BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY					18 March 2016		
In the days of yore as junior lieutenant,  I was quietly minding my own business deep in the countryside of Japan when a call came through from the British Embassy in Tokyo.  Would I like to join the Naval Attaché and his wife for a weekend at their Summer Residence on Lake Chuzenjiko?  Sweltering as I was in temperatures in the high 30’s, my reply required no reflection; the Lake is in the mountains and cool. In any case he was my boss and one does not quibble.

I drove to our Embassy in Tokyo to pick up sustenance from the Embassy shop together with mail and work, alias magazines, from the Assistant Naval Attaché who was traditionally left behind in the office to swelter on behalf of the same boss.  He was just a little envious of my invitation, but wished me well…

Continuing on to the north east of Tokyo in my black Morris 1000, left-hand drive because it was an export model, despite Japan driving on the same side of the road as in Britain.  Three hours later and much shaken up from the potholes (there were still only a few thousand miles of bitumined road in the whole country then), I arrived at the lakeside residence and was warmly welcomed together with my supplies.  The last miles were through magnificent scenery close to the famous Nikko and climbing what is known as the’ iroha’ (zigzag) mountain road up the huge Kengon no Taki waterfall from Lake Chuzenjiko above.

Dinner that evening was cooked by the NA’s wife and served by him himself.  Staff seemed to have the weekend off.  I was informed that breakfast would be on the other side of the lake!  No, we would not be driving or walking, the road around was too difficult or too long, we would be swimming, at least the wife and I would be swimming and the NA would be getting in some sea time as safety number in the smart clinker built dinghy, and rowing.  Sunday morning dawned, the breakfast party duly mustered, two of us in swimming gear and the boss wearing his naval cap with scrambled egg and T-shirt complete with logo saying ‘Do better’.
Over half an hour of hard swimming later we were greeted by the British Ambassador in person, the whole Ambassadorial entourage having ‘migrated’ to the hills for Summer.  We were then overwhelmed by hospitality - a huge breakfast, buck’s fizz, porridge, kippers, haddock, eggs Benedict, eggs and bacon; a horse ride through the countryside, a walk, games galore, more swimming…  Lunch too was offered but a chauffered return to the other side of the Lake was possible...  The NA , expecting other guests that evening, opted for the lift in the Rolls Royce, and the boat was returned by the staff.  I was young enough to be a novice at this game, but learning fast!

I slowly drove back in the heat to my humbler abode and the language study which was my ‘raison d’être’ at the time, much wiser in the ways of the world and the old colonial life style of the expatriates.  Japan was still under effective American occupation after the second world war. 

DP