc., but it is not the Japan we hear about.  One must go out into the country to appreciate Japan.

There is much the Japanese can learn from us, but there is also much we can learn from them.  We are impressed with their love of beauty, nature, and family.  Their patience, tolerance and ability to relax are some of their finer qualities.  They have so little compared to American standards ^[[checkmark]], but they appreciate so many of the simple things of life.  Ben and I are studying Japanese in the hope of being able to better understand what we are experiencing.  Life here is calm yet exciting.

We are having our growing pains getting used to life oriental style.  It is an experience from which we shall gain much.  We wish that all our friends, whom we miss very much, were able to share in our crowded stimulating, day-to-day existence.

For you we wish the best of everything--a pleasant Xmas and a New Year full of all the good things you dream of.  Do let us hear from you.  Mail is one of the most welcomed things.  It helps us to have a little bit of the West in the East.

^[[Ben & Agatha Davis]]

^[[How about a letter?]]