Morikami Sukeji, who came to the United States as a member of the Yamato Colony in South Florida and stayed there alone until the end of his life after the colony was disbanded, continued to write letters to his sister-in-law and her family, who had lost her husband (Sukeji's younger brother) after the war. In November 1973, at the age of 87, he complained of a lot of pain in his body and other ailments. He could barely walk a little. He said that he didn't need to send the seeds he had ordered because farming had become difficult. He bought a new trailer house and set it up on a hill overlooking the lake. His old compatriots who lived nearby had passed away, and at last, he was the only old-time Japanese left.

* * * * *

To live a long life, forget your age.

November 13, 1973

The Okamoto and Mihama families

I cannot thank you enough for the wonderful celebrations. I am still partially paralyzed (lower body), and I have heart and stomach problems, so I am resting. The other day, I declined a friend's invitation and spent the whole day in bed. I will let you know the details through Reiko.

Morikami

December 4, 1973

Thank you for the celebration, Mi-san (sister-in-law). To live a long life and feel young, forget your age. I decided not to celebrate now. This year, the rare cold weather caused my chronic illness and I was bedridden, unable to stand up.

There is not much time left this year. I hope everyone is healthy and able to make it through the new year. I have hardly heard from Japan. No matter how many years pass, I still miss my hometown. I imagine it is cold in Kyoto too. Please be careful not to catch a cold. Goodbye.

July 13, 1974

Thank you for your letter, Reiko (niece). The magazine has arrived. Now I can enjoy it for a while. I met Snyder (a friend who lives nearby). She came back home to visit her sick mother. Her older sister is taking care of her. Her father is gone. She is as cheerful and kind as ever. She is always smiling and I have never seen her look unhappy.

I bought two houses in town. I live in one and rent the other. The trailer I lived in for nearly ten years also fell into disrepair. I bought a new one. It's 12 feet by 20 feet, and one of the two is a bedroom. The kitchen and parlor are all electric. It's also ventilated. There's a Japanese-made color TV. It cost about $10,000 including taxes and other fees. It's set up on a hill overlooking the lake. As soon as I've built my concrete Japanese house, I'll move to the center of the park, among the pine forest. I have a car so I can pull it anywhere.

I've lost my appetite lately, so everything I eat tastes bad. I want to eat ochazuke. I want to eat some Japanese food, but there's nothing. My favorite sushi rolls and kinpira burdock. I want to eat my fill with hot tea. I'm still completely paralyzed. Nothing works except boiling water. I have to endure the pain. I've been sick before, but I've never suffered as much as I am now. Recently, both of my arms have been hurting. They're tingling from my shoulders to my fingertips, and sometimes I can't write, and I can't sleep at night. I'm one step away from being bedridden. I felt this deeply when I saw a bedridden old woman. It's absolutely tragic. I won't write this to your mother or Akiko, so please pass it around. I sent you the newspaper clipping.

My German friend died.

August 10, 1974

Thank you, Rei-san, for your letter and the rare items. I immediately cooked rice, and ate instant soup and hot tea, and it was a delicious meal. My German friend died of cancer about a month ago. My wife is currently in Germany. Before she left, she brought me clothes, shoes, and various other things from her late husband as mementos.

Last week, another old friend of mine died suddenly. She was my girlfriend from my youth. She was retired and living in town. Her husband was a good man, and her only son was a successful stationery store owner, and they lived happily. She was worried about me because I was having trouble, so she called me and came over all the time. I was sick, so I couldn't even attend the funeral. My younger brother, who lives in Cleveland, Ohio, came with his wife. He had heard about my condition from my dead sister, so he brought lots of food for sick people. The couple spent a day cleaning the house together. It looks nice now.

Right now, I have no greed. I'm more than happy about this kindness. I'd like to return the favor once I've fully recovered. The rain continues here and it's annoying. There's grass everywhere. How is Kyoto? It must be hot. Nowadays, everyone goes to get into debt to escape the summer heat. If you haven't already, you should go for a couple of weeks too. You have classes and friends. They say Japan has an abundance of money. The religious world is a different world. If you're short on funds, let me know. I'll send some right away. Don't be shy.

In this country, burdock is grown in small quantities in the north. In southern Florida, the leaves grow thick, but the roots do not grow thick. This is because it is too hot. My condition is still the same; when my legs get a little better, my hands get worse. When my hands get better, my legs get worse. As things stand now, I don't need any medicine.

(It's a winter resort, so it's quiet in the summer.)

