move to Colonel Hall’s

My twelve days at the ambassador's residence passed quickly.On3 July I moved to Colonel Hall's house at Chiselhampton outside Oxford. The scenery on the way was familiar as I had travelled this route before on my visit to Oxford, but as I was rather nervous and facing a long ‘home-stay’ I did not havemuch inclination to enjoy the scenery. Fortunately, thiswas notmy first experience of a ‘home-stay’. Inmy third year at middle school I had mademy first visit overseas to Australia where a ‘home-stay’ had been part of the trip, but I could not disguise my apprehension in facing a long three-month ‘home-stay’.

Colonel Hall's housewas a splendid three-storey brick building and it seemed somewhat oppressive. The porch was not far from the gate, but I soon recognized that a spacious garden lay behind the house. I was greeted at the porch by Tom Hall, his wife, Mariette, and their three children, Lucy, Edward and John. I was struck by the size and height of the entrance hall which went up to the second floor. There were various books on the hall table; on one side there was a piano and around the hall were Hall's work-room, the sitting-room, and the dining-room. After we had exchanged greetings Mrs Hall showed me to my room on the first floor. The room had its own bathroom and WC. On the walls there were decorated plates and pictures of birds. From the window I could see the large farm managed by Hall where a number of cows were grazing peacefully and green fields stretching as far as the eye could see. When I came out of my room I looked straight down onto the front hall. Soon, lunch was served. In addition to members of the Hall family, Ambassador Nakagawa who had been appointed to accompany me to Britain, Ambassador Hirahara, Counsellor Fuji who had been given the task of looking after my affairs during the whole of my stay as a student in Britain, and officials from the Japanese Embassy were present. As it was a warm day the table had been laid outside on the terrace. This, my first experience of British home cooking, exceeded all my expectations.