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May 5, 1944 (Friday)

Heard mass and received communion at St. Sofia’s Church with Quiambao, Sison and Pena. Met Bert Lavides there, too.

Birthday. Today being the birthday of Ikuko Nagasaki, our friend, we brought her a bouquet of tulips after mass early this morning. Her mother and she were surprised and happy to see such early well-wishers. (The tulips cost us Y12.)

Bought books at Jimbocho (Tokyo’s book district): Japan’s Innate Virility, Leading Spirits of the Age, and Current History, all for Y2.80.

Tonight we had a long discussion with our dormitory superintendent. We told him frankly what we feel about his many unreasonable regulations. We told him we can never have a chance to know the real Japan if we are not given an opportunity to meet people and make friends among the Japanese. He felt at a loss when I put to him this question: “Don’t you think it is strange if after more than one year in Japan we shall return to the Philippines without having made one single friend among the Japanese? What do you think we would answer if our people ask us about Japan and the Japanese?”