September 12, 1974

Thank you for your letter, Rei-san. I got the book and the magazine. It's the best comfort for me right now, and I'm grateful. You've been saying strange things lately. You say you're tied down, you have no money, you have no free time, and you have no freedom.

Is it like being a slave in the old days? I have no idea what it is. There are things that cannot be told to anyone. I don't pry into anything. I just help out in whatever way I can. Today, for the first time in a while, my legs feel a little better. My back is still the same.

I walked 300 feet from my house to the mailbox and back. I walked unsteadily with a cane and sat down to rest a few times. I knew it was impossible, but I did it anyway. If you just rest, your illness won't get better. Even if it's painful, you need to exercise every day.

The best winter resort in the world is quiet in the summer. The beaches are not crowded like Japanese beaches, and all the locals go to the mountains. I miss the mountains too. For the past ten years... I'm starting to get an appetite. We grow a lot of Chinese cabbage, but unlike the ones in Japan, they are long and thin. In the north, we grow burdock for our own use, but in southern Florida, the roots don't get very thick. It's because of the climate.

I also received a letter from my mother. I'm glad that everyone is doing well. I'll write to you again.

<Article about park donation appears in Japanese newspaper>

December 1974

Thank you for your letter and magazine, Rei-san. I was surprised that the house was more complicated than I thought. For better or worse, there is no choice but to forget about it. Kyoto is a big city, so there must be many rental houses. Why don't you take the plunge and move? I will return Yoneji's (younger brother's) posthumous manuscripts in the next mailing. Important documents must not be lost. I will make copies and send them by registered mail. When you receive them, you can keep them at the bank.

The weather has been perfect for the past few weeks, but it has suddenly gotten cold, with temperatures in the 60s during the day and around 40s at night. I can't stand the cold, so I sleep wrapped in an electric blanket at night. I received a postcard from Akiko. She's still as carefree as ever, which I really envy.

On the 5th, I was invited to dinner by two friends. One for lunch and one for dinner. My hands and feet hurt because of the cold, but I was patient and managed to write. These days, most of my neighbors are away from home, so I can't go out. I have no choice but to explain my business by letter.

I was surprised to see stories about my park donation appearing in newspapers all over Japan.

I received letters from about 50 unknown people. They were all kinds of things. Most of them were from Americans, and you were the only one who was truly happy to receive them. Today was Sunday, so I went to the store with the help of a friend. Since everything was useless, I decided to go for white rice, white bread, sugar, raw meat, and brown rice, raw vegetables, raw fruits, fresh fish, etc.

Mi-san's favorite food is candy, and I was worried she might eat too much, so I shared some with the neighborhood kids. They were all very happy. Apparently there was a poor persimmon harvest this year in Nara and Fushimi, so this is bad too. The economy here is worse than I thought, and there's a lack of work, so money's tight.

The once-popular housing boom has now almost completely died down. Half-built houses can be seen here and there. What is Tokyo like in Japan? Newspaper and magazine articles are not very reliable. I've run out of things to read. I've run out of second-hand books. I know it's a hassle, but I'd like the next book sent to me. I'd also like some vegetable seeds. I'll send the money in a few days. I can't go to the bank.

"Mother of the Earth Part 1"
"A Single Plum Blossom" (by Kazuaki Deguchi)
"Light of the Beginning of Spring"
"Young bamboo in the field"
"The Rise and Fall of the Japanese Empire"
"Islands of Death"
"A divine wind blows"
"The Story of Ainu Life" (by Ichiro Nishitsuji)

If you haven't read it yet, please read it and send it to me. There's no need to hurry. You don't have to send everyone together. Don't worry about me. I'll get used to the pain. I'm not going to collapse yet.

It's 12:15 now. The mailman will be coming after 2:00, so I'll mail it right away. It's about a 10-minute walk. It must be cold in Japan too. Don't catch a cold.

"I'm the last survivor."

December 28, 1974

Reiko, my hand suddenly got bad and I can't do anything. I can write but... If the Takii seeds I ordered haven't arrived, I want you to cancel the whole order. In this condition, I won't be able to plant anything even though I came all the way here.

The weather is fine so far, but it's a little colder than usual. Humidity and cold are the worst thing you can do. The other day, the oldest member of my family in this area died. I'm the last survivor, I guess.

This year was the worst. I got sick and lost three of my best friends (white). They say it's cold in Kyoto too, so please be careful and don't catch a cold. I won't send New Year's cards. I hope you're all healthy and have a great New Year. It reminds me of my favorite zoni. I wish I could eat my fill. I wasn't feeling well on Christmas so I declined all the invitations, but three people gave me turkey dinner. My stomach is fine. Don't worry.

(Titles omitted)

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