「きのう
Immediately after lunch I wrote a letter to Kiyo. I hate writing letters. My composition skills are poor, and I can never remember my kanji [Chinese characters]. I've never had anyone to write to anyway. However, I knew that Kiyo would be worrying about me. I didn't want her to imagine I might have been shipwrecked and drowned, so I made my best effort and wrote her a long letter as follows.
"Arrived yesterday. Dull place. I'm staying in a splendid fifteen-mat room. I gave the inn a five-yen tip. The hostess bowed her head to the floor in gratitude. Couldn't sleep last night. Dreamt that you were eating leaf-wrapped sweets, bamboo leaf and all. Will return next summer. Went to the school today and assigned nicknames to those I met. The principal is 'Tanuki,' the head teacher is 'Red Shirt,' the English teacher is 'Uranari,' the head mathematics teacher is 'Yama Arashi,' and the art instructor is 'Nodaiko' [a third-rate clown]. Will write more soon. Take care."