Jiyū Fujin

Jiyū Fujin [Freedom Women], Vol. 3, No. 2, February 1948

“My View of an American Town” is a report by a Shizuko Uraguchi, the editor of this women’s magazine, about her visit to Washington Heights. These were some of her impressions:

• “In this American town, houses surround an oval-shaped lawn, creating a sense of community -- unlike Japanese houses that are surrounded by bushes and fences, creating a sense of isolation.”
• “The kitchen was so well organized and so beautiful that it seemed symbolic of an efficient life. . . . . The only thing on the kitchen counter was Cosmos in a flower vase.”
• “They say that these are simple, quickly constructed houses. But they make us, as Japanese, realize how poor the living conditions in Japan are right now.”