Throughout the text, I have followed the Japanese convention in which the family name precedes the personal name. Akahata the Red Flag, a daily communist newspaper Asahi Shimbun a daily newspaper Asobu…? Shall we play? ayu a type of fish bakudan the explosion of a bomb; also the name given to low-grade alcohol that had a similar effect on the drinker Banzai! Hurrah! bentō a prepared lunch box butsudan a family or household Buddhist altar upon which photographs of the dead are displayed Calmotin a brand of sleeping pill chiku-taku tick-tock — dōri street Formosans people from the former Japanese colony of Formosa, now Taiwan furoshiki large handkerchief used for wrapping articles fūten group or gang of prostitutes futon a mattress gari-gari the sound of scratching genkan the entrance to a house, inside the front door, used for taking off, putting on and storing shoes geta wooden clogs GHQ General Headquarters (of SCAP) gumi group or gang haramaki a belly band ikidaore an accidental death while on an excursion Jinan Incident also known as the May 3rd Incident in Chinese; the battle between the Japanese army and the Southern Army of the Chinese Kuomintang Nationalist Army in May 1928, when the Japanese army entered Jinan, the capital of Shandong province in China, in order to protect Japanese citizens and businesses kacho the chief of a section kaidashi used to describe scavenging for food or hunting for supplies kakigo ri a flavoured cone of shaved ice Kakyō Sōkai a post-war association of Chinese immigrant businesses Kantō the region of Japan in which Tokyo is situated Katakana a basic written form of Japanese syllabary keisatsu techō a policeman’s notebook and credentials Kempei a Kempeitai officer Kempeitai the Japanese wartime military police kuso an expletive mechiru-arukōru low-grade wood alcohol Meiji the name given to the reign of the former Emperor Mutsuhito, 1866–1912 meishi a business or name card Minpo a daily newspaper Minshū Shimbun a daily newspaper monpe women’s pantaloons Namu-amida-butsu ‘Save us, merciful Buddha’, or ‘May his/her soul rest in peace’ okawari a second-helping pan-pan post-war Japanese prostitutes potsu-potsu drip-drop, drip-drop Public Safety Division the branch of SCAP responsible for the reform of the Japanese police Rikusen Tai Japanese Naval Marine Corps sara-sara in this instance, the sound of running water SCAP Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers SCAPIN SCAP Instruction (i.e. directive) Shinchū Gun the Army of Occupation Shōwa the name given to the reign of the former Emperor Hirohito, 1926–1989 soba buckwheat noodles Taishō the name given to the reign of the former Emperor Yoshihito, 1912–1926 tatami rush-covered straw matting tekiya a stall-holder, but also a racketeer Tōhoku the north-eastern regions of the main Japanese island of Honshu Tokkō the ‘Thought Police’ ton-ton tap-tap; the sound of hammering wā-wā the sound of a baby crying yakitori grilled pieces of chicken on a stick Yobo in this instance, a derogative term for an old man Yomiuri a daily newspaper yukata a light summer kimono zaibatsu a financial clique zanpan a meal made from leftover scraps zā-zā the sound of pelting rain zōsui a porridge of rice and vegetables