We travelled in complete comfort and early next morning had our first sight of Mount Fujiyama, the sacred mountain of Japan. No longer was it a monument to the long vaunted "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere", but a silent witness to the defeat of the former military might of Japanese imperialism.
On arrival in Tokyo, we found a wonderful welcome awaiting us by the American authorities. What brought home to us that we were free, more than anything else was the sight of American Red Cross nurses, the first white women we had seen since we had been taken prisoners. We were given hot showers, change of clothing, a good meal, and a thorough medical examination (including an 'X' ray) and then some of us who were fit enough, were driven to the Atsugi airfield, on the outskirts of Tokyo.