Episode 6 Getting a job

Long-distance relationship, coming to Tokyo every month Design engineer at a Toshiba company in Hyogo 

Nishishiba Electric, which I joined in 1973, is one of the Toshiba companies, as the company name “Toshiba of Western Japan” suggests. It is a manufacturer of power generation equipment and marine equipment. As an engineer, I was in charge of design all the time. At that time, we did not use computers but handwritten drawings. I was entrusted with simple circuit design for the first two or three years, but then I was transferred to the new business development department.

I invented an emergency fire extinguishing system in the event of a fire on a ship. How could we use a gas turbine to pump seawater to extinguish the fire? Thinking up new ideas like this was interesting to me.

I chose Nishishiba not only because of the nature of the work but also its location. I had wanted to leave Shikoku, but I am the eldest son and would have to return to my parents’ home in Niihama City, Ehime Prefecture, in case of emergency. I had no intention of going further east than Kansai, and Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture, where Nishishiba is located, seemed like a good location for me.

Aside from work, one of my fondest memories from my fledgling days was traveling to Tokyo, where my girlfriend Hatsuko lived. I usually went to Tokyo on the Friday following my payday. I would jump on the 6:00 p.m. train and arrive at Tokyo Station around 10:00 p.m. From there, I would quickly change to the Chuo Line and head for Kunitachi Station, where Hatsuko lived.

If I arrived at Himeji Station even a little late, I could not reach Kunitachi. The Nishishiba dormitory was located in Aboshi, in the western part of Himeji City. Akira Kato, a colleague of mine who could not bear to see me arrive so close to the time, used to drive me to Himeji Station.

Incidentally, Mr. Kato later joined JustSystems and led the sales department and helped make “Ichitaro” a huge hit. He still serves as an auditor of MetaMoJi, and indeed, we have known each other for a long time.

I went to Tokyo every month. Especially in the beginning, everything I saw was new to me since it was my first time in Tokyo. I arrived late Friday night and spent Saturday and Sunday alone with Hatsuko. There was no regular date course. The terrace of a coffee shop in Roppongi was our favorite place.

I have loved cars since those days and often went to a bookstore in Aoyama. I was looking for a magazine with a set of LPs containing the engine sounds of Ferraris and other cars. Even today, I can usually identify a car by listening to the engine sounds. We walked from one end of Ginza to the other and often went to the movies. Nothing special. I still have fond memories of simply enjoying the limited time with Hatsuko, which was only two days a month.

Instead, I should say, I spent all the money I had in those two days every month. I think my starting salary was about 55,000 yen. When I went to Tokyo, I would have no more than 5,000 yen left. I had to live on that for a month. At that time, there was only one telephone equipped in the dormitory. When I called Tokyo, my 10-yen coins were depleting at an incredible rate, so I could not make many calls.

Fortunately, the Nishishiba dormitory includes dining services. However, the food is not as good as I would like. Of course, I cannot complain, but I would like to eat something different once in a while. When I felt so, I was helped by my seniors in the dormitory. They knew about my commute to Tokyo, so they often took me to a nearby izakaya (Japanese-style pubs). The taste of the places I used to go to with my wooden clogs echoing was very dear to my heart.

After two years of this long-distance relationship, Hatsuko and I decided to marry. However, we were the eldest son and daughter. Hatsuko’s family, a matrilineal family, was vehemently opposed to our marriage.

The author at the time of Nishishiba Electric.